Thank
you, Len (Cooke) and good morning everyone. I am
honored to be here today with so many great leaders,
not only on the platform dais, but throughout this
room.
I
want to start with a word of thanks. The past year
has been tough for all of us. After September 11,
more has been demanded from law enforcement -- from
all of us in this room -- than at any other time
in our history. And the stakes have never been higher.
We have a new national challenge, larger than any
one agency can handle. We learned a great deal from
the 19 hijackers and their attacks. We learned that
terrorists can be hiding in plain sight in any of
our cities. They can be looking at potential targets
and landmarks in our areas. They can be planning
attacks with weapons of mass destruction or committing
common crimes to fund those who are. That has put
all of us in a constant state of alert. It has brought
with it a host of changes - new ways of doing business,
new ways of relating to one another. But what it
has really taught us is that each piece of information
is important. Everything from the most prolific
foreign source to the officer on the beat noticing
something that doesn't quite look right is all important
in our new mission of prevention. We are in this
fight together.
I
want to thank you for stepping up to the challenge.
You have done an outstanding job of supporting the
nationwide homeland security effort these past ten
months. And as always, you have done the job with
an unfettered commitment to your various departments
and communities.
I
wish I could say that the toughest days are behind
us. But in many ways, I think the coming years are
going to be equally hard. Those who want to hurt
us are still out there. If we have learned anything
from all the captured terrorists and recovered documents,
it is that we have a long way to go. We cannot lose
focus for even a moment.
And
that won't be easy, because before September 11
came along, our plates were already full. For years,
we have been battling together all manner of crime
problems: drugs, gangs, violent crime, white collar
crime, civil rights violations. We have made some
progress, but unfortunately these challenges have
not gone away either. In fact, we are seeing traditional
crime rates inch back up. And we are seeing explosive
growth in entirely new areas like cyber crime.
The
way I see it, there is only one way we can respond.
We have to do things differently, and we have to
move quickly. We needed change before September
11. We need it more now. In the FBI, we are undergoing
probably the most fundamental transformation in
our history. We are changing, reorganizing, and
refocusing virtually everything we do - our mission,
our structure, our training and technology, our
records, and our security.
I know that all of you are anxious for new ideas
and better ways of doing things. That is why you
are part of NOBLE, an organization of change, and
that is why you are here in Tampa. This conference
allows you the opportunity to share ideas and hear
about new strategies from a host of experts. In
some cases, your own members are those experts.
People like Captain Ron Davis, your Region 4 vice
president, a nationally recognized voice on racial
profiling.
Together,
you are cementing your place as leaders in our communities.
It's no surprise that your outgoing President Len
Cooke was recently asked to lead the Department
of Criminal Justice Services for the state of Virginia.
There
is one other thing you are doing here that I believe
is critically important to your future and our future
in law enforcement. And that is building partnerships.
In recent years, the entire law enforcement community
has recognized the need for greater cooperation.
We have started training together more and more.
We have begun linking our systems electronically.
We have joined hands operationally in a variety
of task forces and other initiatives.
The
events of September 11, though, made it clear that
we still have a great deal more to do when it comes
to partnerships. And quite frankly, we in the FBI
have come to recognize that at times we were part
of the problem. Some of you have told us that we
haven't always done the best job of sharing information.
We know that we can't expect you to be our partners
in the war on terror if we don't do the best we
can at including you and giving you the information
you need to do your jobs.
We
are responding. We put together an advisory group
of law enforcement leaders that comes together regularly
to talk about issues and find solutions. We have
created two high level posts in the FBI specifically
devoted to building relationships. And we filled
both jobs with individuals who have extensive experience
in law enforcement and are respected throughout
this profession - Kathleen McChesney and Louis Quijas.
Kathleen
is Executive Assistant Director for Law Enforcement
Services. She has broad responsibility for relationships
and for all the support services that we provide
to you.
Louis
Quijas is the Assistant Director for a new Office
of Law Enforcement Coordination. Louis brings to
the FBI 30 years as a law enforcement officer, most
recently as Chief of Police in High Point, North
Carolina. Louis is here with me this morning, and
I hope you will have a chance to meet him. His job
- and it is an important one - is to be your voice:
not only to listen to your thoughts and concerns
and bring them back to FBI management so we can
act on them, but also to be there as we develop
major investigative plans and strategies so that
we can factor in the unique strengths and skills
of law enforcement.
The FBI is also tackling the many complex dimensions
of the information-sharing issue. A few weeks ago,
we appointed Bill Eubanks - the former SAC of St.
Louis - to lead a National Intel Sharing Program
that is working to get you more information to help
you do your jobs. We are working with law enforcement
to find the right system or combination of systems
to pass along threats and advisories. The fact is,
the national threat advisory system is one of the
most frustrating communications methods I have ever
encountered. We should be at least as fast as television
news. We are overhauling our own technology so that
we can share information with you more effectively
and more quickly. Over the next couple of years,
I think you will see dramatic improvements.
We
are also improving our analytic capabilities so
that we can give you better information - information
that is meaningful and actionable. And we are working
within the government to design the new Department
of Homeland Security. There are some very good ideas
in the mix that will eliminate some of the confusion
you now face.
We
are also working to build relationships directly
with NOBLE. A couple of months ago, I met with your
leadership. We talked about ways we could support
one another. For example, your leaders offered to
lend your expertise on racial profiling and other
areas to help us train Special Agents and law enforcement
professionals at our FBI Academy. I and NOBLE, along
with our Training Assistant Director Cassandra Chandler,
are working together to incorporate a class into
our National Academy program.
We
are also talking about ways to graduate more NOBLE
members from our National Academy and National Executive
Institute programs and to take advantage of NOBLE's
network of professionals to help us recruit new
Agents. The fact is, the FBI wants and needs more
diversity in its workforce. We have made a concerted
effort to reach out to the African-American community.
However, we are not as successful as we need to
be. We need your support beyond recruiting events
and advertisements. We need the personal support
of NOBLE members in increasing the diversity and
skills of our workforce. The FBI is falling short
of the diversity I would like to see. Your advice
and assistance are welcomed.
As
we move forward, I would like to ask for your support
in two more critical areas.
First,
as you know, the FBI's overriding priority today
is preventing future terrorist attacks. We can not
meet that mandate without moving more resources
to prevention. In May, we announced our plans to
the public and asked for the approval of Congress.
We have proposed shifting 480 investigators to counterterrorism
- about four percent of our total Agents. Of that
number, around 400 would come from narcotics cases.
The rest would come from violent crime and less
substantial white collar crime.
If
this plan is approved - and we expect it will be
- we will need your help to make it work. We recognize
that budgets are strained and that everyone is trying
to do more with less. But as we all know, this is
a time of great national need, and I must put more
resources directly into the fight against terror.
This realignment of resources may impact you.
In narcotics, for example, we will probably do fewer
stand-alone investigations. We will remain on OCDETF
and other task forces, but where we had ten to fifteen
Agents on a task force, we may cut back to five
or ten.
We
will also continue working with you on violent crime.
As a former homicide prosecutor, I know how important
it is to protect our communities from this threat.
But again, we may have fewer representatives on
task forces, and we may work fewer bank robberies
and similar cases.
Let
me assure you, as we move forward, we will continue
to support you. And where we do serve side-by-side,
we are committed to building strong relationships
with you. As I say both inside and outside the Bureau,
I am convinced that the FBI is and will be only
as good as its relationships with law enforcement
at every level. You are that important to our future.
The
second area where we need your help is in the area
of leadership. Leadership and integrity are critical
to the success of everything we do in law enforcement.
We need you to continue being visible and vocal
leaders in your departments and communities. We
need for you to continue your efforts in helping
shape the character of our communities. We need
members of NOBLE to reach out and develop partnerships
with your colleagues in law enforcement. As we refocus
our missions, the FBI needs your leadership more
than ever.
I
mentioned earlier that this past year has been tough
for all of us. In less than two months, the one-year
anniversary of the attacks of September 11 will
be upon us. And it will bring back a flood of memories
for us all -- not only the shock and horror, but
the feelings of gratitude and respect for the incredible
heroes of that day.
Recently,
we unveiled a powerful memorial built at Quantico
honoring the law enforcement and public safety heroes
of September 11. The memorial was a gift of the
207th session of the National Academy, the first
class to graduate following the attacks. It stands
eight feet tall, and it shows the twin towers rising
from a base shaped like the Pentagon. Connecting
the towers is an outline of the state of Pennsylvania,
a tribute to the victims of Flight 93.
The towers carry the following inscription: "Dedicated
to the courage, spirit, and sacrifice of those who
perished in the struggle to save others and those
who persevered to protect freedom, September 11,
2001."
This
memorial reminds all of us at the FBI of how we
are one family in law enforcement, how the loss
of each and every one of our colleagues affects
us all so deeply. The memorial reminds us of FBI
Special Agent Lenny Hatton, who died that morning
trying to save lives. And it reminds us of the 70
other brave law enforcement professionals who made
the ultimate sacrifice for our country. They are
an inspiration to all of us, reminding us of what
we are fighting for every day.
The heroic efforts of our own on September 11 reminds
us of the real strength of our law enforcement community.
We need that strength more than ever. We need to
be one family, united in friendship and trust. We
need to be leaders committed to building the close
and abiding partnerships so vital to safeguarding
our children and protecting our country. Together,
we can assure justice and realize the dream of all
law enforcement for a strong, safe, and diverse
America.
Thanks
and God bless.