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Investigation Procedures & Methods Flashcards

7 cards from real FBI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Investigation Procedures & Methods flashcards as text

  1. Under the FBI's Confidential Human Source (CHS) policy, how frequently must a handling agent conduct a suitability review of an active CHS?

    Answer: Annually

    FBI policy mandates annual suitability reviews to assess whether a CHS continues to meet reliability and safety standards.

  2. An FBI agent wants to access stored emails older than 180 days from a third-party provider. Which legal process is required under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA)?

    Answer: Search warrant

    After the Sixth Circuit's Warshak decision and subsequent DOJ policy, the FBI uses a search warrant to obtain stored email content regardless of age.

  3. During a financial crimes investigation, the FBI identifies a suspicious transaction. Which federal agency must financial institutions notify, and what form is used?

    Answer: FinCEN, using a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR)

    The Bank Secrecy Act requires financial institutions to file Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) with FinCEN for suspicious transactions.

  4. What distinguishes a 'proactive' investigation from a 'reactive' investigation in FBI practice?

    Answer: Proactive investigations are initiated before a crime is reported, based on intelligence; reactive investigations respond to reported crimes

    Proactive investigations are intelligence-driven and anticipate criminal activity, while reactive investigations respond to crimes that have already been committed or reported.

  5. When executing a search warrant at a business during operating hours, FBI agents should FIRST:

    Answer: Announce their presence, display the warrant, and identify the person in charge

    Federal rules require agents to knock and announce, identify themselves, and present the warrant to minimize disruption and protect legal admissibility.

  6. An undercover FBI agent is offered narcotics by a target. Accepting the drugs for evidence purposes requires prior authorization from:

    Answer: FBI supervisory approval in accordance with the Undercover Operations Review Committee guidelines

    FBI undercover operations involving illegal activity such as accepting contraband require supervisory approval under established guidelines to ensure legality and safety.

  7. Chain of custody documentation for physical evidence is critical primarily because:

    Answer: It establishes the integrity of evidence and prevents successful challenges to admissibility at trial

    An unbroken chain of custody demonstrates that evidence has not been tampered with or contaminated, which is essential for admissibility in court.