Testimony
of Pasquale J. D'Amuro, Executive Assistant Director, FBI
Before
the House Judiciary Committee
Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security
May
6, 2003
"FBI
Authorization"
Good
afternoon Chairman Coble, Congressman Scott, and other distinguished
Members. I am grateful for the opportunity to appear before
you today and am very pleased to be seated alongside my colleagues
from DEA and ATF.
I believe
that this is the first-time that an FBI representative has
testified before your panel on authorization matters since
the tragic events of September 11th. As each of you know,
that day put into motion a series of historic changes within
the FBI much like those faced after the attack on Pearl Harbor
some 60 years ago. The FBI responded to its new national security
responsibilities then and has been working hard these past
20 months to address the new challenges and threats that confront
us now.
I want
to ensure that everyone clearly understands that as President
Bush recently emphasized during a speech at FBI Headquarters
that "the FBI has no greater priority than preventing
terrorist acts against America." And I would like to
reiterate what Director Mueller said earlier this month to
your Senate counterparts that the "FBI is committed to
carrying out its mission in accordance with the protections
provided by the Constitution. Every FBI agent is trained to
recognize that the responsibility to protect the law is the
basis for their authority to enforce it. Respect for Constitutional
liberties is not optional, it is mandatory."
Recognizing
that today's hearing is one of the first steps in the authorization
process, I have included with my statement, FBI summary excerpts
from the Department of Justice's 2004 Authorization and Budget
Request.
Today,
I would like to highlight some of the concrete steps the FBI
has taken to improve cooperation and information sharing with
the Intelligence Community, other government agencies and
our very essential partners at the state and local level.
These initiatives touch each of your districts and are an
unprecedented commitment to ensuring that information sharing
and operational coordination succeeds at all levels.
To enhance
cooperation with federal, state and local agencies, we have
almost doubled (from 35 pre-9/11 to 66) the number of Joint
Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) operating today. The JTTFs partner
FBI personnel with hundreds of investigators from various
federal, state and local agencies in FBI field offices across
the country. As part of this expansion, we are providing 500
JTTF agents and state and local law enforcement personnel
with specialized counterterrorism training and by the end
of the year, basic counterterrorism training to every JTTF
member. We also are expanding basic counterterrorism training
on a national level and estimate that almost 27,000 federal,
state and local law enforcement officers will ultimately benefit
from these FBI training initiatives. JTTFs are truly our first-line
of defense. To improve the effectiveness of our expanding
JTTF base, in July 2002, we established the National Joint
Terrorism Task Force (NJTTF) at FBI Headquarters. Staffed
by representatives from 30 different federal, state and local
agencies, the NJTTF serves as a "point of fusion"
for terrorism information by coordinating the flow of information
across the country between the represented agencies and the
JTTFs in the field.
On a
weekly basis over 17,000 law enforcement agencies receive
the "FBI Intelligence Bulletin" providing needed
information on terrorism issues and threats particularly to
patrol officers and other law enforcement personnel who have
direct contact with the general public.
For
the Intelligence Community, the FBI also prepares "Intelligence
Information Reports" that provide FBI information and
analysis on counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism matters.
In the last 6 months alone, over 1,200 of these reports have
been prepared and disseminated.
To further
strengthen the FBI's ability to forge more cooperative relationships
with our state and local counterparts, the Office of Law Enforcement
Coordination was created. Headed by a former Chief of Police,
this vital office also has liaison responsibilities with the
White House Homeland Security Council.
I would
also like to note that besides enhancing our cooperative efforts
at home, the FBI has expanded its liaison efforts overseas
and we know have 45 Legal Attaché offices. These offices
are vital links in following up terrorist leads around the
world.
As you
well know, the FBI's investigative efforts depend on state-of-the-art
technology and I want to report that tremendous progress is
being made in this critical area. Over 21,000 new desktop
computers and nearly 5,000 printers and scanners have been
provided and high-speed local area networks have been deployed
in over 600 FBI locations. I understand that we still have
a long way to go but I want to thank the Subcommittee for
the support it has provided on these critical technology issues.
In closing,
I want to assure you that the men and women of the FBI are
fully committed to today's challenges much like their colleagues
60 years ago. With the vital tools that you have provided,
I am confident that we can carry out our mission to protect
America.
Again,
I offer my gratitude and appreciation for your giving me this
opportunity to appear before the Subcommittee and I will be
happy to respond to any questions.
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