Bit of Brotherhood for the FBI : Reform-minded director seeks to end the bureau’s longtime rivalry with the DEA

The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louis J. Freeh, has set himself some formidable tasks in fighting the international Mafia and halting the spread of domestic terrorism. But now he takes on what may be an even tougher job: getting control of his own agents and forcing them to halt their ancient and destructive rivalry with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, the former federal district court judge from New York said he would dismiss FBI field office commanders who hid from the DEA any information it should have. The turf war has not only hobbled the assault on drugs but also has endangered the lives of agents and informers. Freeh’s DEA counterpart, Thomas A. Constantine, says he too will lay down the law at his shop. We wish them luck.

The FBI has much to be proud of in its 86-year history, but not its failure to cooperate with other law enforcement agencies. The FBI has long been notorious for sweeping in at the last minute, holding a press conference and hogging the credit when a major crime is solved. That may make good P.R., but not good law enforcement, especially in the complex and dangerous world of international drug trafficking.

The Clinton Administration considered and rejected suggestions that the two agencies be merged. Freeh is acting as head of the Office of Investigative Agency Policies, a new Justice Department creation meant to forge better cooperation among diverse federal law enforcement agencies. The disarray and backbiting among the agencies have both hindered drug control and confused foreign governments. Among other things, FBI agents are to be assigned to DEA offices abroad to cooperate in drug investigations. The FBI’s interest in drugs is certainly welcome, considering that it all but ignored the traffic during the sordid and morally rancid regime of its longtime director, J. Edgar Hoover.

All this sounds good on paper. But the question is: Do Freeh and Constantine have the internal authority, stature and determination to make their commands stick? We hope so.