For the FBI and its partners, 2012 was a year that reminded us once again of the seriousness of the security threats facing our nation. During the year, extremists plotted to attack-unsuccessfully, thanks to the work of our Joint Terrorism Task Forces-the U.S. Capitol, the New York Federal Reserve Bank, and other landmarks on U.S. soil. Tragically, on the 11th anniversary of 9/11, a hateful attack in Benghazi took the lives of the U.S. Ambassador to Libya and three other Americans. In the cyber realm, a rising tide of hackers took electronic aim at global cyber infrastructure, causing untold...

For the FBI and its partners, much has changed in the last decade. The terror attacks of 9/11 shifted the focus of national security, making prevention our collective mandate. Remarkable technological change also gave rise to online scams and cyber attacks. Gangs grew in size and strength, proliferating crime in some communities; and greed and corruption affected many Americans, along with banking and other institutions. The FBI, for its part, has emerged 10 years later a changed organization. More than ever, we are intelligence-driven and threat-focused, business-like in our operations and...

For the FBI and its partners, much has changed in the last decade. The terror attacks of 9/11 shifted the focus of national security, making prevention our collective mandate. Remarkable technological change also gave rise to online scams and cyber attacks. Gangs grew in size and strength, proliferating crime in some communities; and greed and corruption affected many Americans, along with banking and other institutions. The FBI, for its part, has emerged 10 years later a changed organization. More than ever, we are intelligence-driven and threat-focused, business-like in our operations and...

The sharing and safeguarding of critical information fundamentally enable the unique national security and law enforcement missions of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Continued and significant progress in sharing and safeguarding characterized the FBI in 2012. With significant enhancements to several of its technical and operational sharing and safeguarding capabilities in 2012, the FBI reaffirmed its commitment to responsibly sharing timely, relevant, and actionable intelligence with the widest appropriate audience while protecting the privacy and civil liberties of the American...

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...

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...

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.