NCJ Number
82440
Date Published
1981
Length
199 pages
Annotation
This House subcommittee hearing addresses the impact of the Freedom of Information Act on Federal law enforcement agencies. Testimony on FBI compliance with the act is given by FBI Director Webster.
Abstract
In particular, the FBI's inability to comply with the time limits imposed by the act, the seventh exemption of that act, and the FBI's records destruction policies are discussed. The FBI has been unable to comply with the act's time limits because of the volume of the work involved, the extreme care necessary to process the request, and the limited resources available for this program. Exemption seven, which permits withholding of investigatory records compiled for law enforcement purposes to the extent that the release of these records would interfere with law enforcement proceedings, has been difficult to comply with since investigations might be harmed if this information is not obtained. The FBI's records retention and destruction policies are conducted in accordance with the requirements in Title 44 of the U.S Code and the various guidelines established by the National Archives and Records Service. They are not responses to the disclosure burdens imposed by the act. Other issues are addressed, and supplemental material is appended.