Pubdate: Fri, 31 May 2002
Source: Gaston Gazette, The (NC)
Copyright: 2002 The Gaston Gazette
Contact:  http://www.gast-gazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1702

NOT EXACTLY A REVOLUTION

The reorganization of the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced this 
week by FBI Director Robert Mueller hardly lives up to the promise "to 
fundamentally change the way we do business."

Other than shifting 400 agents from drug law enforcement to anti-terrorism 
units, the reorganization plans amount to superficial patchwork - and just 
might make the problems posed by the uncontrolled recent growth of dozens 
of federal law enforcement agencies worse.

Consider the implications of the recent flap over memos and requests from 
FBI field offices in Phoenix and Minneapolis. The Phoenix memo got lost in 
the bureaucratic paperwork shuffle; hundreds of similar memos hit 
headquarters every day. The Minneapolis request to issue a warrant to 
search Zacarias Moussaoui's computer fell victim to bureaucratic timidity 
and PC fears of being accused of "ethnic profiling."

Creating a more centralized anti-terrorist operation and hiring more FBI 
agents is not likely to solve such problems. It is more likely to add to 
paperwork glut and impair communications.

The Bush administration has missed a golden opportunity to effect genuinely 
fundamental reform of the federal law enforcement octopus. At least 40 
federal agencies have some responsibility for gathering intelligence with 
some relationship to terrorism. Even if they all had the latest and most 
sophisticated computer database and networking systems - and it is 
notorious that they are all in the Model-T era computer-wise - it would be 
difficult for them to share information effectively. Furthermore, each 
agency has more powerful incentives to protect its own turf than to work 
well with others.

Many of the reforms announced by Mr. Mueller require congressional 
approval. Several congressional committees have also announced probes into 
the pre-9/11 lapses. They should broaden their scope to consider more 
fundamental reform.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom