Is the F.B.I. a private owned company?

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is a federal agency under the Department of Justice. Like other federal law enforcement agencies, the FBI is authorized to investigate and make arrests for violations of federal law. FBI employees are either Special Agents or support personnel. Special Agents (also known as "Series 1811 Special Agent Investigators") are authorized to carry firearms everywhere within the U.S. and its territories, serve search and arrest warrants, and conduct interviews of suspects and witnesses. Support personnel, although they do not carry firearms or conduct interviews or make arrests, serve an important role in investigations by evaluating forensic evidence in cases, matching fingerprints, conducting DNA tests, and providing scientific expertise in diverse fields of study. Both Special Agents and support personnel may testify in court. Although the FBI can investigate any violation of federal law, some of their areas of primary responsibility include stopping domestic terrorism, conducting domestic counterintelligence, and investigating robbery of FDIC insured banks.