Editing Federal Bureau of Investigation (section)

== Legal authority ==
[[File:FBI Badge & gun.jpg|thumb|FBI badge and service pistol, a [[Glock]] Model 22, .40 S&W caliber]]

The FBI's mandate is established in [[Title 28 of the United States Code]] (U.S. Code), Section 533, which authorizes the [[United States Attorney General|Attorney General]] to "appoint officials to detect and prosecute crimes against the United States".<ref name="uscode">{{cite web |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/28/533- |title=US Code: Title 28,533. Investigative and other officials; appointment |publisher=Cornell Law School |access-date=February 15, 2011}}</ref> Other federal statutes give the FBI the authority and responsibility to investigate specific crimes.

The FBI's chief tool against [[organized crime]] is the [[Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act|Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations]] (RICO) Act. The FBI is also charged with the responsibility of enforcing compliance of the United States [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]] and investigating violations of the act in addition to prosecuting such violations with the [[United States Department of Justice]] (DOJ). The FBI also shares concurrent jurisdiction with the [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] (DEA) in the enforcement of the [[Controlled Substances Act]] of 1970.

The [[Patriot Act|USA PATRIOT Act]] increased the powers allotted to the FBI, especially in [[Telephone tapping|wiretapping]] and monitoring of Internet activity. One of the most controversial provisions of the act is the so-called ''[[Sneak and peek warrant|sneak and peek]]'' provision, granting the FBI powers to search a house while the residents are away, and not requiring them to notify the residents for several weeks afterward. Under the PATRIOT Act's provisions, the FBI also resumed inquiring into the [[library]] records<ref name="library">{{cite news |first=Bob |last=Egelko |author2=Maria Alicia Gaura |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/03/10/MN14634.DTL |title=Libraries post Patriot Act warnings: Santa Cruz branches tell patrons that FBI may spy on them |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=March 10, 2003 |access-date=February 15, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429204950/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2003%2F03%2F10%2FMN14634.DTL |archive-date=April 29, 2011}}</ref> of those who are suspected of [[terrorism]] (something it had supposedly not done since the 1970s).

In the early 1980s, Senate hearings were held to examine FBI undercover operations in the wake of the [[Abscam]] controversy, which had allegations of [[entrapment]] of elected officials. As a result, in the following years a number of guidelines were issued to constrain FBI activities.

Information obtained through an FBI investigation is presented to the appropriate [[United States Attorney|U.S. Attorney]] or Department of Justice official, who decides if prosecution or other action is warranted.

The FBI often works in conjunction with other federal agencies, including the [[United States Coast Guard|U.S. Coast Guard]] (USCG) and [[U.S. Customs and Border Protection]] (CBP) in seaport and airport security,<ref name="sea">{{cite web |url=http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/reports/FBI/a0626/final.pdf |title=The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Efforts to Protect the Nation's Seaports |publisher=U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Inspector General |date=March 2006 |access-date=February 15, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091001020122/http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/reports/FBI/a0626/final.pdf |archive-date=October 1, 2009}}</ref> and the [[National Transportation Safety Board]] in investigating [[Aviation accidents and incidents|airplane crashes]] and other critical incidents. [[U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement|Immigration and Customs Enforcement]]'s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has nearly the same amount of investigative manpower as the FBI and investigates the largest range of crimes. In the wake of the [[September 11 attacks]], then–Attorney General Ashcroft assigned the FBI as the designated lead organization in terrorism investigations after the creation of the [[U.S. Department of Homeland Security]]. HSI and the FBI are both integral members of the [[Joint Terrorism Task Force]].

=== Indian reservations ===
[[File:FBI Director Visits North Dakota Indian Reservation (27474029651).jpg|thumb|FBI Director [[James Comey]] visiting the [[Fort Berthold Indian Reservation]] in [[North Dakota]] in June 2016]]

The federal government has the primary responsibility for investigating<ref>[https://www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/indian/background.htm "Indian Country Crime"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100808010744/https://www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/indian/background.htm |date=August 8, 2010 }} FBI website, accessed August 10, 2010</ref> and prosecuting serious crime on [[Indian reservation]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/sac/sd0300/ch2.htm |title=Native Americans in South Dakota: An Erosion of Confidence in the Justice System |publisher=Usccr.gov |access-date=March 3, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306001408/http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/sac/sd0300/ch2.htm |archive-date=March 6, 2012}}</ref>

{{blockquote|<poem>There are 565 federally recognized American Indian Tribes in the United States, and the FBI has federal law enforcement responsibility on nearly 200 Indian reservations. This federal jurisdiction is shared concurrently with the [[Bureau of Indian Affairs]], Office of Justice Services (BIA-OJS).

Located within the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division, the Indian Country Crimes Unit (ICCU) is responsible for developing and implementing strategies, programs, and policies to address identified crime problems in Indian Country (IC) for which the FBI has responsibility.</poem>|Overview, Indian Country Crime<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/vc_majorthefts/indian/ic_overview |title=Overview, Indian Country Crime |work=FBI |publisher=Federal Bureau of Investigation |access-date=October 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120172843/http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/vc_majorthefts/indian/ic_overview |archive-date=January 20, 2013}}</ref>}}

The FBI does not specifically list crimes in Native American land as one of its priorities.<ref>[https://www.fbi.gov/priorities/priorities.htm FBI "Facts and Figures"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100922070926/https://www.fbi.gov/priorities/priorities.htm |date=September 22, 2010 }} See prominently displayed list of priorities, accessed August 10, 2010</ref> <!-- and most federal prosecutors.--> Often serious crimes have been either poorly investigated or prosecution has been declined. Tribal courts can impose sentences of up to three years, under certain restrictions.<ref>[http://www.denverpost.com/frontpage/ci_15373276? Michael Riley, "Expansion of tribal courts' authority passes Senate"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304043343/http://www.denverpost.com/frontpage/ci_15373276 |date=March 4, 2016 }}, ''[[The Denver Post]]''. Posted: 25 June 2010 01:00:00&nbsp;am MDT Updated: 25 June 2010 02:13:47&nbsp;am MDT. Accessed June 25, 2010.</ref><ref>[http://www.denverpost.com/ci_15636761 Michael Riley, "President Obama signs tribal-justice changes"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304082720/http://www.denverpost.com/ci_15636761 |date=March 4, 2016 }}, ''[[The Denver Post]]'', Posted: 30 July 2010 01:00:00&nbsp;am MDT, Updated: 30 July 2010 06:00:20&nbsp;am MDT, accessed July 30, 2010.</ref>