For a country or a state, proper law enforcement is very necessary. And for this, a particular framework of law has been written and designed by officials of the country.
To make sure that people living in the country must follow all the rules and regulations and thus they have appointed special officers and departments.
For establishing justice, there is a judiciary system, a special investigation department for looking into special cases, police departments, etc.
Key Takeaways
- The FBI focuses on intelligence and investigative work, while the US Marshals primarily handle fugitive apprehension and witness security.
- The FBI operates under the Department of Justice, whereas the US Marshals Service falls under the jurisdiction of the federal court system.
- The FBI has a broader jurisdiction and handles cases involving terrorism, cybercrime, and other major criminal offenses, while the US Marshals assist local law enforcement in capturing wanted fugitives.
FBI vs US Marshal
The difference between the FBI and US Marshal is that the FBI is meant for looking into special cases, and the responsibility of the agency is to take care of the country’s security in every possible aspect. The agency holds very strong powers as its main aim is to protect the country and its people’s rights. On the other hand, the US Marshal is the agency with a primary interest in protecting the country’s judiciary.
FBI, or, say, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is an agency that primarily deals with the country’s special cases, like – internal security matters of the country, terrorism, cyber-crimes, crimes related to corruption, and many others.
The agency has over 50 countries in which they have established their own offices.
US Marshal is the agency that directly protects the judiciary system, buildings, courts, judges, fugitives, and many others.
The agency is confined to the defined places, and thus they have their offices at the places where they are operating. However, the agency has its very own headquarters, which is located in Arlington, Virginia.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | FBI | US Marshal |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Investigate the cases | Impose and maintain law and order across the nation |
| Headquarters | The building named J. Edgar Hoover, located in Washington | In Arlington, Virginia |
| Number of Offices | 50 offices in different states | Defined to the place where it is in charge |
| In charge | Director | Attorney General, Director, and Deputy Director |
| Responsibilities | Look into the cases related to national security, cyber crimes, corruption, white-collar crimes, and many more. | Maintained the security of the court, issued arrest warrants, and took care of the transport of criminals. |
| Origin | From the times of Theodore Roosevelt’s administration | From the time of George Washington |
| Type of Body | Intelligence and criminal investigation body | Federal enforcement agency |
| Deals In | National Security | Court Security |
| Works Under | US Department of Justice | Federal Courts |
What is the FBI?
FBI stands for the Federal Bureau of Investigation agency. As the name suggests, the agency is related to or is the type of organization related to intelligence and criminal investigation.
The organization has to work under the government organization of the United States Department of Justice and is headed by the Director.
The firm is a type of law enforcement and is of modern origin. It is known from the times of the administration of Theodore Roosevelt.
Also, the main office of the agency is located in a building in Washington named J. Edgar Hoover. In addition, they have a further 50 branches located across different nations.
The agency’s primary focus is to take care of the security of people at the national level.
Their major responsibilities include – cases related to corruption, white-collar crime, operations related to stopping terrorism, cyber-crimes, trafficking, and many others.
What is US Marshal?
US Marshal is one that has been appointed to impose, enforce, and maintain law and order in a given area. They are related to the federal enforcement agency of government.
Thus, working under the federal courts present in the specified area. The head of the body is Attorney General, Director, and Deputy Director.
US Marshal was the oldest law-imposing firm present in the United States. The origin of the body is from the times of George Washington.
The body has its main office or headquarters located in Arlington, Virginia. Unlike the FBI, they don’t have different branches across nations. Perhaps they are confined to the specific area where they are located.
The body’s primary focus is to look after the security of the judicial building, that is, the court.
Their main responsibilities are to take care of court, and judges, issue arrest warrants, to and fro transportation of criminals, and many more.
Main Differences Between FBI and US Marshal
- FBI is the agency whose purpose is to investigate cases related to national security, whereas comparatively, on the other hand, the primary purpose of the US Marshal is to maintain and impose strict law and order in the nation.
- The main head office or the headquarters for the FBI agent is located in a building named J. Edgar Hoover, which is in Washington, United States, whereas comparatively, on the other hand, the main office or the headquarters for the US Marshal is present in Arlington, Virginia.
- The FBI agency is widespread and has many offices, or say, branches, across the nation, working under them and they have a number of 50 offices for the same whereas comparatively, on the other hand, the US Marshal is limited to the area where it is located; thus, they don’t have any further branches.
- The FBI agents can be bifurcated under the main five functional branches, which are in charge of all the activities or operations performed by the individuals working along with the Director, whereas comparatively, on the other hand, the US Marshal has three main head positions to whom the individuals have to report, and they are – Attorney General, Director, and Deputy Director.
- The FBI has numerous responsibilities to perform, and some of these are – to look under the cases related to terrorism, corruption, white-collar crimes, cyber-crimes, and many more, whereas comparatively, on the other hand, the US Marshal has responsibilities to perform like – taking care of judicial buildings, issuing arrest warrants, to make sure the safer transport of the criminals, and many others.
- FBI is known as the modern-day law firm and originated from the times of Theodore Roosevelt’s administration, whereas comparatively, on the other hand, the US Marshal is the oldest law firm in the United States that helps in maintaining law and order in the nation originated during the times of George Washington.
- To be precise FBI is said to be a criminal investigation or intelligence body, whereas comparatively, on the other, the US Marshal is the agency that helps in enforcing the law in the nation.
- FBI deals with cases or operations that are related to national security, whereas comparatively, on the other hand, the US Marshal deals with cases related to court security.
- FBI firm is answerable to the US Department of Justice, the government organization, whereas comparatively, on the other hand, the US Marshal is answerable to the federal courts.
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0047235204000844
- https://www.fedbar.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/feature1-0708-pdf-1.pdf
- https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315721439/policing-america-larry-gaines-victor-kappeler
- https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=pvxoDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR5&dq=difference+between+fbi+and+us+marshal&ots=Xa4JtG5AMB&sig=qal922es-s9kVOcypBMhTR1pTWM&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=difference%20between%20fbi%20and%20us%20marshal&f=false
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.
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