The FBI’s 9/11 Role by the Numbers
The FBI’s 9/11 Role by the Numbers
The FBI responded to September 11 in extraordinary fashion. More than 4,000 special agents and 3,000 professional employees helped in the recovery and subsequent investigation. A single crime scene at the Pentagon in Virginia or at the World Trade Center alone likely would have eclipsed any previous investigative effort. The combination—along with the crash site in Pennsylvania—challenged the FBI to deploy its assets efficiently and in innovative ways. All FBI Headquarters divisions, field offices, and nearly every unit at the FBI Laboratory contributed. Among the efforts:
- In New York, more than 1,000 FBI employees from 55 of the 56 field offices worked to recover victims, evidence, and personal belongings.
- At the Pentagon, 155 FBI employees from eight field offices recovered evidence.
- In Pennsylvania, 152 FBI employees from eight field offices recovered evidence.
- Special Agents and personnel in at least 30 of the FBI’s foreign offices tracked down leads and worked with international partners.
- The FBI responded to more than 500,000 investigative leads.
- Special agents conducted more than 167,000 interviews.
The FBI collected and processed more than 150,000 pieces of evidence.
- Photographers took more than 170,000 pictures.
- Computer experts examined more than 35 terabytes of data in the first 30 days of the investigation alone.
- More than 70 agents and professional staff worked on the core investigative team.
- Scores of Laboratory personnel helped identify victims and hijackers through DNA.
- Dozens of document experts reviewed more than 1,600 small or damaged pieces of paper.
- Dozens of fingerprint examiners received more than 3,800 pieces of evidence and conducted more than 126,600 comparisons.
- Five FBI cadaver dogs worked at the Pentagon.
- Highly skilled FBI artists developed models of the sites and produced dozens of graphics.
- Hazardous materials specialists from numerous field offices worked the three sites.
- Explosives experts examined plane wreckage and building debris for evidence of bombs.
- FBI pilots transported teams, equipment, and specialists to different locations.
- Technical specialists restored the New York Office’s computer and phone systems and provided emergency communication systems in Virginia and Pennsylvania.
- FBI SWAT teams provided security at all three sites, and Hostage Rescue Teams evaluated security at several locations.
Specialists helped recover audio and data from cockpit voice and flight data recorders and analyzed other audio and video recordings.