FBI Wanted — Free FBI Wanted Persons List API (No Key)

TL;DR

The FBI Wanted API provides structured access to the FBI's public wanted bulletins, including most wanted fugitives, terrorism suspects, missing persons, and unidentified persons. Each entry includes the subject's name, description, cautionary statements, images, and reward information. The API supports full-text search, field-specific queries, pagination, and filtering by person type. Data is returned in JSON format. No API key is required for this publicly available law enforcement data.

Quick start: https://api.fbi.gov/wanted/v1/list

No API key needed — just make a request!

How to Use This API

1. List All Wanted Persons

https://api.fbi.gov/wanted/v1/list

2. Search by Name

https://api.fbi.gov/wanted/v1/list?title=smith

3. Filter by Wanted Type

https://api.fbi.gov/wanted/v1/list?person_classification=main

4. JavaScript — Browse Most Wanted

fetch('https://api.fbi.gov/wanted/v1/list?pageSize=10')
  .then(r => r.json())
  .then(data => {
    data.items.forEach(person => {
      console.log(`${person.title}`);
      console.log(`  Reward: ${person.reward_text || 'None'}`);
      console.log(`  Status: ${person.status}`);
    });
  });

5. Python — Get Total Count

import requests

data = requests.get(
    'https://api.fbi.gov/wanted/v1/list',
    params={'pageSize': 1}
).json()

total = data['total']
print(f"Total wanted persons: {total}")

# Get the first page
data = requests.get(
    'https://api.fbi.gov/wanted/v1/list',
    params={'pageSize': 10}
).json()
for person in data['items']:
    print(f"{person['title']} — {person.get('status', 'N/A')}")

Browse wanted list: https://api.fbi.gov/wanted/v1/list

Try This URL Now

Frequently Asked Questions

What person classifications are available?: The API categorizes persons as main (FBI Most Wanted), terrorism (Most Wanted Terrorists), parental_kidnappings, crimes_against_children, bank_robbers, unknown_subjects, missing_persons, and unidentified_persons.
How does pagination work?: Use pageSize (default 20, max 50) and page parameters. The response includes total count and page number for navigation.
Do entries include photos?: Yes, each person has an images array containing image objects with caption, original (high-res), thumb, and large variants. Images are hosted on the FBI's CDN.
Can I search by field?: Yes, the API supports fielded search using the field_offices, status, person_classification, title, and reward_min parameters for targeted queries.
How often is the data updated?: The FBI updates wanted bulletins in real-time as new subjects are added or captured. The API reflects these changes immediately.
Is there a rate limit?: The FBI API is a public government service with no documented rate limits. As with all public APIs, please use responsibly.

API Details

API URL: https://api.fbi.gov/wanted/v1/list
Documentation: api.fbi.gov/docs
Category: Government
Authentication: Not Required
Geographic Coverage: United States (USA) — international interests for US law enforcement

What You Can Build

Public safety dashboard displaying recent wanted bulletins by region
Missing persons alert system that matches descriptions to recent sightings
Reward tracker showing unsolved cases with the highest bounties
Security awareness app for travelers showing local wanted persons
Criminal justice research tool analyzing FBI wanted statistics