The Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (formerly known as the Associate Director) is a senior

United States government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a feder ...

position in the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

. The office is second in command to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. If the director is absent or the position is vacant, the deputy director automatically takes on the additional title and role of acting director. The office is also the highest position attainable within the FBI without being appointed by the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

. Responsibilities as deputy director include assisting the director and leading prominent investigations. All other FBI executives and special agents in charge report to the director through the deputy director. From 1978 to 1987, the position of deputy director was not filled due to William Hedgcock Webster's decision to divide the deputy's responsibility between three positions. Paul Abbate, former associate deputy director of the FBI, was named deputy director on February 1, 2021.

Deputy directors

Fictional deputy directors

* Alvin Kersh, the deputy director of the FBI on ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction drama television series created by Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), who ...

''. *

Avery Ryan FBI Deputy Director Avery Ryan, Ph.D. is a fictional character portrayed by Patricia Arquette. She was a psychologist in New York until she was hacked and one of her patients was murdered because of it. Avery made her first appearance during the ...

, the deputy director of the FBI and the director of the FBI's Cyber division. She is the protagonist of '' CSI: Cyber''. * Miranda Shaw, the deputy director of the FBI on '' Quantico''. * Owen Hall, the deputy director of the FBI on '' Quantico''. * Gordon Cole, the deputy director of the FBI on ''

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cancellation in 1991. The show returned in 2017 for ...

''. *Victor Fitzgerald, deputy director of the FBI on ''

Without A Trace ''Without a Trace'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Hank Steinberg that aired on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009 with the total of seven seasons and 160 episodes. The series focuses the cases of ...

''. *Jason Atwood, the deputy director of the FBI on '' Designated Survivor''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deputy Director Of The Federal Bureau Of Investigation Deputy Directors of the Federal Bureau of Investigation