- Robert S. Mueller, III
- Director
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Press Conference on the Upstate New York Regional Intelligence Center
- Albany, New York
- May 25, 2004
Thank you Governor. Good afternoon. I am here, along with the heads of our offices in New York City, Buffalo, and here in Albany, to show our support for the UNYRIC and its new Counter-Terrorism Unit (CTU).
UNYRIC has already made considerable contributions to our crime fighting efforts in New York and Vermont, and we are confident that the CTU will prove to be a powerful new weapon in the war on terrorism.
Terrorists and their supporters are mobile and networked, and they operate across jurisdictional boundaries. We can defeat these adversaries only if all of our agencies work together. We are here to celebrate an endeavor that will help us do just that.
Countering the terrorist enemy requires a seamless flow of intelligence. In New York State and Vermont, more than 70,000 officers with eyes and ears in their communities are on constant alert for possible indicators of terrorist activities.
The CTU will assist police officers in recognizing possible terrorist surveillance, rehearsal, fundraising, and training. It will facilitate assignments to collect information. And it will get the intelligence that police officers gather in their communities to the FBI so that it can be put together with intelligence from other sources.
The results will be more targeted intelligence collection in the field, a reliable pipeline for intelligence, more complete analysis of patterns and trends, and ultimately a greater chance of catching terrorists before they strike.
To ensure that this seamless flow of intelligence is accomplished without harming privacy rights, the FBI will provide a security officer, offer training, and review information sharing systems and policies to ensure their compliance with privacy protections.
We are proud to be a part of UNYRIC and will continue to provide our full support and cooperation. We believe it offers a model that can guide information sharing initiatives in states across the country.
I would like to thank Governor Pataki, Governor Douglas, Superintendent Bennett [NY State Police], and Director McMahon [Office of Public Safety] for their visionary leadership on this endeavor. Thank you.