FBI, ATF squabble over explosives investigations

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Despite growing cooperation  between U.S. law enforcement agencies since the Sept. 11  attacks, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and  Firearms are still fighting over crimes involving explosives,  said a new report released yesterday.  

The Justice Department’s inspector general found that the  ATF and the Federal Bureau of Investigation repeatedly fight  over which agency will lead an investigation, have failed to  meld information databases or coordinate training efforts.  

A 2004 memorandum by then-Attorney General John Ashcroft  was meant to clarify who was in charge for such cases, giving  the ATF primary authority except in cases involving terrorism  and those within the FBI’s traditional jurisdiction.  

But that has caused confusion, giving each agency the  ability to assert jurisdiction in almost every case, the report  said, adding that a follow-up memorandum in 2008 also failed to  sufficiently clarify the FBI and ATF roles.  

“Disputes between ATF and FBI personnel have affected  working relationships and in some locations have resulted in  their racing to crime scenes to determine which agency leads an  investigation,” the report said.  

It cited incidents as recent as last year when the FBI and  ATF fought over who would investigate a suspect believed to  have bombed the military recruiting station in Times Square in  New York one early morning in March 2008.  

And in late 2007 the ATF said it was not notified about a  pipe bomb found in a truck at a nuclear facility until hours  after the FBI had already begun investigating, according to the  report by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine.  

“It is critical that the department promptly address these  issues, both to avoid confusion and duplication of effort, and  also to ensure the best use of the department’s investigative  resources,” Fine said in a statement.  

The report also found that the Justice Department failed to  follow the 2004 memorandum’s instructions to convene a board to  consider consolidating explosives training and that the ATF and  FBI continue to operate separate programs and facilities.  

Additionally, the two agencies maintain separate databases  on explosives incidents, forensic reports and other technical  data and intelligence, which as a result “cause duplication of  effort and the inability to accurately determine trends in  explosives incidents,” the report said. 

To fix the problems, Fine urged the Justice Department to  clearly define which agency is in charge in specific cases and  set up a formal procedure to resolve such disputes. He also  urged a review to identify the best use of training resources.  

And Fine also encouraged the agency to issue guidelines to  improve information sharing and incident reporting.