Major FBI Overhaul Will Address Internal Problems

In its most dramatic organizational overhaul in decades, the FBI is changing its structure to address internal problems with the handling of information and to put a greater emphasis on preventing terrorism and espionage, rather than simply responding to such crimes.

In an interview, FBI Deputy Director Robert M. Bryant characterized the restructuring, which bureau officials plan to announce today, as a “sea change” that will encourage the sharing of information among divisions and better communication between analysts and senior officials.

“We collect a lot of information, but . . . our predictive intelligence is poor,” said Bryant, the second-in-command at the bureau. “The bottom line is, we don’t know what we know.”

The reorganization is an integral part of a broader transformation of the FBI under Director Louis J. Freeh and reflects his commitment to the bureau’s growing role in fighting terrorism in the United States and around the world.

Under the restructuring, the number of major operating divisions at the bureau will increase from two--the Criminal Division and the National Security Division--to four. A new Counterterrorism Division will focus on terrorist threats and include the bureau’s National Infrastructure Protection Center and its computer crimes unit; an Investigative Services Division will consolidate analysts who had worked in separate divisions and will also include the bureau’s hostage rescue team and negotiators.

Bryant said the old system left analysts focused too narrowly on their areas of expertise.