Reno Rejects Proposal to Merge the DEA and FBI
WASHINGTON — Atty. Gen. Janet Reno on Thursday rejected proposals to merge the Drug Enforcement Administration into the FBI, choosing instead to create a new Justice Department post designed to resolve turf battles among the department’s law enforcement agencies.
She then named FBI Director Louis J. Freeh to head the new office as director for investigative agency policies--a move that caused even some Freeh admirers to question whether he can impartially settle conflicts involving his own agency.
Reno said she had the support of Vice President Al Gore, whose “reinventing government†task force appeared in its August report to favor merging the DEA and FBI.
Under Reno’s plan, Freeh would have authority, subject to her review and that of Deputy Atty. Gen. Philip B. Heymann, to settle operational disputes over such matters as drug trafficking and apprehension of fugitives among the FBI, the DEA, the Marshals Service and the Border Patrol--the department’s four law enforcement arms.
Since taking office in March, Reno has signaled clearly her concern that turf disputes among the federal investigative agencies have hampered the fight against crime. On Thursday, she indicated that chief among the problems was the FBI’s and DEA’s failure to share all intelligence information about drugs and related matters.
DEA Administrator Robert C. Bonner, who will step down next week and who opposed a merger, said he was “gratified†by Reno’s decision “to preserve the DEA as a specialized, single-mission agency dedicated to combatting the scourge of illegal drugs.â€
Rep. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House crime and criminal justice subcommittee, praised Reno’s decision to maintain the DEA as an independent agency, but said that he was “disappointed†by the selection of Freeh to act as coordinator.
While saying he has “the highest respect†for the new FBI director, Schumer added: “I just don’t see how the director of the FBI--no matter who he or she may be--can escape the impression of conflict that will inevitably arise in choosing between the agencies.â€
The changes will take effect 15 days after the Justice Department notifies Congress, unless an oversight committee objects, a department spokesman said.
A government source who has worked with Freeh in various capacities contended that his service as a federal judge--after he had been a prosecutor and an FBI agent--demonstrated that he has the ability to shed his FBI hat to settle disputes between the bureau and the three other investigative agencies with impartiality.
Reno noted that both the Marshals and the FBI have fugitive apprehension programs, and that “they could maximize their efforts†by working together. But the two agencies have long been at odds over jurisdiction, with the Marshals contending the FBI tries to keep “high-profile†fugitives to itself.
At his swearing-in ceremonies as FBI director Sept. 1, Freeh called for an end to turf wars among law enforcement agencies.
Recalling his own experience “in the trenches†as an FBI agent and as a prosecutor, Freeh said: “On almost every occasion, those battles began and ended several bureaucratic levels above the various street agents who almost always worked together competitively but effectively.â€
While saying that the new department office probably would have fewer than 12 staff members, Reno said the actual methods used to achieve coordination and settle disputes are yet to be worked out.
Reno said Thursday that her actions did not “preclude†an eventual merger, but emphasized that she was not forecasting one would someday take place.
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