Thank
you, Sheriff Bittick, and good morning
everyone. It's great to be here, to take
a breath between congressional hearings,
and talk with the law enforcement professionals
who are on the front lines of protecting
America's communities.
I
want to thank you for all the hard work
and the support and the guidance you've
given to the FBI over the years, particularly
since September 11. We recognize the great
burden that has now fallen on your shoulders,
and we appreciate how faithfully and effectively
you have carried that weight these past
nine months. You were, quite admirably,
a step ahead of the game when it came
to handling the tragedy that unfolded
and the events that followed; three years
ago, NSA launched an innovative training
program on terrorism to help you prepare
for attacks. And in addition to running
the successful Neighborhood Watch program,
we applaud you for now taking on the Citizens
Corps effort on behalf of your communities.
So again, thank you for everything you
do for all of us in the Bureau, and thank
you for the tremendous job you do for
the American people.
Last
October, when I met with your leadership
for the first time, I said that I wanted
to join you at this national convention
in Tulsa. I have been looking forward
to the opportunity to talk with you about
our relationship, one that is changing
and evolving and one that I believe holds
great promise for all of us.
As
we all know, our relationship over the
years has had its share of ups and downs.
But in more recent times, it has started
to take root and really impact our respective
operations as we have begun working more
and more closely on joint investigations
and task forces of all kinds.
Shortly
after September 11th, we opened a new
chapter in our relationship. Our nation
had just experienced the worst terrorist
attack in history, and we found ourselves
with a new overriding priority and a huge
responsibility we knew we could only tackle
together: to head off acts of terror.
It is a new era for law enforcement, one
that requires us all to share information,
to create solid operational links, and
to support one another like never before
-- in short, to create a true partnership.
I
want to make it clear that the FBI is
absolutely committed to building this
new relationship. In our eyes, we are
together full and equal partners. We are
proud to serve alongside you, and we respect
your abilities and your contributions.
In fact, going forward I am convinced
that the FBI is only going to be as good
as its relationships with you and with
law enforcement at every level.
Last month, as you know, the FBI spelled
out its ten priorities for this new era.
On that list are all the things you would
expect: our terrorist prevention mandate
and top priority; counterintelligence;
cyber crime; public corruption; civil
rights; and our other criminal programs.
But also on that list is something you
might not have expected: law enforcement
cooperation. It's not a criminal or national
security responsibility, but it is a fundamental
and historic part of our mission. And
it is absolutely essential to the success
of every other priority on that list.
That's why we felt so strongly about making
it one of our top ten priorities.
Shortly
after the events of September 11, we in
the FBI had the opportunity to show you
the seriousness of our commitment. You
and others raised concerns about our changing
relationship, and we came together to
talk about how it could and must be improved
in a time of national need. We told you
to give it to us straight, and you did.
You said that relationships and information-sharing
could be improved. You said that you wanted
to be kept in the loop and to be partners
in the war on terror, and you told us
that you could help us through your extensive
local connections. You offered suggestions
and expressed interest in an advisory
group to work through mutual issues of
concern.
We
appreciated your candor and your support,
and we have been working ever since to
address the issues that you and others
raised. Our efforts fall into two main
areas.
First,
based on discussions with your leadership
and others, we felt it important to establish
some permanent mechanisms to help us build
cooperation and resolve issues. After
exploring the idea with NSA and other
organizations, we created an Advisory
Board made up of representatives of law
enforcement and the FBI that meets regularly
to share mutual concerns and improve how
we work together. Sheriff Bittick is a
member of that board, and we appreciate
his participation and input. So far, we've
had some very productive sessions.
Along
the same lines, we in the FBI decided
to formalize and solidify your importance
in our own structure as we moved forward
with our reorganization. In December,
we announced that we were creating two
top posts devoted specifically to addressing
your needs, and we filled them with two
professionals with extensive police experience
and strong reputations in the ranks of
law enforcement. Both have spent time
with you here.
We
asked Kathleen McChesney to be Executive
Assistant Director of Law Enforcement
Services, heading up one of the four major
branches in our new structure. Kathleen
is on point to build relationships both
nationally and internationally. She is
responsible for the many programs you
have come to rely upon, whether it is
law enforcement training, high-tech criminal
justice services, or laboratory support.
She is a respected voice both inside and
outside the Bureau, and I rely on her
a great deal when it comes to law enforcement
relationships.
Reporting
to Kathleen is an Assistant Director for
a new Office of Law Enforcement Coordination,
who is specifically devoted to building
relationships with state, municipal, county,
and tribal law enforcement. As you know,
we recently selected former High Point,
North Carolina Police Chief Louis Quijas
for that job. Louis could not be here
this morning, but his job is to listen
to you, to talk with you, and to address
your issues and concerns in a way that
benefits us all. He is the point of contact
for your organization and for the many
other associations and groups we work
with so often. Louis not only gives you
a voice in the Bureau, he also gives you
a seat at the table. He will be there
with us as we develop plans and strategies
for the war on terror and for major investigations,
helping us factor in your strengths and
capabilities. Louis has hit the ground
running, already putting together a list
of objectives for his office in the coming
months.
Kathleen
and Louis form a strong team for you at
FBI Headquarters. We also have dozens
of Special Agents in Charge nationwide
who work with you on a regular basis.
I've made it clear to the SACs that relationships
with you must be a priority. And they
have responded. Many of you have told
me that partnerships at the local level
are stronger than ever. We recognize that
challenges remain, but our goal is to
have solid and productive relationships
with every Sheriff and every law enforcement
official across the nation.
Personal
relationships are a critical piece in
determining whether we are in sync in
the war against terror. A larger, more
complicated issue is information-sharing.
It involves not just a broad interplay
of relationships, but a host of legal,
technology, policy, and cultural issues.
I couldn't possibly cover every angle
of the issue for you today. But I do want
to touch on some of the high points, and
I do want to assure you that this issue
has our attention.
Our
Joint Terrorism Task Forces are one of
the most effective vehicles for sharing
information and intelligence with you.
That is why we put out the call to our
Special Agents in Charge shortly after
September 11 to get a task force up and
running in every field division. Today,
47 of our 56 field offices have fully
funded and fully functioning task forces.
The rest are in motion, and we expect
to have them in place by year's end. These
task forces are really the most valuable
tool we have for keeping you up to speed
on terrorist investigations and for folding
you into the war on terror. And clearly,
they help strengthen our relationships
all around.
During
our conversations with you and with state
homeland security directors, one of the
things you said would be most useful in
addressing terrorism is general information
on what to be aware of and what to look
for based on what the FBI has learned.
In response, we began a weekly Intelligence
Bulletin four months ago that shares exactly
this kind of information. You've told
us these bulletins are helpful, and we'll
continue to refine and improve them based
on your input and feedback.
And
I know that at the state and local level,
field offices are responding to your needs
by initiating or participating in groundbreaking
information-sharing efforts. At the national
level, of course, we have many projects
and plans underway to build our information-sharing
capabilities. Shortly after the events
of September 11th, we started a terrorism
watch list. We plan to make it a permanent
program in the Bureau, providing a single
repository of information on individuals
who are wanted on criminal charges, who
are of investigative interest to us, and
who are sought by other agencies and governments.
We are creating an Office of Intelligence
to help ensure the vigorous and fluid
flow of information both inside and outside
the FBI. We have been given nearly half-a-billion
dollars by Congress to modernize our information
technology, which will dramatically improve
our ability to manage and analyze intelligence
and share it government-wide. We created
a new Records Management Division, not
just to help fix what went wrong in the
Oklahoma City bombing investigation, but
also to put in place mechanisms and policies
to manage the vast amounts of information
that we gather everyday relating to terrorism.
Finally,
coordinating our overall national efforts
is an Information Sharing Task Force at
FBI Headquarters. Last week, we appointed
an FBI executive to head up that project
to improve the flow of information with
law enforcement at every level.
One
of the fundamental issues we are addressing
is how we communicate threat warnings
and advisories. Let me just say, I understand
your frustration with these alerts --
with both the content and how fast they
get to you. I know how disconcerting it
is to hear threat warnings for the first
time on CNN and the like, which many of
you have probably experienced. But I hope
you realize that some of our information-sharing
systems are just not quite up to the job
yet and that we are working hard to address
the issue. We continue to refine our processes
and to look for the best possible mechanism
or combination of mechanisms to get you
information.
These
many issues that we're working on together,
from strengthening the quality of our
relationships to improving the level of
information-sharing, are beginning to
make a difference. Much work remains to
be done, but I think we're heading in
the right direction. Communication and
information-flow have improved. Relationships
are stronger, in many cases the best they
have ever been. And many more efforts
are underway to build on this progress.
One
of our challenges is that even as we build
our relationships, the FBI is undergoing
a deep and fundamental transformation
that is going to change how we work with
you. In this post September 11 world,
with global threats ranging from terrorism
to espionage to cyber attacks and organized
crime, the FBI must focus its resources
upon its greatest responsibilities.
Prevention
of terrorist strikes, as I said and as
you know so well, is by far and away our
most urgent priority right now, and it
is no easy task. Our society is so open,
our population so large, our landmarks
so plentiful, and our borders so widespread.
We in the FBI must work with you to prevent
attacks not only in our cities and neighborhoods,
but in every nation where America has
a presence. We must make sense of reams
of information that pour in from around
the world. We must coordinate with every
agency under the sun. At a time when the
nation is watching us closely, we must
be especially careful to dot every "i"
and cross every "t" when it
comes to gathering evidence and managing
investigations. We are racing to overhaul
our technology, to improve our analytic
capability, and to get a grasp on changing
laws and investigative guidelines so we
can do the best possible job now for the
American people.
Last
month, as part of our second wave of change,
we announced that we are reassigning 480
additional Special Agents to help us with
our prevention mandate. Around 400 of
those Agents will be shifted from narcotics
investigations; the rest will come from
violent crime and white collar crime.
That
decision, as important as it is to our
country, impacts all of you. We are well
aware of the extra burden this puts on
you, and I want you to know that we in
the FBI appreciate your support and the
extra effort that all of you are making
on behalf of your communities.
At
the same time, though, I want to assure
you that we will continue to work with
you and support you in protecting your
communities from violent crime, drugs,
and white collar crime. For example, we
will still support you on the more complex,
cross-county bank robberies, but we may
do fewer "one note" jobs. We
will stay on various violent crime task
forces and drug squads, but perhaps with
fewer representatives. We will still investigate
white collar crimes with you, but in some
cases we may raise the dollar threshold
limits.
These
are general guidelines, not hard and fast
rules. We are giving our local Special
Agents in Charge a great deal of flexibility
so they can decide how best to match local
needs against our national priorities.
And whether you are checking fingerprints
or criminal backgrounds, brushing up on
your skills at our National Academy in
Quantico, or calling upon our Lab for
support, you can continue to count on
us for a host of law enforcement services.
In
short, we will continue to build on our
strong, historic partnership with state
and local law enforcement.
I
know that all of you are aware of the
President's proposal to create a new Department
of Homeland Security. Though much still
needs to be worked out, that initiative
could obviously drive significant changes
in the Bureau in coming months -- changes
that, again, could impact our relationships.
Later this week in congressional testimony,
I will give our assessment of how the
President's proposal, as we understand
it, complements our new reorganization.
As
we move through this time of change, I
want to encourage all of you to keep the
lines of communication open. We want and
need your input, both positive and negative.
No one likes criticism, but constructive
feedback and an open dialogue are signs
of a healthy relationship. And I believe
that we in the FBI must in all cases welcome
constructive comments and honestly admit
where we could have done better. If we
do so, I am confident we can learn from
our mistakes and become an even stronger
institution.
As
I look into the future, I see a great
deal of promise and possibility in this
new era for law enforcement. I see a Bureau
that is better equipped, better managed,
and better coordinated than ever before.
I see us working with you so seamlessly
that it will become more and more difficult
to separate successes. I see us as partners
and friends, professionals who are willing
to put their lives on the line to protect
one another and the communities we serve.
It's going to be an exciting, yet challenging
time for all of us. I look forward to
making the journey together, working side
by side with you as we have for nearly
a century. Thanks and God bless.