Federal Agencies

The National Security Agency (NSA) is a federal agency that handles criminal investigations. It is under the United States Department of Defense. It adopts an eavesdropping mission through telephone calls, radio broadcasting, and the internet in order to intercept messages sent by the individuals and companies (National Security Agency, 2012). Its department has the most developed supercomputers for performing complex computations in order to decode messages. A report released by the Washington Post reveals that this agency intercepts and stores about 1.7 billion e-mails and phone calls each day. The functions of this federal agency include analyzing various communications through the phone calls, television media, and the internet. The Signals Intelligence Directorate (SID) performs this function in this agency. Furthermore, it uses its advanced technology equipment to research on ways of storing and disseminating classified information in the USA departments (National Security Agency, 2012). The National Computer Security Centre carries out this function in this agency. It also works out with other companies in the private sector in an effort of building information systems that would ensure the confidentiality and privacy of the customers’ information. The department charged with this responsibility which is called the Information Assurance Directorate (IAD).

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a federal agency that handles criminal investigations. It is under the United States Department of Justice. The mission of this agency is to ensure the protection of the citizens of the United States against terrorist and foreign intelligence, to provide criminal justice services and leadership to state agencies, and to enforce and upload the criminal laws of the USA (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2012). The function of the FBI includes protecting the civil rights of all the citizens of the USA. Furthermore, it combats national criminal organizations, such as drug traffickers in an attempt of reducing crimes. It helps in reducing the corruption levels in the government departments by investigating corruption cases. It also helps in the protection of the United States against attacks from terrorism. It achieves this by investigating suspicious cases involving terrorism activities (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2012). It has collaborated with the U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and they assist together in the investigation and maintenance of the airport security. After the US had suffered the 9/11 terrorist attacks, A.G. Ashcroft assigned the FBI the duty of investigating terrorism activity.

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is a federal agency that handles criminal investigations. It reports to the Director of National Intelligence. The mission of this agency is becoming the nation’s first line of defense by collecting information revealing the plans, intentions and capabilities for adversaries of the United States (Central Intelligence Agency, 2012). It provides a basis for decision and action. Furthermore, it aims at producing analysis that is timely in attempt of providing warning to the president of the United States and decision makers who have the responsibility of American citizens. The CIA serves the function of preventing terrorist. It has a Counterterrorist centre that handles cases on terrorism activity. In 1996, it created a virtual station that was given the responsibility of tracking down all the activities of Osama bin Laden. The CIA also contributed to a big part on the death of Osama bin Laden under the Operation Neptune’s Spear (Central Intelligence Agency, 2012). It conducted this operation in conjunction with the Naval Special Warfare Development Group under the U. S. Navy. It also has secret agents who gather intelligent information.

The United States Secret Service (USSS) is a federal agency handling criminal investigations. It is a part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. It has a mission of offering protection to important officials of the government (USSS, 2012). It offers a protection to the president of the United States, the vice-president, and the all the individuals next in the line of succession. Furthermore, it offers a protection to all the family members of these officials in an attempt of protecting them from attacks and kidnaps. Moreover, it offers a protection to the all the former presidents and their spouses except in situation where the spouse of the president remarries. It also serves the function of offering a protection to all visiting heads of states and their spouses when they happen to visit the United States. It has the responsibility of offering a protection to presidential and vice presidents candidates within 120 days of the general presidential elections (USSS, 2012). In addition to this, it serves the role covering important missions such as the prevention and the investigation of activities involving the counterfeiting of the currency of the United States and all the United States treasury securities.

The U. S. Customs and Boarder Protection (CBP) is a federal agency handling criminal investigations. It is under the United States Department of Homeland Security. Its mission is preventing terrorist and terrorist weapons from entering the boarder of the United States (CBP, 2012). Its functions include apprehending people who try entering the boarder of the United States illegally to conduct illegal trade activities or to smuggle illegal items, such as guns and drugs. It has a department known as the Container Security Initiative that collaborates with host countries to identify and screen containers that seem to pose a risk at all foreign ports before port officials load them on vessels. It has also collaborated with the Advanced Passenger Information and Joint Terrorism Task Force to assess passengers flying in the United States so that they assess their security risk (CPB, 2012). It has the power to seize merchandise at the port when it suspects that the merchandise is harmful for the human health.