A Brief History of the FBI

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FBI was established when very few federal crimes occurred. The Bureau primarily investigated violations of laws involving national banking, bankruptcy, naturalization, and land fraud. Due to the fact that the Bureau provided no training, previous law enforcement experience was considerable. The FBI first grew in 1910, when transporting woman over state lines for immoral purposes was a crime. This provided the agency a tool for the federal government to investigate criminals who evaded state laws but had no other federal violations. When America entered World War I, the Bureau’s work was increased again. They took sole responsibility for the Espionage, Selective Service and Sabotage Acts, and assisted the Department of Labor by investigating enemy aliens. The FBI of the 1920s focused on stopping gangsters and enforcing Prohibition.
The 1920s to the 1930s were often referred to as the “lawless years” because of the gangsters running amuck across America, and the ...

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through newspapers, radio, and movies. President FDR influenced Congress to expand federal jurisidiction. This is the time when the media first began getting involved.
The first issue of the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin was published in 1929. Hoover believed in publicizing his agency’s work at all costs. By the end of the decade, the Bureau had field offices in 42 cities and employed 654 Special Agents and 1141 Support Employees. The early and mid 1930s saw the rise of the FBI as a premiere law enforcement agency.
During the 1930s several crucial decisions made the FBI the top law enforcement agency. Congress passed a federal kidnapping statute after the Lindbergh kidnapping ...

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