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Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Largest investigative agency of the U.S. government. It was founded in 1908 as the Bureau of Investigation within the U.S. Justice Department. J. Edgar Hoover served as its director from 1924 until his death in 1972. Since 1968 the director, who reports to the attorney general, has been appointed by the president for a 10-year term, subject to Senate approval. The FBI employs more than 10,000 special agents. Its responsibilities include investigating violations of federal criminal law (including in the areas of civil rights and organized crime), collecting evidence in civil cases to which the U.S. is a party, and providing internal security.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

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Hostage Rescue Team (FBI)

The Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) is the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation's elite Special Operations tactical and counterterrorism SWAT Team. The HRT is trained to rescue U.S. citizens or others who are held by a hostile force, either terrorist or criminal.

The Hostage Rescue Team was founded in 1982 by Danny Coulsonin preparation for the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles, as a response to possible terrorist actions such as occurred at the Munich Games

The HRT became part of the Critical Incident Response Group upon its formation in 1994 as a result of the need to consolidate the assets necessary to respond to a critical incident in one group. Today it is part of the Tactical Support Branch of the FBI's Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG), and is based at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Its purpose was, and still is, to serve as a domestic counter-terrorism unit in offering a tactical resolution option in hostage and high-risk law enforcement situations. It originally comprised 50 operators, and this number has increased since to over 90 full-time operators. The HRT commonly functions as a national SWAT team in highly sensitive or dangerous situations.

Motto

Servare Vitas - "To Save Lives"

Capabilities

The HRT's equipment and tactics are more advanced than any of the FBI's 56 field office SWAT teams or the 14 'enhanced' SWAT teams. The HRT's capabilities are more advanced because its operators (assault and sniper teams) serve full-time and train daily. HRT operators are assigned to one of three teams, one of which is a designated maritime team. The three teams rotate through three 60-day cycles: training, operations, and support. During the training cycle, the team refreshes its skills and takes part in exercises. During the operations cycle, the team is available for deployment. During the support cycle, the team works on special projects and maintains the HRT's equipment.

One of the chief capabilities that distinguishes the HRT from the FBI's SWAT teams is its ability to fast rope, a technique where the assault team descends a thick rope from the side of a helicopter. HRT also possess advanced "breaching" capabilities, unlike the Field Office SWAT teams.

Roles

Some of the HRT's roles include:

Hostage rescue
Apprehending barricaded subjects
Helicopter operations
High-risk raids, searches, arrests, and warrants
Mobile assaults
Manhunt and rural operations
Maritime operations
Cold/extreme weather operations
Dignitary protection
Force protection for FBI personnel overseas
Assistance to military special missions
Counter-terrorism

Additionally, the HRT has performed traditional law enforcement roles during hurricane relief operations, tactical surveys, and on occasion, pre-positions in support of special events such as the Olympic Games, presidential inaugurations, and political conventions

The HRT is known to train with units such as the Army's Combat Applications Group (otherwise known as 1-st SFOD-D Delta Force), France's GIGN, Britain's SAS, Australian SAS, Germany's GSG 9 and other international units

The operators of the HRT are selected on a strictly volunteer basis after the successful completion of an extremely rigorous and demanding two week selection tryout. In order to apply for HRT selection the candidate must be a currently serving FBI Special Agent with a minimum three years field experience After a four-month initial training period, they are headquartered at the FBI Academy, Quantico. In 2003, members of the HRT were deployed on more than 200 missions, including to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Operations

Since its inception, the HRT, or components of it, have been involved in many of the FBI's high profile cases, executing numerous operations involving domestic militant groups, terrorists, and violent criminals

The first test of the team's capabilities came in the summer of 1984, when the team deployed to Los Angeles as part of the security buildup prior to the 1984 Summer Olympic Games. The HRT was a participant in the infamous incidents at Ruby Ridge and Waco, as well as at the hostage rescue operations of prison guards at Talladega, Alabama, and St. Martinville, Louisiana. Both of these incidents led to changes on how and when the HRT is used by the FBI.