Let’s begin our review of alternatives to the FBI as it now exists by analyzing the “cold turkey” technique. Let’s see if the FBI could be eliminated completely and in a short period of time; say, a few months. In that case, how would the United States achieve the three goals of the FBI discussed in the previous article?
Well, the three goals of the FBI could be assigned to the many other U.S. government agencies that also work to achieve some or even all those three goals. And what are those other U.S. government agencies? Here are a few of the largest and most famous:
Homeland Security Investigations
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
U.S. Secret Service
Drug Enforcement Agency Administration
Naval Criminal Investigative Service
U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations
U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Diplomatic Security Service
Now, before other agencies could do all the work the FBI does now, the U.S. Congress would need to pass a law giving some or all these agencies the legal authorities to achieve all the three FBI goals. Budget and staffing enhancements would also need to be arranged.
All these agencies currently share many attributes with the FBI. All of them employ U.S. Federal Special Agents who, on paper at least, meet the same standards that FBI Special Agents meet. Many, if not all, of the U.S. Federal Special Agents in the other agencies hold same U.S. Government security clearances that FBI Special Agents hold. And security clearances can be granted (after appropriate vetting) to Special Agents who do not have them.
However, these other agencies lack the facilities, equipment, and other infrastructure which the FBI currently uses and maintains. But that problem has a solution. If the FBI were to be eliminated, then the U.S. Congress can authorize these other agencies to acquire and use the facilities, equipment, and other infrastructure currently used by the FBI.
Of course, quick changes in American federal law enforcement and security agencies will lead to disruption and confusion in the short term. But this type of change has been implemented before. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security was created in 2002 by removing multiple federal law enforcement and security agencies from other parts of the U.S. Executive Branch and combining them into a new federal department.
Elimination of the FBI and sending its functions to multiple other federal agencies is different from creating a new federal department. But the scale and scope of reorganization required to eliminate the FBI and send its functions elsewhere is similar to the scale and scope of reorganization used to establish the Department of Homeland Security. America has the ability to eliminate the FBI and re-assign its duties to other parts of the federal government.
There is also precedent for personnel upheavals at a federal government agency responsible for public safety. In 1981, after an illegal strike, President Reagan fired over 11,000 air traffic controllers (Patco Strike). At the time, commentators believed that the sudden loss of nearly all U.S. air traffic controllers would devastate the U.S. airline industry. Instead, and although air travel in the U.S. was slowed down for many months, new air traffic controllers were hired and before long air travel in the U.S. was back to normal.
Abolition of the FBI and transfer of its duties and resources to other parts of the U.S. Government would be disruptive. However, regardless of how well such a plan might work, it is a plan that can be implemented.