The Change Mariner

FBI Buried by Security Demands

The Washington Times:

The number of secret surveillance warrants sought by the FBI has increased 85 percent in the past three years, a pace that has outstripped the Justice Department's ability to process them quickly.

Even after warrants are approved, the FBI often doesn't have enough agents or other personnel with the expertise to conduct the surveillance. And the agency still is trying to build a cadre of translators who can understand conversations intercepted in such languages as Arabic, Pashto and Farsi.

These are among the findings of investigators for the commission probing the September 11 attacks, which has criticized the intelligence-gathering efforts of the CIA and FBI.

FBI and Justice Department officials said yesterday that they are working to address all three issues, which limit the government's ability to gather the kind of intelligence needed to head off terrorist attacks.

Posted by Bob King at April 16, 2004 12:20 PM | TrackBack
Related Categories: Area - Social - Privacy | Quadrant - Political | Theme - 'Response to Terrorism'

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