A Review of FBI Security Programs

Security programs are not given high priority during inspections, which evaluate
compliance with goals set in the Annual Field Office Report each office develops. Security
is not a component of the report. As a result, security inspections are usually completed in
a day or less and are often scheduled during the last week or day of the review. Special
Agents-in-Charge (SACs) are not evaluated on the basis of compliance with security
programs. Field Security Officers and the SACs to whom they report do not respect security
inspections because there are no significant consequences for noncompliance. Some Security
Officers assert that SACs have requested that they accept criticisms of security issues during
these inspections, in lieu of the office receiving negative findings on critical programs
included in the Annual Field Office Report.
The Office of Security should periodically review security programs and systems in
Headquarters and the field, independent of reviews conducted by the Inspection Division.
Teams of security specialists from the Office, as well as security experts from field offices,
should initially focus on offices with documented security concerns or high security risks.
The on-site review should be comprehensive. The Office should be given authority to rate
security programs and their management, and the rating should be a critical element in SAC
performance appraisals. Office of Security personnel should also be detailed to the
Inspection Division as needed to ensure meaningful audits of security programs.
CONCLUSION
Because Bureau security functions are dispersed across eight Headquarters divisions
and many field offices, no one has traditionally been responsible for developing,
implementing, and enforcing consistent security policy and practices.
Because the Bureau has failed to designate security as a core function, management
continues to slight the security program in favor of operational functions and to deny security
programs the resources needed to succeed.
The key to effective security programs within the FBI is an adequately funded Office
of Security, reporting to the Director and responsible for security policy, implementation,
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