NCJ Number
83216
Date Published
1980
Length
259 pages
Annotation
Testimony before the House Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights examines whether the FBI is conducting its law enforcement responsibilities in accord with the law and the Constitution, particularly regarding its domestic security and terrorism program.
Abstract
The thrust of the subcommittee's inquiry is indicated to be that of determining how the money authorized for the domestic security/terrorism program is being spent, how the program operates, and what the program has accomplished. Testimony by the Assistant Director of the FBI indicates that the mission of the terrorism program is to detect, prevent, and react to unlawful, violent activities of persons or groups whose intent is either to overthrow the Government; interfere with the activities of a foreign government in the United States; substantially impair the functioning of the Federal Government, a State government, or interstate commerce; or deprive Americans of their civil rights. The approach used is described as a two-pronged investigative effort: the preventive phase, which consists of detection, identification, and collection of evidence for prosecution of terrorists and their groups; and the reactive phase, which consists of coordinated preplanning to ensure an effective and timely response to a terrorist act through crisis management and intensive investigative effort. Testimony is heard from persons representing the various divisions of the FBI.