REPORT: ATF-DEA-FBI MERGER WOULD SPELL TROUBLE FOR CRIME

WASHINGTON - The global dimensions of crime mean that the attorney general
and the FBI should extend their authority over other law-enforcement
agencies such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), a
congressional report concludes.

The Commission on the Advancement of Federal Law Enforcement recommended
yesterday that the law-enforcement functions of the ATF - now part of the
Treasury Department - be shifted to the FBI. It also recommended that the
Drug Enforcement Administration become a separate division of the FBI.

Congress, which created the commission in 1996 after law-enforcement
controversies such as the 1992 Ruby Ridge standoff in Idaho and the 1993
Branch Davidian siege in Waco, Texas, has previously failed to act on
similar recommendations.

The departments of Treasury and Justice, in a joint statement, said the
report was "thoughtful and deliberative," but they noted that the idea of
merging the ATF and DEA into the FBI was not new and had previously been
rejected.

"We believe such a merger would be unnecessary and would be detrimental to
our law-enforcement efforts."

But the chairman of the five-member group, former FBI Director William
Webster, said better coordination is crucial if the country is to meet the
growing threats of global crime, terrorism and cyber-crime.

"I have serious concerns about the readiness of the federal government to
protect Americans and the national security" without structural changes, he
said.

The report said the attorney general should be responsible for overseeing
all major federal law-enforcement policies and practices.

The commission also recommended that law-enforcement and intelligence
agencies better coordinate, that global crime be made a national priority
and that Congress require that law-enforcement agencies establish new
standards for professionalism and integrity.