What We Investigate
What We Investigate
The FBI works around the globe to combat the most dangerous criminal and security threats facing our country: from international and domestic terrorists to spies on U.S. soil from child predators to serial killers.
We currently have jurisdiction over violations in more than 200 categories of federal law. Our investigations into these violations generally fall under three national security priorities and five criminal priorities as follows:
Investigative Priorities:
1. Protect the United States from terrorist attack
Our overriding priority is to head off terrorist attacks by identifying and disrupting the plots of international and domestic terrorist operatives and cells, cutting off terrorist financing and other forms of support, sharing intelligence, and providing strategic and operational threat analysis to decision makers and the intelligence community.
The San Francisco Joint Terrorism Task Force leads our local counterterrorism efforts. The task force—organized in 1998 and strengthened in the days following the attacks of 9/11—includes personnel from more than 40 different local, state, and federal agencies. Together, these individuals look into all terrorism leads, develop and investigate cases, provide support for special events, and proactively identify potential threats to the Bay Area and the nation.
The work of the task force is bolstered by the San Francisco Field Intelligence Group, which spearheads the analysis and sharing of intelligence both inside an outside the FBI. The field intelligence group also joins with the multi-agency Regional Terrorism Threat Assessment Center to form the Central California Intelligence Center, which supports law enforcement and intelligence partners in 34 counties across the state.
For more information on the FBI’s national efforts to prevent terrorist attacks, see our Counterterrorism page. And see our Press Room for current cases and our San Francisco History page for past investigations.
2. Protect the United States against foreign intelligence operations and espionage
Today, as in the past, foreign spies want our country’s juiciest classified information. But more than ever before they are also trying to steal trade secrets and technologies that could undermine the economic health of the U.S. and even our national security.
In San Francisco, our dedicated foreign counterintelligence squads work to protect U.S. government secrets, keep proprietary technologies from falling into the wrong hands, and help strengthen the national threat picture by gathering information and intelligence. Our work includes knowing the key targets in our territory, developing strategic partnerships with area institutions, and disrupting the efforts of insiders and key nations.
Because Silicon Valley occupies such a prominent place in the economy of the Bay Area, San Francisco also has a hybrid cyber/counterintelligence squad dedicated to disrupting espionage efforts targeting the technology sector.
For more information on the FBI’s national program, see our Counterintelligence page. And see our Press Room for current cases and our San Francisco History page for past investigations.
3. Protect the United States from high-tech crimes and cyber attacks.
The FBI leads the national effort to investigate high-tech crimes, hostile intelligence operations carried out over the Internet, and more traditional cyber crime and fraud. Locally, we focus on identifying and prosecuting those behind the most serious computer intrusions and the spread of malicious code; apprehending individual sexual predators who use the Internet to meet and exploit children, dismantling groups that produce, possess, or share child pornography; disrupting operations that target U.S. intellectual property; and prosecuting the most significant perpetrators of Internet fraud.
In San Francisco, we have investigators dedicated to cyber crimes and attacks, and we participate in a variety of multi-agency partnerships, including the Silicon Valley Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory. See our Partnerships page for more details.
For more information on the FBI’s national efforts, see our Cyber Investigations page. And see our Press Room for current cases and our San Francisco History page for past investigations.
4. Combat public corruption at all levels
Corruption in government threatens the very foundations of our democracy. When those entrusted with the leadership, safety, and general welfare of our society betray that trust, we all pay the price. Public corruption also squanders billions of tax dollars each year.
Our investigations in San Francisco focus on violations of federal law by public officials in local, state, and federal government. Subjects of these investigations are often involved in bribery, contract fraud, election fraud, and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The San Francisco Division also has its own public corruption hotline for tips: 800-376-5991.
For more information on the FBI’s national efforts, see our Public Corruption webpage. And see our Press Room for current cases and our San Francisco History page for past investigations.
5. Protect civil rights
The FBI is the lead agency for investigating violations of federal civil rights laws, and in San Francisco we aggressively investigate and work to prevent hate crimes, color of law abuses, human trafficking, and freedom of access to clinic entrances violations. As part of our outreach efforts, we have also established relationships with local and national civic groups representing people of various ethnic and religious backgrounds.
For more information on our overall efforts, see our Civil Rights webpage. And see our Press Room for current cases and our San Francisco History page for past investigations.
6. Combat transnational/national criminal organizations and enterprises
Criminal organizations—from mob families drug trafficking cartels—sow violence and crime in our communities.
Most of our work in this priority throughout San Francisco Division focuses on violent gangs and drugs through a variety of law enforcement partnerships. See our Partnerships page for details.
Learn more about our national work to combat organized crime and violent street gangs. And see our Press Room for current cases and our San Francisco History page for past investigations.
7. Combat major white-collar crime
White-collar crime encompasses the full range of frauds. Today's con artists are more savvy and sophisticated than ever, engineering everything from slick online scams to complex stock and health care frauds. Other crimes include corporate fraud, high-yield investment fraud, mortgage fraud, financial institution fraud, money laundering, and fraud by wire.
We have three squads dedicated to fighting white-collar crime in the San Francisco region. During our investigations we work closely with our local and state partners, participating on task forces dedicated to combating mortgage fraud and health care fraud.
For more information, see our White-Collar Crime webpage. And see our Press Room for current cases and our San Francisco History page for past investigations.
8. Combat significant violent crime
Even with the enhancement of our national security responsibilities after the attacks of September 11, 2001, we continue to play a key role in combating violent crime in big cities and local communities across the United States. Beyond our work targeting violent gangs and other criminal enterprises, we focus on such issues as crimes against children, crime on Indian reservations, the search for wanted fugitives, serial killings, kidnapping, murder for hire, bank robberies, and special crimes like the carriage of weapons on aircraft and crime on the high seas.
In San Francisco, we work closely with a host of law enforcement partners to address the full range of violent crimes. Specifically, we lead four multi-agency Safe Streets Task Forces, which facilitate cooperation and communication among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies; increase productivity; and avoid duplication of investigative efforts. See our Partnerships page for more details.
For more details on our overall national efforts, see our Violent Crime and Major Thefts webpage. And see our Press Room for current cases and our San Francisco History page for past investigations.
