FBI STILL IS TIED DOWN

TO THE EDITOR:

Attorney General Ashcroft and FBI Director Mueller haven't gone far enough
in untying the hands of the FBI in its fight against terrorism. Irrational
restraints have been imposed on counter-intelligence and law enforcement,
including such asinine notions that criminal profiling of the most likely
people to commit crimes and terrorism somehow constitutes racial
discrimination. To find terrorists and criminals, we must look where they
are most likely to be.

No agency is more attuned to civil rights than the FBI or understands
better that mere rumor or innuendo are no substitute for facts and evidence
beyond reasonable doubt to convict anyone of anything. All law-abiding
Americans should be willing to put up with minor inconveniences if added
security measures will help project all of us from terrorism and crime.

In the aftermath of Sept. 11, we still have several hundred thousand cops
who can hunt for bank robbers, seek stolen cars or, together with the Drug
Enforcement Administration, chase dope peddlers. The FBI will still help,
but FBI agents are too valuable for mundane police work.

Nor do we need a domestic role for the CIA, which doesn't have a clue about
civil rights or probable cause or preparation of evidence for criminal
prosecutions. Let the CIA do its good work overseas.

Stan Twardy, Edmond Twardy is a former federal prosecutor.