For Immediate Release
May
1, 2001
|
Washington D.C.
FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691
|
FBI
Director Louis J. Freeh Announced Today that He is Retiring
from Federal Service after Twenty-Seven Years, Effective
in June
FBI DIRECTOR
LOUIS J. FREEH TODAY MADE THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT:
After 27 years,
I have decided to retire from federal service and step down
as FBI Director by the end of the school year in June. I
want to thank my loving wife, Marilyn, and my six sons for
allowing me to serve our Nation for over a quarter century.
I announced my departure this morning at the annual conference
of all of the FBI's Special Agents in Charge and senior
managers.
I wish to thank
the 27,272 men and women of today's FBI, as well as all
who have served the FBI over the years, and their wonderful
families for their dedication and endless efforts in pursuit
of justice under the Rule of Law. It has been my privilege
to work with colleagues such as them who possess such a
diverse range of talents. They are highly trained, technically
competent law enforcement employees who, although often
unheralded, routinely perform an extraordinary public service
on behalf of the people they so proudly serve. I continually
marvel at their accomplishments and their unselfish willingness
to make personal sacrifices for the causes of public safety
and national security.
I want to thank
President George W. Bush for his leadership and commitment
to protecting this great Nation at home and abroad. I am
deeply honored that he asked me to continue serving as Director
and am proud to have been a part of his first 100 days in
office. I am also grateful for the President's unwavering
support of me and the FBI. President Bush has brought great
honor and integrity to the Oval Office. It was equally an
honor to be appointed by his father to serve as a federal
judge.
I also wish to
thank Vice President Dick Cheney for conducting an effective
transition process and for his dedication to duty in serving
the Nation. Following extensive briefings by the FBI and
other agencies, Vice President Cheney and his staff, Secretary
of State Colin Powell, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld,
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, and the Joint
Chiefs of Staff demonstrated decisiveness and leadership
in quickly resolving a number of long-standing national
security issues.
I want to thank
White House Chief of Staff, Andy Card, for his support and
attention to critical issues involving public safety and
national security.
I am also grateful
to Attorney General John D. Ashcroft for the strong support
he has provided to the men and women of the FBI, and for
his friendship. His efforts, combined with the work of his
staff, will be critical in guiding the Department of Justice
in the days ahead.
I wish to thank
former President Clinton for the honor and privilege of
allowing me to serve the American people as the FBI Director.
I further wish
to thank former Attorney General Janet Reno for her friendship
and support to the FBI, particularly in our expanded efforts
to combat cyber-crime, terrorism, and international organized
crime.
I would like
to thank the Congress for the support it has shown to the
FBI during my tenure as FBI Director.
When I became
FBI Director on September 1, 1993, I came back to an organization
that I first joined at age 25, when I became an FBI Agent
after graduating from law school. The statement I made at
the time of my nomination remains true today: "The
FBI is the greatest organization for law enforcement ever
created by democratic society."
I am pleased
with our many accomplishments during the almost eight years
that I have served as Director.
Among our
accomplishments:
- Maintaining and re-emphasizing
five core values for the men and women of the FBI:
- Rigorous obedience
to the United States Constitution;
- Respect for the dignity
of all those we protect;
- Compassion;
- Fairness; and,
- Uncompromising personal
and institutional integrity.
- With the support of Congress,
we have had the privilege of swearing-in 5,029 new FBI
Special Agents and hiring over 4,000 technical and professional
employees. In addition, over 8,000 state, local, and
foreign police leaders from all 50 states and from nations
around the world have graduated from our 66 year old
National Academy program.
- In response to dramatic
changes relating to crime, terrorism, and national security,
we have championed the cause of cooperative law enforcement
action at all levels: local, state, federal, and foreign.
Through the leadership of Director George Tenet, we
have forged an unprecedented relationship with the men
and women of the Central Intelligence Agency in the
counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism arenas. Similarly,
we place great importance on working cooperatively with
individual agencies and national organizations, including
the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the
National Sheriffs' Association, the National Organization
of Black Law Enforcement Executives, the National District
Attorneys Association, and the National Association
of Attorneys General. By multiplying our combined resources
and thereby avoiding dysfunctional "turf wars,"
we have better fulfilled our mandate to protect the
American people and made better use of the resources
they have given to us. This, in turn, has enabled us
to place greater emphasis on counter-intelligence, counter-terrorism,
international organized crime, high-tech and economic
crimes, civil rights violations, and crimes against
children.
- As Director, I have traveled
to 68 countries around the world and met with over 2,100
foreign leaders. At the same time, we have more than
doubled the FBI's overseas presence -- now in 44 critical
foreign locations -- in order to enhance cooperation
with our foreign counterparts. We have also trained
over 50,000 foreign police officers in policing under
the Rule of Law at our Quantico Academy, at our International
Law Enforcement Academy in Budapest, Hungary, and in
countries around the world. These measures already have
proven invaluable in the international fight against
terrorism, organized crime, cyber-crimes, and transnational
crimes in the Information Age.
- We have received the
human, technical, and financial resources needed to
keep the FBI at the cutting edge of investigations,
particularly in the rapidly evolving area of cyber-crime.
Over the nearly eight years that I have been Director,
Congress has increased the FBI's budget by more than
$1.27 billion to the 2001 Budget Appropriation level
of $3.44 billion. That is a 58% increase over 1993's
budget. At the same time, we have benefitted from laws
that have strengthened our crime-fighting abilities,
including the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement
Act, Anti-Terrorism laws, the Economic Espionage Act,
and the Health Care Fraud Statute.
- Significantly, we have
made dramatic strides in increasing the numbers of minorities
and women who serve as Special Agents. If we are to
succeed in our mission, we must have diversity in our
ranks. Our priority on fairness has also resulted in
significant increases in the number of minorities and
women serving in high-level management positions in
the Senior Executive Service. For example, during my
tenure, three African-American men, four Hispanic men,
one African-American woman, and one White woman were
appointed as Assistant Directors -- the second highest
rank in the career FBI.
- Consistent with the pledges
I made when I began as FBI Director, we have kept the
FBI free of political interference. That has enabled
us to work solely in the public interest. As Director,
I was often mindful of the words dating from 1924, when
the Honorable Harlan F. Stone was Attorney General of
the United States: "One of the cardinal rules ...
was that the Federal Bureau of Investigation should
be completely divorced from the vagaries of political
influence."
In closing, I
want to reiterate what I previously stated: I have neither
engaged in negotiations regarding any future employment
nor have I requested others do so on my behalf while serving
as Director. As for the future, I look forward to spending
the summer with my family and engaging in new challenges.
I want to thank
my dear friend and colleague of over 20 years, Robert B.
Bucknam, for his extraordinary service as my chief counselor
and chief of staff. His immense skill, energy, and integrity
have served our Nation for over 25 years. Bob has been principally
responsible for the successful expansion and development
of the FBI's overseas programs, an historic development
for the FBI. The FBI and the Nation owe him and his lovely
wife, Catherine, its sincere appreciation.
I also want to
thank Deputy Director Thomas Pickard for his outstanding
service and leadership of the FBI over 25 years. His invaluable
contributions to the Bureau and its employees, combined
with his able stewardship, will continue to maintain this
institution as the very best law enforcement agency under
the Rule of Law.
I want to thank
my staff for their dedication and hard work during my tenure.
In closing, I
would again like to thank my wife, Marilyn, and my six sons,
who now range from age three to sixteen, for their constant
love, support, and sacrifices.
Thank you.
#####
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