BALTIMORE, MD—The Federal Bureau of Investigation is marking the 45th anniversary of the creation of its first Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). Formed in New York in 1980, the first JTTF became a model for law enforcement cooperation across the nation.

The FBI Baltimore Field Office organized its Maryland-Delaware Joint Terrorism Task Force in October 2001. JTTFs can be found at each of the FBI’s 55 field offices and many of their smaller offices—280 locations in all.

JTTFs gather trained investigators, intelligence analysts, linguists, and tactical experts from federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Task force members share intelligence and investigative leads and respond to threats and incidents.

“Our valuable law enforcement partners help keep our communities safe,” said William J. DelBagno, special agent in charge of the Baltimore Field Office. “These teams combine everyone’s special skills and expertise, which makes us all that much stronger.”

The FBI’s JTTF model dates to 1979, when the New York Police Department and the FBI’s New York Field Office created a joint task force to tackle violent bank robberies. They imitated the model in 1980, when terrorist bombings, bomb threats, and other violence plagued the city, and announced the formation of the first JTTF in April 1980.

After the 9/11 attacks, FBI leadership directed all FBI field offices to establish a JTTF. In addition, the FBI established its National Joint Terrorism Task Force to support the local task forces in June of 2002. The NJTTF, at FBI Headquarters, enhances communication, coordination, and cooperation from partner agencies.

JTTFs have disrupted dozens of plots in the past four decades. The Baltimore Field Office counts numerous disruptions of its own, including plans to sow chaos in Baltimore, Maryland, in 2022 and 2023 by destroying energy facilities; plans by a violent extremist group from 2018 to 2019 to commit crimes promoting terrorism; and a plan in 2010 to attack an armed forces recruiting station in Catonsville, Maryland.

Additional Resources:

• Electronic Press Kit (video interviews)
• Celebrating 45 Years of FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces (story)
• Inside the FBI: Joint Terrorism Task Forces (podcast)
• Terrorism — FBI