FBI MAY SHIFT FOCUS TO FIGHTING TERRORISM

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is discussing proposals that would
lead to the most fundamental reorganization of the FBI in its history,
shifting its focus to counterterrorism and away from crime fighting, senior
officials said.

Under the new thinking, they said, the agency would give up responsibility
for some of the duties on which it built its legendary "G-man" reputation,
like bank robbery, drug trafficking and some violent crime investigations.

"As counterterrorism becomes the No. 1 priority of the FBI, it has become
obvious that other types of investigations will have to be de- emphasized
at the bureau or turned over to other agencies," said a senior
administration official, one of several interviewed in recent days who have
been involved in the discussions.

Some officials say the restructuring has already begun, even before any
formal plans have been proposed, propelled by the terrorist attacks of
Sept. 11, when thousands of bureau agents across the country were ordered
to put aside other investigations to focus exclusively on counterterrorism.

Since Sept. 11, senior officials said, Attorney General John Ashcroft and
the bureau's director, Robert S. Mueller III, have agreed that the emphasis
on counterterrorism will be permanent, and that other major changes are
inevitable. They have said repeatedly in recent days that the bureau's
28,000 employees will have one overriding responsibility: to prevent
further terrorist attacks against Americans.

Officials emphasized that no formal restructuring plan exists, and that any
structural change in the bureau's mission might require Congressional approval.

But the trauma of Sept. 11 appears to give this proposal a far better
chance of success than many of the other ideas that repeatedly arise in
Washington to remake complicated or failing bureaucracies.

Even before Sept. 11, members of Congress in both parties were calling for
significant change at the bureau. Since the attacks, they have praised
Ashcroft for his insistence that the bureau concentrate on preventing
terrorist acts.

"That's exactly what he ought to be doing," said Sen. Jon Kyl, R- Ariz., a
member of both the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees. "What's important
now is to track down and prevent more terrorism."