On March 9, 2006 President George W. Bush announced the new position
of Assistant Attorney General for National Security in the Department
of Justice. By combining the Counterterrorism and Counterespionage
Sections of the Criminal Division and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance
Act experts from the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review (OIPR),
this reorganization will enable a more vigorous effort to combat
terrorism and other threats to national security. The National
Security Division will further improve coordination against
terrorism within the Department of Justice and with the Central
Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defense, and other intelligence
community agencies. We are committed to preventing acts of terror
and protecting the security of the American people at home and abroad.
Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs)
are small cells of highly trained, locally based, passionately committed
investigators, analysts, linguists, SWAT experts, and other specialists
from dozens of U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies. It is
a multi-agency effort led by the Justice Department and FBI designed
to combine the resources of federal, state, and local law enforcement.
Tips and Public Leads/Most Wanted Terrorists
The FBI encourages citizens to report suspected criminal activity or
information related to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks by calling
an FBI Field Office or
by using this form.
The FBI posts pictures and descriptions of the most wanted terrorists
on its site.
The FBI also seeks information on
certain individuals in connection with possible terrorist threats to
the United States.
Resources
Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the highest priority of the Justice Department has been to protect America against acts of terrorism. During this time, the Justice Department has significantly improved its ability to identify, penetrate, and dismantle terrorist plots as a result of a series of structural reforms, the development of new intelligence and law enforcement tools, and a new mindset that values information sharing, communication and prevention. See the Fact Sheet: Justice Department Counter-Terrorism Efforts Since 9/11.
The FBI’s Counterintelligence
Section is responsible for exposing, preventing, and investigating
intelligence activities on U.S. soil. The Bureau is dedicated to its
role in counterterrorism and
its mission to protect the United States from further acts of terrorism.
The FBI is the lead law enforcement agency for investigating cyber-based
attacks by foreign adversaries and terrorists. Terrorism
2002-2005, published by the FBI provides an overview of the terrorist
incidents and prevention that have taken place in the U.S. and its
territories during those years.
The National Security Division, which
consolidates the Department’s primary national security elements
within a single Division, currently consists of the Counterterrorism and Counterespionage Sections,
and the Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas
Terrorism (OJVOT), all three formerly part of the Criminal Division;
the Office of Intelligence consisting of three new sections: Operations
Section, Oversight Section, and Litigation Section; and a new Law
and Policy Office and Executive Office. This organizational structure
ensures greater coordination and unity of purpose between prosecutors
and law enforcement agencies, on the one hand, and intelligence attorneys
and the Intelligence Community, on the other, thus strengthening the
effectiveness of the Department’s national security efforts.
The Drug Enforcement Administration actively
works to dismantle narco-terrorist organizations by using specially
trained law enforcement organizations to find and eliminate drug related
terrorist groups.
The Bureau
of Justice Assistance (BJA) is committed to working with all levels
of government to help prevent, disrupt, and defeat terrorist acts
before they occur. BJA supports several initiatives to train law enforcement
officers in counter-terrorism efforts.
The Office
for Victims of Crime offers various services to victims of terrorism
and criminal mass violence, including contacts for information and
incident-specific phone numbers and Web sites for victims only. The Terrorism
and International Victim Assistance Services Division provides
awareness and responsiveness to the needs of terrorism victims and
individuals who are victimized outside their own country, and informational
resources for international victims.
Law Enforcement
National Data Exchange (N-DEx)
N-DEx will provide law enforcement agencies with a powerful new investigative
tool to search, link, analyze, and share criminal justice information
such as incident/case reports, incarceration data, and parole/probation
data on a national basis to a degree never before possible. |