On Sept. 24, 1789, President George Washington signed the Judiciary Act.
Included in that legislation was the creation of the office of the U.S. Marshals, charged with helping federal courts enforce the law.
Now known as the U.S. Marshal Service, it's the oldest federal law enforcement agency. The Marshal Service calls itself the smallest federal law enforcement agency of its kind.
It has just under 5,500 employees today. That's compared to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which has around 35,000 employees.