Currently , the FBI 's top priorities are : In 1896 , the National Bureau of Criminal Identification was founded , which provided agencies across the country with information to identify known criminals . The 1901 assassination of President William McKinley created a perception that America was under threat from anarchists . The Departments of Justice and Labor had been keeping records on anarchists for years , but President Theodore Roosevelt wanted more power to monitor them
assassination of President William McKinley
Assassination of William McKinley
Federal Bureau of Investigation