NCJ Number
125092
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 57 Issue: 8 Dated: (August 1990) Pages: 61-67
Date Published
1990
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Responsibility for managing the Federal response to terrorism rests with the U.S. Attorney General who has designated the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as the lead Federal law enforcement agency in counterterrorism operations.
Abstract
The mission of the FBI's counterterrorism program is to detect, prevent, and/or react to unlawful, violant activities of individuals or groups whose intent is to overthrow the government; to interfere with the activities of a foreign government in the United States; to substantially impair the functioning of Federal or State government or interstate commerce, or to deprive Americans of their civil rights. The Counterterrorism Section (CTS) at FBI headquarters provides program direction and management to all FBI counterterrorism investigations. The CTS is a component of the Criminal Investigative Division which coordinates all criminal investigative programs. FBI field divisions are located in 56 major cities throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. Each field division maintains a special weapons and tactics (SWAT) capability to respond to and terminate terrorist activities in progress. The FBI maintains legal attache offices in 16 foreign countries and participates in cooperative counterterrorism efforts such as task forces and multinational forums. During the 5-year period from 1985 through 1985, U.S. law enforcement was successful in preventing 47 acts of terrorism in the United States.