Federal Bureau Of Investigation

A glimpse of the challenges we faced-and what we achieved together-can be found in this latest edition of The FBI Story, our annual collection of news and feature articles from the Bureau's public website. Here you can read about some of our most successful recent major investigations and operations. These include a three-day nationwide sweep targeting child prostitution in which we identified and rescued more than 100 young victims and arrested more than 150 pimps;the rescue of a 5-year-old boy held captive in a heavily armed bunker in Alabama; and the uncovering of the largest domestic bribery and bid-rigging scheme in the history of federal contracting cases-one that siphoned more than $30 million dollars of taxpayer money. This edition of The FBI Story also highlightssome of the Bureau's remarkable capabilities. You will find a multi-part series on our eliteHostage Rescue Team-which marked its30th anniversary this past year-and a featureon the Terrorist Explosive Device AnalyticalCenter (TEDAC)-an FBI-established, multiagencyoperation that celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2013. For the FBI, 2013 was a year of transition, as my predecessor, Robert S. Mueller, III, completed his extraordinary 12-year tenure at the helm of the Bureau. Director Mueller guided the FBI in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks and spearheaded the Bureau's transformation into an intelligence driven, threat-focused agency capable of confronting today's global security threats. Following Bob Mueller is both a great challengeand a tremendous privilege. In my first monthsas Director, I have been meeting with our partners in the law enforcement and intelligence communities both in the United States and abroad. I want to ensure that we maintain open lines of communication about the work we are doing in our respective communities so that we can continue to build strong relationships to carry us into the future. Those same open and honest lines of communication are equally crucial for our private sector partners and the citizens we serve. Ilook forward to working with all of you in the months and years to come.

The Handbook of Forensic Services providesguidance and procedures for safe and efficientmethods of collecting, preserving, packaging, andshipping evidence and describes the forensicexaminations performed by the FBI's LaboratoryDivision and Operational Technology Division. The successful investigation and prosecution ofcrimes require, in most cases, the collection, preservation, and forensic analysis of evidence. Forensic analysis of evidence is often crucial todeterminations of guilt or innocence

Now in its 14th year of operation, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has firmly established its role as a valuable resource for both victims of Internet crime and law enforcement agencies investigating and prosecuting these crimes. For the victims, the IC3 provides a convenient and easy-to-use reporting mechanism that alerts authorities to suspected criminal violations. For law enforcement agencies, the IC3 serves as a conduit to receive Internet-related complaints, to conduct research related to them and to develop analytical reports for state, local, federal, tribal or international law enforcement and regulatory agencies. These agencies then develop investigations based on the forwarded information as appropriate. In 2013, the IC3 received 262,813 consumer complaints with an adjusted dollar loss of $781,841,6111, which is a 48.8 percent increase in reported losses since 2012 ($581,441,110). The IC3 continues its efforts to inform the general public about online scams by publishing public service announcements and providing tips for Internet consumers. The IC3's success attracts international interest. Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany use the IC3 as a model for similar cybercrime centers. In furtherance of its continuing support of foreign law enforcement, the IC3 prepared dozens of country-specific statistical reports and disseminated hundreds of complaint referrals to FBI legal attach offices throughout the world. In 2014, the IC3 continues to pursue its mission to serve both the online public and law enforcement and regulatory agencies throughout the entire global community.

The purpose of this guide is to provide the best methods for the retrieval of video data evidence from Digital Closed Circuit Television (DCCTV) recording systems. These best practices, guidelines and recommendations are intended to provide responding Law Enforcement personnel guidance in securing and collecting video data from DCCTV systems. This will ensure that best methods are utilized to retrieve the recorded data and maintain its integrity. The retrieved video data should be retained as the master evidence. Whenever possible, the native/proprietary recorded video data from the DCCTV recording system should be retrieved to maintain the integrity and image quality of the evidence. These guidelines are meant to inform agencies of the best practices for DCCTV retrieval and to aid in the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). These practices should be used in conjunction with current agency policies.

During the past 31 months, the FBI has undergone a transformation in all areas of its operations. The transformation has involved both the institution of new functions and capacities as well as refinements of existing processes and programs to modernize our operations. This book provides an overview of that reform process. We have always had responsibility for the counterterrorism mission, and the Bureau has a history of impressive accomplishments in the war against terrorism. From the apprehension of Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski, to the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, and the 1998 East Africa Embassy bombings, the FBI has investigated terrorist acts and helped to bring many of those responsible to justice. In addition, the Bureau has participated in preventing many terrorist acts before their commission, as evidenced by the foiling of the Millennium Plot to plant explosives at Los Angeles International Airport, the apprehension and prosecution of Ramzi Yousef and others for conspiracy to bomb United States commercial airliners, and the arrest and prosecution of Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman and his co-conspirators before they could carry out their plan to bomb office buildings, bridges, and tunnels in New York City. Throughout his tenure, Director Louis Freeh and his executives took steps to build that preventive capacity within the Bureau. They established an intelligence Section within the Investigative Service Division and staffed it with analysts who were tasked with identifying and predicting criminal and terrorist threats. They greatly enhanced our ability to coordinate investigations with our counterparts in other countries by nearly doubling the number of Legal Attach offices overseas. Also, they devised and implemented a strategy for developing a counterterrorism capability in each FBI field office. The FBI responded to the attacks of September 11, 2001, with a clear recognition that we needed both to build on the progress of the past decade and to enhance our operations and focus to meet the deadly challenge of modern terrorism. In a process that started on September 11, 2001, we have been reforming our organization, operations, and long-term objectives to make the prevention of terrorist attacks the Bureau's overriding priority. This new operational focus required that we fundamentally transform our organization to enhance our ability to predict and prevent terrorism. We have followed a plan for this transformation that has seven basic elements: - Prioritization- Mobilization- Centralization- Intelligence Integration- Coordination- Information Technology- Administrative ReformThese elements are the foundation of an effective Counterterrorism Program. The following describes each element of the plan in some detail.

The FBI implemented Sentinel in July 2012 as an electronic information and case management system that includes records management, workflow management, evidence management, search and reporting capabilities, and information sharing with other law enforcement agencies and the intelligence community. Development of Sentinel first began in 2006 and at the time it was expected to be completed in December 2009 at a cost of $425 million. This report, the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General's tenth report on Sentinel, examines Sentinel's effect on the FBI's daily operations while also reviewing Sentinel's project costs and the updates made to the program since it was deployed. This report focuses on users' experiences with Sentinel's functionality and their ability to effectively and efficiently enter, search, and share information in the FBI's case management system. To accomplish this audit, we surveyed and interviewed Sentinel users to assess user satisfaction with the system, examined Sentinel's budget and incurred costs, and reviewed the improvements that were made to or planned for Sentinel as of July 2014. Our review found that most FBI employees routinely used Sentinel to perform their daily investigative activities. The majority of FBI employees responding to our survey reported that Sentinel has had an overall positive impact on the FBI's operations, making the FBI better able to carry out its mission, and better able to share information. The majority of survey respondents also reported that Sentinel had a positive impact on the FBI's efficiency, by allowing improvements such as reducing the number of lost documents, decreasing the amount of time that it takes to get documents approved and improving the FBI's ability to share documents within the FBI.

On April 16, 2007, Seung Hui Cho, 23, a student at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University ("Virginia Tech") in Blacksburg, Virginia, carried out what would become one of the deadliest school shootings in the world. Around 7:15 a.m., Cho fatally shot a female student in her dormitory room in West Ambler Johnston Residential Hall and then shot the building's residential advisor. Approximately two-and-a-half hours later, Cho entered Norris Hall, a lecture building, and shot numerous students and faculty before killing himself. In total, Cho killed 32 (27 students and five faculty members) and wounded 17. Some of the wounded individuals were struck by gunfire while others were injured trying to jump from the building. This killing spree stunned the nation and questions echoed throughout the country from parents, administrators, and government officials alike. In response, Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine established the Virginia Tech Review Panel (VTRP) on June 18, 2007, to gain a better understanding of the incident and its underlying causes so that steps could be taken to minimize the chances of a similar tragedy happening again. At the federal level, President George W. Bush charged Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Department of Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt to convene meetings throughout the country focused on the issues raised by the Virginia Tech tragedy. Meetings were subsequently held with college and university representatives, local and state leaders, law enforcement officials, and mental health care providers. President Bush instructed Secretary Leavitt to summarize the lessons learned from these meetings and to recommend how the federal government could help prevent similar incidents in the future. On June 13, 2007, based upon the meeting discussions as well as other input, the Report to the President on Issues Raised by the Virginia Tech Tragedy was issued. This report presented a series of findings, common themes, observations, and recommendations, one of which stated: "The U. S. Department of Education, in collaboration with the U. S. Secret Service and the Department of Justice, should explore research of targeted violence in institutions of higher education and continue to share existing threat assessment methodology with interested institutions." To that end, representatives from the U. S. Secret Service (Secret Service), the U. S. Department of Education, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) initiated a partnership in pursuit of this goal. The three entities began by asking fundamental questions, such as: How prevalent are the incidents of targeted violence that affect institutions of higher education (IHEs)? Who are the perpetrators? Are they affiliated with the affected IHE? There was limited previous research on these issues, so the initial framework for the project became clear to the three agencies, which began a comprehensive effort to identify, through open-sources, incidents of targeted violence that have affected IHE communities. This report provides an overview of these incidents and the involved subjects, discusses initial observations regarding behaviors of the subjects, and offers preliminary considerations regarding the data that may have relevance to threat assessment. While the participating agencies are aware of the limitations of an open-source descriptive review, this preliminary effort will becomplemented by a more in-depth study to be conducted by the Department of Education and the FBI.

""Expose Of Soviet Espionage, May, 1960"" is a book written by J. Edgar Hoover that sheds light on the Soviet Union's espionage activities during the Cold War era. The book provides an in-depth analysis of the Soviet intelligence network and its operations in the United States, including the recruitment of American citizens as spies and the use of sophisticated technology for espionage purposes. Hoover, who was the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at the time, draws on his extensive experience in law enforcement and intelligence gathering to provide a comprehensive overview of the Soviet Union's espionage tactics. He also highlights the FBI's efforts to counter Soviet espionage and protect national security. The book includes detailed case studies of Soviet spies who were caught and prosecuted by the FBI, as well as examples of successful counterintelligence operations. Hoover also discusses the role of the media in exposing Soviet espionage and the importance of public awareness in combating this threat. Overall, ""Expose Of Soviet Espionage, May, 1960"" is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the history of Cold War espionage and the efforts to counter it. It provides a unique perspective on the challenges faced by law enforcement and intelligence agencies in protecting national security and preserving democracy. This is a new release of the original 1960 edition. This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

The Handbook of Forensic Services provides guidance and procedures for safe and efficient methods of collecting, preserving, packaging, and shipping evidence and describes the forensic examinations performed by the FBI's Laboratory Division and Operational Technology Division. The successful investigation and prosecution of crimes require, in most cases, the collection, preservation, and forensic analysis of evidence. Forensic analysis of evidence is often crucial to determinations of guilt or innocence. The FBI has one of the largest and most comprehensive forensic laboratories in the world, and the FBI Laboratory is accredited by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board. The forensic services of the FBI Laboratory Division and the Operational Technology Division are available to the following: FBI field offices and legal attach s, U. S. attorneys, military tribunals, and other federal agencies for civil and criminal matters, State, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies in the United States and territorial possessions for criminal matters. All forensic services, including expert witness testimonies, are rendered free of cost; however, the following limitations apply: No examination will be conducted on evidence that has been previously subjected to the same type of examination. Exceptions may be granted when there are reasons for a reexamination. These reasons should be explained in separate letters from the director of the laboratory that conducted the original examination, the prosecuting attorney, and the investigating agency. No request for an examination will be accepted from laboratories having the capability of conducting the examination. Exceptions may be granted upon approval of the FBI Laboratory Director or a designee. No testimony will be furnished if testimony on the same subject and in the same case is provided for the prosecution by another expert. No request for an examination will be accepted from a nonfederal law enforcement agency in civil matters. In addition, when submitting evidence to the FBI Laboratory, contributors acknowledge the following: FBI examiners will choose appropriate technical processes to address the contributor's request for examination. Depending on the caseload of the Laboratory and the needs of the contributor, evidence examinations may be subcontracted. An FBI Laboratory Report of Examination may contain the opinions and/or interpretations of the examiner(s) who issued the report.

Gangs continue to commit criminal activity, recruit new members in urban, suburban, and rural regions across the United States, and develop criminal associations that expand their influence over criminal enterprises, particularly street-level drug sales. The most notable trends for 2011 have been the overall increase in gang membership, and the expansion of criminal street gangs' control of street-level drug sales and collaboration with rival gangs and other criminal organizations.