RESPONDING
TO YOUR CONCERNS:
Checks and Balances on the FBI
10/04/04
QUESTION: It's
the FBI job -- among other things -- to protect the civil rights of the
American people. But what safeguards are in place to prevent
us from stepping on civil liberties and privacy rights in the course
of our investigations and intelligence operations?
ANSWER: A
host of them. Here's a brief run down.
1. Regular,
vigorous Congressional oversight of all aspects of FBI operations by
eight primary committees of the U.S. Congress:
- The House/Senate
Judiciary Committees
- The House/Senate
Intelligence Committees
- The House/Senate
Appropriations Committees
- The House Government
Reform Committee
- The Senate Governmental
Affairs Committee
2. Intelligence
oversight (beyond the role played by the U.S. Congress):
3. Key federal
laws that apply to FBI investigations and operations:
- The U.S. Constitution
(e.g., First and Fourth Amendments)
- The Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act of 1978
- The 1968 Federal
Wiretap Statute (Title III), as amended
- The Civil Rights
Act of 1967
- The
Privacy Act of 1974
- The Whistleblower
Protection Act of 1989, Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection
Act of 1998, and various government and FBI provisions and regulations
- The Freedom of
Information Act of 1966
4. Regulation
and enforcement within the Department of Justice:
Want more
detail? See pages 70-73 of the Report
to the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States:
The FBI's Counterterrorism Program Since September 2001.
