Joint Response to OIG Audit of ATF-FBI Explosives Investigation Coordination

Today the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued a report entitled, “Explosives Investigation Coordination between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).” FBI Assistant Director Michael Kortan and ATF Assistant Director W. Larry Ford issued the following joint statement:

“We appreciate the Inspector General’s review of the ATF and FBI’s policies and procedures and we agree with the Office of the Deputy Attorney General’s assessment of the need for improved information sharing and adequate training.

“The ATF and FBI have achieved key successes in our joint efforts to investigate explosive incidents. From 2003 to 2008, the ATF and FBI have jointly investigated and recommended for prosecution 192 explosive-related cases involving 397 defendants. Additionally, the ATF and FBI are collaborating in programs such as the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center and the Joint Program Office to address interagency issues and develop community-wide consensus standards for uniform training of explosive-detection canine teams.

“We concur with the report’s recommendations and are working with Deputy Attorney General’s Office and Department of Justice’s Office of the Chief Information Officer to formulate measures to resolve the identified issues to improve coordination and response to explosive incidents.

“We remain committed to identifying best practices associated with training, information sharing, and investigative response for explosive incidents.”