security at critical public events and to protect critical infrastructures, like water and transportation systems. We are assessing threats in real time and providing warnings to your cities and to the nation. I must tell you that the threat level remains very high. More attempts and possible attacks are a distinct possibility. This possibility requires all of us to continue walking the fine line of staying alert on the one hand, without causing undue harm on the other hand.

Clearly, we are deeply concerned about the growing wave of anthrax attacks and related incidents. At this point, it is not clear if the few confirmed anthrax exposures were motivated by organized terrorism, but these attacks were clearly meant to terrorize a country already on the edge. We are responding swiftly to each and every incident. By way of background, we usually are involved in 250 assessments and responses relating to weapons of mass destruction a year. We have had more than 3,300 in just the past 3 weeks alone, including 2,500 involving suspected anthrax incidents. Even though most turn out to be false alarms or hoaxes, we are taking each report seriously, as I know each of you in your cities are doing also. And, those who are pulling pranks and hoaxes won’t find our severe response to those all that funny. O

ur work in these investigations, of course, has been supported at every turn by you and your colleagues across the nation, as well as by a host of federal, state, and even international partners. From the first moment that I joined the FBI several weeks ago, one of my highest priorities has been to improve our working relationship with you, with elected leaders, and with law enforcement partners around the world. And, the events of September 11 have only strengthened my resolve in that regard. From my experience, I am now even more convinced that no one institution is strong enough to tackle the challenge of terrorism alone. No one agency or entity at any level, whether it be federal, state or local, has the length or the breadth of talent and expertise. We must work together. Law enforcement, quite simply, is only as good as its relationships.

These past 6 weeks have given me a good opportunity to see how well our FBI supports you and your cities, and I have seen encouraging signs. I know that many of our special agents in charge, or SACs, are reaching out and keeping you involved and in-formed. But at the same time, I heard that there are some areas where lines of communication are not as open as they should be, where we are keeping you at arm’s length, and where we are not affording you the level of support you deserve.

As soon as I heard of these issues, I reached out to key law enforcement leaders and asked them to educate me on their issues and their concerns. I asked them to give it to me straight, and they did.

Building on these initial conversations, I held a series of meetings last week with representatives of the major city chiefs, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the National Sheriff’s Association, and along with the attorney general, had met with a number of other similar law enforcement associations. The meetings were helpful, open, candid, and, I think, productive.

What we heard will likely be familiar to many of you. We heard that the FBI is not always calling on your local police professionals to track down leads; that we are sometimes not following up quickly enough on leads that come to us that involve your cities; that you need information digitally, if at all possible; that the FBI is not giving you specific enough information on threats; and that we are even withholding information.

Let me clarify the last point, the point about specific information on threats and withholding information. The FBI is not withholding significant information due to security concerns. The fact is much of the information we have can be released to law enforcement. But, the fact is also that often, on most occasions, our information is simply not as specific or developed as we would all like it to be.