Digital surveillance critic and journalist Jack King directs us to this Department of Justice Press Release outlining the "improvements" in electronic surveillance for "law enforcement" purposes contained in the Joint Intelligence Committee Inquiry Recommendations:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AG
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2002(202) 514-2008
WWW.USDOJ.GOVTDD (202) 514-1888

STATEMENT OF BARBARA COMSTOCK, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGARDING THE JOINT INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE INQUIRY (JICI) RECOMMENDATIONS

"The Department of Justice welcomes the recommendations of the Joint Intelligence Committee Inquiry into the events preceding September 11th and views the recommendations as an endorsement of our FBI reforms over the past 15 months since the attacks, as we transform the FBI to meet the unprecedented terrorist threat. After September 11, we redefined the primary mission of the Department and the FBI to prevent future terrorist acts on the American people and immediately began to build the new FBI to meet this extraordinary challenge.

For nearly 100 years, the FBI has earned a reputation as the world's premier law enforcement agency based primarily on its ability to collect information - whether through physical surveillance, electronic surveillance, or human source development. The FBI has a national and worldwide presence with more than 11,500 highly trained Special Agents in 56 domestic field offices and 45 foreign offices. We have built upon those decades of experience to transform the FBI into an organization capable of preventing terrorist attacks against Americans. We are constantly improving and refining our efforts.

Under the direction of Attorney General Ashcroft and FBI Director Mueller, the Department and the FBI have undergone tremendous change, both in structure and culture, as the Department dedicates itself to prevent terrorist attacks. While improvements are necessary and ongoing as we adapt to this unprecedented threat, the Department believes that the FBI is well suited to serve as the domestic intelligence and terrorism prevention agency in the United States.

To that end, the Department began this transformation immediately after the 9/11 attacks. In fact, most of the recommendations of the joint inquiry reflect initiatives that have been ongoing within the Department since the early days following 9/11. And all this has been done while simultaneously conducting the largest investigation in the history of the United States.

Recommendations of the Joint Intelligence Committee that are already underway within the Department of Justice and the FBI include:

*The reorganization of the FBI for the prevention of terrorist attacks:

*Doubled the number of intelligence analysts.

*Established the National Joint Terrorism Task Force at FBI headquarters and 56 regional JTTFs.

*Established the Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force, which has identified 204 known or suspected terrorists.

*Enhanced its analytical capacity through the creation of the Office of Intelligence, the component which ensures that intelligence is shared as appropriate within the FBI and the rest of the United States Government. The FBI has also significantly increased the resources allocated to analysis.

*Reduced the legal and cultural barriers between law enforcement and intelligence agencies by implementing the USA PATRIOT Act and the Attorney General's Investigative Guidelines. USA PATRIOT allowed for the sharing of information obtained under provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) between law enforcement and intelligence personnel, both within the FBI and the Intelligence Community.

*The FBI's reallocation of manpower and effort to combat terrorism since 9/11 has resulted in substantially increased efforts to penetrate terrorist organizations operating in the United States through greater use of electronic surveillance, development of human sources, and the use of undercover operations. While the exact numbers are classified, we have utilized these methods with much greater frequency - and to great effect -in terrorism investigations since 9/11.

*Information sharing concerning terrorist activity with other federal, state and local agencies has been improved in a variety of ways. The Bureau's Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) currently have 649 state and local epresentatives and 438 representatives from other federal agencies participating. The pilot project JTTF Information Sharing Initiative is an integrated database of federal, state and local law enforcement information, which will soon be expanded to select cities across the country. The FBI Intelligence Bulletin is published once a week and provided to state and local law enforcement agencies. The Office of Law Enforcement Coordination was created as a new Division within the FBI to
enhance the coordination and communication between the FBI and state, municipal, county and tribal law enforcement on a national level.

*Following the terrorist attacks on 9/11, FBI HQ compiled what became known as the "Project Lookout Watch List." The project was successful in identifying a number of individuals potentially connected to the 9/11 investigation. Due to the success of this effort and in recognition of the need to maintain a centralized repository of names of investigative interest related to terrorism investigations, Director Mueller instructed the establishment of a permanent Terrorism Watch List (TWL) to serve as the FBI's single, integrated listing of individuals of investigative interest that is accessible throughout the law enforcement and intelligence communities.

*Significant improvements are underway in the FISA program.

*Better coordination between law enforcement and intelligence agents and prosecutors, recognizing the fact that persons involved in terrorism are often involved in other criminal activities.

*The development of a secure communications capacity in the field so that FBI Field Offices, FBI Headquarters and the Department of Justice can communicate and manage the FISA process in real time.

*Doubling the number of attorneys in the FBI's national Security Law Unit.

*The creation of a FISA unit within the FBI's General Counsel's Office to ensure all FISA applications move expeditiously through the process.

*Creation of a new mandatory training program in the use of FISA for FBI agents and Designated Justice Department prosecutors from every U.S. Attorney's office.

*The deployment of Office of Intelligence Policy Review (OIPR) attorneys to the field to work directly with Assistant U.S. Attorneys and FBI agents.

These reforms have led to major successes in the war against terrorism and our efforts to protect the American people from terrorist attacks:

*We've disrupted alleged terrorist cells in Buffalo, Detroit, and Portland and arrested 18 suspected terrorists.

*We arrested Zacarias Moussaoui (who is awaiting trial) and obtained guilty pleas from John Walker Lindh and the shoe-bomber, Richard Reid.

*We've brought criminal charges against 134 individuals and have secured 99 convictions, either through trial or plea to date.

*We've deported 478 individuals.

*We've designated 39 entities as terrorist organizations and frozen the assets of 62 organizations that fund terrorist activities resulting in $125 million in frozen assets worldwide.

The President's vision for Homeland Security emphasizes information sharing between agencies and the integration of law enforcement and intelligence capabilities. We have made great strides already at implementing that vision. Moreover, the FBI brings decades of experience working within the parameters of the 4th Amendment and within the processes and supervision of the Department of Justice which is charged with not only enforcing our laws, but with upholding and defending civil liberties.

We look forward to working with the Congress and the Administration to continue to improve our capacity to protect America and defend freedom."

That second to last paragraph about the FBI's experience with the 4th Amendment and DOJ's experience with upholding and defending civil liberties is really reassuring to us. We say watch these changes closely--Big Brother is not just out there, he's moving in with us.

Here is the original scope of the Joint Intelligence Committee Inquiry on Sept. 11.