Rule Changes Would Give FBI Agents Extensive New Powers

Rule Changes Would Give FBI Agents Extensive New Powers

www.washingtonpost.com

The Justice Department will unveil changes to FBI ground rules today that would put much more power into the hands of line agents pursuing leads on national security, foreign intelligence and even ordinary criminal cases.

The overhaul, the most substantial revision to FBI operating instructions in years, also would ease some reporting requirements between agents, their supervisors and federal prosecutors in what authorities call a critical effort to improve information gathering and detect terrorist threats.

The changes would give the FBI's more than 12,000 agents the ability at a much earlier stage to conduct physical surveillance, solicit informants and interview friends of people they are investigating without the approval of a bureau supervisor. Such techniques are currently available only after FBI agents have opened an investigation and developed a reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed or that a threat to national security is developing.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Fewer checks and balances for the FBI is a terrible idea. Stories like this bring a cold chill down my spine.

www.washingtonpost.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

You beat me by two minutes.

So: This is what my remarks were:

Those 1976 guidelines the article mentions were a direct response to the abuses by the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover and company, not to mention the corruptions of the Nixon White House.

Once again they are using fear to whittle away, not our rights per say, but the safeguards protecting those rights which is even worse.

Big brother grows bigger.

And a star for you.


[edit on 12-9-2008 by grover]

i spent time posting to the Grover OP... but it was closed as i was typing


the FBI should form a team to investigate the Official 9/11 Commission report (story)... with all these new found powers, the 'real'
investigation shouldn't be able to get buried like before.



after all it's generally acknowledged that
'... CIA Criminal Culpability in Allowing 9/11'

www.reuters.com...



[this is a mirror copy of my original]

So the FBI operatives can, under these new "guidelines", act with more autonomy, less oversight, less coordination, and in a more invasive and aggressive manner. All explicitly authorized because 'they say so.'

Interesting. Now if I'm not mistaken, one of the 'key' problems which created the fertile spawning ground of excuses regarding the intelligence failures surrounding the 9/11 murders, were pinned on - no coordination, no sharing of information, no oversight.

Can you spell 'incongruity'?

Also, the purpose of this explosion of power it what, to 'protect' the American people? From whom? Terrorists? If you know who they are why not just detain them? They already have the authority to do that? If they don't know, what is this, a blanket authorization to snoop around and fish for work to do?

This is an offensive development in an already, and traditionally offensive law enforcement organization which is little more than a make shift police force for the administration's personal (ab)use.

[edit on 12-9-2008 by Maxmars]

[edit on 12-9-2008 by karlkar]

lr-n-r.org...

Perhaps this is just the way that the U.S. Government is proving that it is in control of the people and powereless people for an extended period of time tend to forget how to do the job.

The Government Agency has full right to modify any agency... With the current corrupt Government however... you only beg to question... whats in it for them?

Because the Patriot Act didn't give them all of our civil liberties already.......

OMG. Let them loose on us with virtually no restrictions.

Yep, I expected THIS move, to be sure. It falls completely in line with all the other NeocoNazi behavior.

It feels more and more as if we're living in a hackneyed Clancy novel. I don't think the average person even cares, as they are force fed reality television and espouse anti-intellectual diatribes.

As our liberties are chipped away we silently gape slack jawed at the television.

Originally posted by round_eyed_dog
It feels more and more as if we're living in a hackneyed Clancy novel. I don't think the average person even cares, as they are force fed reality television and espouse anti-intellectual diatribes.

As our liberties are chipped away we silently gape slack jawed at the television.

The thought nearly brings a tear to my eye. So very true. Our inability to collectively perceive is stunning. If it is inherent in us, we are doomed.

Star.

[edit on 12-9-2008 by Maxmars]

Just a slow and methodical approach to the inevitable. Just low enough under the radar to not alarm the sheep.

This would seem to be a very useful tool for the politically corrupt. The FBI can easily be influenced by those with political power.

I can envision a scenario where a whistleblower is targeted by the FBI for some fake charge in order to silence that person and allow the corruption to continue unabated.

Does the FBI even investigate real crime anymore?

Originally posted by AWingAndASigh

Does the FBI even investigate real crime anymore?

Investigate, instigate, what's the difference?

I would say, if you're not doing anything wrong, what's to worry about? More power to the peacemakers...but power corrupts. The police force has limited power and even they have much corruption. I can only imagine that this would be multiplied in the FBI if they're given greater power. Police have long been known to plant evidence, it's been in the news numbers of times, for decades. I can only imagine...hopefully, the good outweighs the bad.