PANEL WOULD EXPAND FBI'S TURF

U.S. Commission Says Agency Should Absorb DEA and ATF

A federal commission yesterday recommended giving the FBI control over the
enforcement functions of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms - now
part of the Treasury Department - and the anti-drug efforts of the Drug
Enforcement Administration.

A similar recommendation was considered and rejected during President
Clinton's first term, and one law enforcement official yesterday referred
to the plan as "dead on arrival." Political turf fights ultimately killed
the earlier proposal.

"That proposal has been studied and rejected numerous times in the past,
including [during] the Carter administration, the Reagan administration and
Vice President Gore's national performance review," said Art Resnick,
spokesman for the ATF.

"We're aware of the report," said DEA spokesperson Illa Brown, who declined
further comment.

Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers and Attorney General Janet Reno
issued a joint statement saying both agencies had "previously considered,
studied and rejected the idea of merging the ATF and DEA into the FBI," but
they would study the commission's remaining recommendations.

The congressionally chartered Commission on the Advancement of Law
Enforcement, headed by former FBI and CIA director William H. Webster, said
federal law enforcement authority is dispersed among too many agencies and
needs to be consolidated.

The 185-page report, which will be the subject of a Senate hearing
Thursday, said lack of coordination among agencies is a glaring weakness
that makes the United States more vulnerable to global crime and terrorism.
It also said there has been "poor integration" of domestic and foreign
intelligence-gathering.

Both the FBI and the DEA are part of the Justice Department. The report
recommends making the DEA a separate division of the FBI.

In addition to granting the FBI more power, the report recommended giving
the attorney general authority to direct all federal law enforcement
policies and practices, calling lack of focus at the federal level a major
weakness.

"Much of today's ... structure is based on problems of the past, such as
Prohibition," Webster said. "The nation critically requires a federal law
enforcement establishment that is ready to meet the crime problems of the
future."

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said
his panel would review the study carefully. "At a time when many people
want to politicize issues related to crime, I think it is good to listen to
views of the highly respected professionals on the commission and put
public safety ahead of politics," he said.

The House Judiciary Committee also intends to hold hearings on the report.

The most controversial recommendation - transferring control over the DEA
and the ATF to the FBI - is not constructive, a senior official said.
However, the official said "rank and file employees" generally believe the
proposal makes sense.