FBI changes too slow for senators
Submitted on July 27, 2005 - 12:00am.
Ansley Haman - Summer 2005
WASHINGTON – Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee criticized the Federal Bureau of Investigation Wednesday for slow changes in managing terrorism intelligence and sharing the information.
FBI Director Robert Mueller told the committee that change is occurring in hiring and intelligence processes but that progress is slow due to the agency's increasing responsibility in terrorism investigations.
“Occasionally, I liken it to changing the tires on a car as it hurtles at 70 miles per hour down the road,” Mueller said.
Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., the committee chairman, criticized the slow pace, noting the high rate of job turnover at the FBI, vacancies in one-third of intelligence analyst positions and the failure of the Virtual Case File system, a computer database that has cost the government more than $170 million.
FBI Director Robert Mueller told the committee that change is occurring in hiring and intelligence processes but that progress is slow due to the agency's increasing responsibility in terrorism investigations.
“Occasionally, I liken it to changing the tires on a car as it hurtles at 70 miles per hour down the road,” Mueller said.
Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., the committee chairman, criticized the slow pace, noting the high rate of job turnover at the FBI, vacancies in one-third of intelligence analyst positions and the failure of the Virtual Case File system, a computer database that has cost the government more than $170 million.
Full text available to subscribers only.