A Brief History of the FBI in Alaska

In the late 1930s, the FBI was given expanded jurisdiction by Congress. New legislation gave the FBI investigative responsibility for violations such as bank robbery, racketeering and interstate transportation of stolen property. The number of FBI field divisions increased from 37 to 47 in order to handle the growing workload. As a result, the Juneau Division, predecessor to the Anchorage Division, opened in May of 1937.

In April 1938, the Juneau Division was closed due to a lack of funding. However, by July 1939, the Juneau Division was reopened, in part because of the increase in espionage investigations. On October 15, 1941, the "Washington-Times Herald" newspaper reported that Japanese and German agents were conducting intensive espionage efforts in Alaska.

In 1944, the Juneau Division relocated to Anchorage and was officially opened on February 20, 1944. Because of the lack of available housing in Anchorage, the FBI authorized the construction of a four-room house to accommodate personnel assigned to the Anchorage Division.

By 1947, there were nine Agents assigned to Fairbanks, Juneau, Anchorage and Ketchikan. The population influx in the early 1970s increased crime in Anchorage by a reported 200%. The number of Special Agents in Alaska continued to increase.

The financial crash of the mid-1980s brought an additional emphasis on white-collar crime.

In 1992, the first female Special Agent in Charge in FBI history was appointed to head the Anchorage Division.

Today, there are more than 60 Agents and Professional Support Personnel assigned to Alaska.

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