U.S. Acting on Dismantling Anti-Crime Unit
Atty. Gen. Dick Thornburgh announced Wednesday he will proceed with plans to dismantle the Justice Department’s organized crime strike forces despite some congressional claims the move is unwarranted.
Starting Monday, the 14 strike forces will be folded into 23 U.S. attorney’s offices across the country, Thornburgh said in a statement.
“I am convinced that this new organizational structure will not only strengthen our efforts against traditional organized criminal families, but will enhance our efforts against new organized crime elements,” Thornburgh said.
Additionally, Thornburgh said he would create an Organized Crime Council in Washington to oversee the federal government’s attack on organized crime.
He defended the reorganization, which had been revealed previously, on the grounds that traditional organized crime run by Mafia families has changed, with the mob often working in tandem with Colombian drug cartels and others.
Moreover, organized crime is also operated by elements in the Asian community and gangs “such as the Crips and Bloods and the Jamaican posses.”
In letters to members of the House and Senate Judiciary committees, Thornburgh also said his plan “offers substantial managerial benefits that should no longer be postponed.”
Earlier, he said the plan would end “turf battles” between the strike forces and the U.S. attorney’s offices.
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