FBI promises to share more information with local law enforcement

The FBI pledged Tuesday to improve its efforts to share information on possible terrorist activity with local police, but at the same time pointed out the legal and logistical hurdles it faces in releasing sensitive data. "There are times when we don't have the information that people think we do," said Kathleen McChesney, assistant director of the FBI's training division, responding to criticism that the agency has not been forthcoming with information on suspected terrorists since the Sept. 11 attacks. "Sometimes the information we receive is from other sources, and those sources have control over dissemination. They may not allow us to provide that information to others," McChesney said. "But we will always provide local law enforcement officials with information about specific, planned criminal activity in their communities." Local law enforcement officials praised FBI Director Robert Mueller for trying to improve a fractured working relationship between the agency and police. Since Sept. 11, the FBI has taken heat from several police officials, including Baltimore Police Commissioner Edward T. Norris, for leaving local law enforcement officials out of the loop about pertinent, terrorist-related information. During an Oct. 5 hearing before a House subcommittee, Norris also criticized the FBI for failing to take advantage of local police to help track down leads. Mueller has since met with representatives of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the police chiefs of major cities and the National Sheriffs Association and assured them of his commitment to keeping local law enforcement informed about possible terrorist activity. But Norris and other police executives at the hearing, including Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Timoney, said they want more access to terrorist-related information. Both called on the government to give police chiefs the highest level of clearance to see or hear sensitive information. "It is offensive and insulting that we don't have top security clearance," Timoney said. Officers who work on regional joint terrorism task forces have access to sensitive information, but legally cannot share it with their bosses, who do not have security clearance. McChesney said police chiefs can apply for top security clearance, but acknowledged that it is an "onerous process." She agreed that police chiefs should be given more access to sensitive information. Norris praised the FBI's Baltimore field office for giving him sensitive information on anthrax that helped him better protect the city, emphasizing that it is the information itself, not the source, that is important. "I don't care where the information is coming from; I don't need to know the source," Norris said. Washington, D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey said he believes the federal government is giving him as much information as it legally can. "I believe I'm getting all the information they are allowed to give me," Ramsey said. "There's information that I don't need to know, but there is a lot I do need to know. There is always some information being withheld because of the [security] clearance issue."

The information is trickling out, but not fast enough, Norris said. Norris praised the FBI for placing the names of 230 suspected terrorists on the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) watch list, but said the database still does not contain photos of all the suspects. NCIC contains more than 40 million records on criminals, suspects and stolen property and is available to federal, state and local law enforcement. Many suspects operate under stolen identities, so if federal officials are not careful, an innocent person's picture could end up on a watch list, said McChesney. The Immigration and Naturalization Service has a similar problem, and is currently working with the State Department on matching names of suspected criminal aliens with their biographical information and visa photos, said Joseph R. Greene, acting deputy executive associate commissioner for field operations at the INS. McChesney said the FBI plans to do a better job helping officers understand how the agency obtains and regulates information. "It is important to educate officers on how the FBI obtains information regarding potential terrorist acts, how it is evaluated, and the laws which regulate its use and transmission," she said. The INS also plans to provide more training in immigration law and policy to local law enforcement officials, according to Greene. Norris and Timoney called on the government to deputize local law enforcement officers, allowing them to arrest criminal aliens. Currently, only federal law enforcement officials can make such arrests. Last month, the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 (H.R. 3162), which allows federal agencies to share more sensitive information with one another, was signed into law. On Nov. 1, Sens. Chuck Schmuer, D-N.Y. and Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., introduced legislation (S. 1615) designed to improve information-sharing between federal and local law enforcement agencies.