A Review of FBI Security Programs

(SCI). Before being given access to SCI, FBI employees and contractors must have
appropriate clearances, access approval, and a clearly identified need to know the
information; they must also be “read in,” that is, undergo a briefing, and sign a nondisclosure
agreement. SCI cleared individuals are subject to additional security procedures
such as a more vigorous adjudication of background re-investigations, and they are obliged
to report foreign contacts and travel.
Security programs designed to safeguard TS and SCI material at the FBI are
problematic. The provisions in Bureau manuals controlling security are incomplete and
cumbersome to access, and their importance day-to-day is not stressed.
The need-to-know requirement seems to be generally observed in the dissemination
of documents, and SCIF accreditation procedures are followed, but security requirements are
sometimes sloppily observed and casually enforced. Knowledge of the requirements for
handling TS/SCI and sensitivity to this material must be enhanced across the board.
A huge amount of TS/SCI arrives at Headquarters every year, and a substantial
amount remains there indefinitely, creating a practical problem of allocating limited space
to dated, but sensitive information.
Information profiling, the description of TS/SCI information that other intelligence
agencies should send the FBI, is not effectively employed. Once the Special File Room
disseminates TS/SCI information, it is not routinely protected by cover sheets, and there are
no effective controls on copying. Safes where TS/SCI is stored in operational units are not
routinely audited for classified material no longer needed.
Few Unit and Section Chiefs are familiar with manual provisions relating to TS/SCI,
although they are aware that this material must be given greater protection than other
classified material. Most learned this from on-the-job training. At the operational level,
most Unit and Section Chiefs rely on Security Officers in the component to protect classified
material. The knowledge and experience of these Officers varies markedly.
While FBI employees who routinely work with TS/SCI information are generally
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