Date sent:         Wed, 11 Dec 2002 12:26:34 -0500
To:                politech{at}politechbot.com
From:              Declan McCullagh 
Subject:           FC: DOJ: Electronic surveillance has made 
                   FBI "premier" police agency
Send reply to:     declan{at}well.com

Background on scope of Joint Intelligence Committee Inquiry:
http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2002_cr/s060502.html

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAG
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2002(202) 514-2008
WWW.USDOJ.GOVTDD (202) 514-1888


STATEMENT OF BARBARA COMSTOCK, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS,
REGARDING THE JOINT INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE INQUIRY (JICI) RECOMMENDATIONS


The Department of Justice welcomes the recommendations of the Joint 
Intelligence Committee Inquiry into the events preceding September 11th 
and views the recommendations as an endorsement of our FBI reforms over 
the past 15 months since the attacks, as we transform the FBI to meet the 
unprecedented terrorist threat. After September 11, we redefined the 
primary mission of the Department and the FBI to prevent future terrorist 
acts on the American people and immediately began to build the new FBI to 
meet this extraordinary challenge.

For nearly 100 years, the FBI has earned a reputation as the world's 
premier law enforcement agency based primarily on its ability to collect 
information - whether through physical surveillance, electronic 
surveillance, or human source development. The FBI has a national and 
worldwide presence with more than 11,500 highly trained Special Agents in 
56 domestic field offices and 45 foreign offices.  We have built upon those 
decades of experience to transform the FBI into an organization capable of 
preventing terrorist attacks against Americans. We are constantly 
improving and refining our efforts.

Under the direction of Attorney General Ashcroft and FBI Director Mueller, 
the Department and the FBI have undergone tremendous change, both in 
structure and culture, as the Department dedicates itself to prevent 
terrorist attacks.  While improvements are necessary and ongoing as we 
adapt to this unprecedented threat, the Department believes that the FBI is 
well suited to serve as the domestic intelligence and terrorism prevention 
agency in the United States.

To that end, the Department began this transformation immediately after the 
9/11 attacks.  In fact, most of the recommendations of the joint inquiry 
reflect initiatives that have been ongoing within the Department since the 
early days following 9/11.  And all this has been done while simultaneously 
conducting the largest investigation in the history of the United States.

  Recommendations of the Joint Intelligence Committee that are already 
underway within the Department of Justice and the FBI include:

*The reorganization of the FBI for the prevention of terrorist attacks:

*Doubled the number of intelligence analysts.

*Established the National Joint Terrorism Task Force at FBI headquarters 
and 56 regional JTTFs.

*Established the Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force, which has 
identified 204 known or suspected terrorists.

*Enhanced its analytical capacity through the creation of the Office of 
Intelligence, the component which ensures that intelligence is shared as 
appropriate within the FBI and the rest of the United States Government. 
The FBI has also significantly increased the resources allocated to analysis.

*Reduced the legal and cultural barriers between law enforcement and 
intelligence agencies by implementing the USA PATRIOT Act and the Attorney 
General's Investigative Guidelines.   USA PATRIOT allowed for the sharing 
of information obtained under provisions of the Foreign Intelligence 
Surveillance Act (FISA) between law enforcement and intelligence personnel, 
both within the FBI and the Intelligence Community.

*The FBI's reallocation of manpower and effort to combat terrorism since 
9/11 has resulted in substantially increased efforts to penetrate terrorist 
organizations operating in the United States through greater use of 
electronic surveillance, development of human sources, and the use of 
undercover operations.  While the exact numbers are classified, we have 
utilized these methods with much greater frequency - and to great effect - 
in terrorism investigations since 9/11.

*Information sharing concerning terrorist activity with other federal, 
state and local agencies has been improved in a variety of ways.  The 
Bureau's Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) currently have 649 state and 
local representatives and 438 representatives from other federal agencies 
participating.   The pilot project JTTF Information Sharing Initiative is 
an integrated database of federal, state and local law enforcement 
information, which will soon be expanded to select cities across the 
country.  The FBI Intelligence Bulletin is published once a week and 
provided to state and local law enforcement agencies.  The Office of Law 
Enforcement Coordination was created as a new Division within the FBI to 
enhance the coordination and communication between the FBI and state, 
municipal, county and tribal law enforcement on a national level.

*Following the terrorist attacks on 9/11, FBI HQ compiled what became known 
as the "Project Lookout Watch List."  The project was successful in 
identifying a number of individuals potentially connected to the 9/11 
investigation.  Due to the success of this effort and in recognition of the 
need to maintain a centralized repository of names of investigative 
interest related to terrorism investigations, Director Mueller instructed 
the establishment of a permanent Terrorism Watch List (TWL) to serve as the 
FBI's single, integrated listing of individuals of investigative interest 
that is accessible throughout the law enforcement and intelligence
communities.

*Significant improvements are underway in the FISA program.

*Better coordination between law enforcement and intelligence agents and 
prosecutors, recognizing the fact that persons involved in terrorism are 
often involved in other criminal activities.

*The development of a secure communications capacity in the field so that 
FBI Field Offices, FBI Headquarters and the Department of Justice can 
communicate and manage the FISA process in real time.

*Doubling the number of attorneys in the FBI's national Security Law Unit.

*The creation of a FISA unit within the FBI's General Counsel's Office to 
ensure all FISA applications move expeditiously through the process.

*Creation of a new mandatory training program in the use of FISA for FBI 
agents and Designated Justice Department prosecutors from every U.S. 
Attorney's office.

*The deployment of Office of Intelligence Policy Review (OIPR) attorneys to 
the field to work directly with Assistant U.S. Attorneys and FBI agents.


These reforms have led to major successes in the war against terrorism and 
our efforts to protect the American people from terrorist attacks:

*We've disrupted alleged terrorist cells in Buffalo, Detroit, and Portland 
and arrested 18 suspected terrorists.

*We arrested Zacarias Moussaoui (who is awaiting trial) and obtained guilty 
pleas from John Walker Lindh and the shoe-bomber, Richard Reid.

*We've brought criminal charges against 134 individuals and have secured 99 
convictions, either through trial or plea to date.

*We've deported 478 individuals.

*We've designated 39 entities as terrorist organizations and frozen the 
assets of 62 organizations that fund terrorist activities resulting in $125 
million in frozen assets worldwide.

The President's vision for Homeland Security emphasizes information sharing 
between agencies and the integration of law enforcement and intelligence 
capabilities.  We have made great strides already at implementing that 
vision.  Moreover, the FBI brings decades of experience working within the 
parameters of the 4th Amendment and within the processes and supervision of 
the Department of Justice which is charged with not only enforcing our 
laws, but with upholding and defending civil liberties.

We look forward to working with the Congress and the Administration to 
continue to improve our capacity to protect America and defend freedom.

###

02-709

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Cheers, Steve..

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