NCJ Number
80340
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 50 Issue: 11 Dated: (November 1981) Pages: 20-23
Date Published
1981
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes the formation of two cooperative task forces by the FBI and the New York Police Department (NYPD): one to combat armed bank robberies and one to fight terrorist activities.
Abstract
The Bank Robbery Task Force was formed in August 1979. Its purpose was to investigate armed bank robbery violations in New York City and to apprehend those individuals who committed these violations. The task force memorandum states that the task force would operate within the confines of the four boroughs of Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. All cases handled by the task force are jointly investigated, with each task force team consisting of a police detective and an FBI agent. During 1980, the first full year of the task force's operation, armed bank robberies fell to 252, compared to 319 in the preceding year. Following a series of terrorist bombings, bomb threats, and the assassination of a diplomat, a joint FBI/NYPD Terrorist Task Force was formed. As was the case with the armed bank robbery task force, a formalized memorandum of understanding was executed between the heads of the two agencies. Despite former animosity between the NYPD Arson and Explosion Unit and the New York FBI office, the task force slowly grew into a cohesive, highly professional unit. The investigation and arrest of the hierarchy of a Croatian terrorist organization are detailed, with the observation made that the task force was primarily responsible for this accomplishment. No references are cited.