National Security Programs
National Security
The FBI is the lead agency for a variety of national security
concerns. With regard to foreign counterintelligence activity,
theft of U.S. technology and sensitive economic information by
foreign intelligence services and competitors has been estimated
by the White House and others to be valued up to a hundred billion
dollars annually.
It is therefore prudent and necessary that we provide information to those who are the targets of this activity. Critical infrastructure protection, both cyber and physical, is also a major focus of the FBI and the Awareness of National Security Issues and Response (ANSIR) Program. The ANSIR program helps to identify these infrastructures and ensure that communication with the FBI is established.
International
Terrorism
The FBI investigates international terrorism, defined as
terrorism by groups or individuals who are foreign-based, directed
by foreign countries or groups outside the United States or whose
activities transcend national boundaries. Our mission is
to detect and counteract international threats directed against
the United States or U.S. corporations, establishments, or persons.
Domestic Terrorism
and Hate Crimes
Domestic terrorism is the unlawful use, or threatened use, of
force or violence by a group or individual based and operating
entirely within the United States, Puerto Rico, or other US territories
without foreign direction committed against persons or property
to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population,
or any segment thereof in furtherance of political or social
objectives.
San Francisco's Domestic Terrorism squad was formed three years ago in response to a national initiative to enhance the FBI's ability to prevent, investigate, and respond to acts of terrorism in the United States. An interagency Counterterrorism Task Force (CTTF) was formed in October 1997, as part of a San Francisco proactive strategy to enhance law enforcement efforts in the Bay Area to combat both domestic and international terrorism. The Task Force currently consists of the Domestic and International terrorism squads in conjunction with additional agencies, including:
California Highway
Patrol (CHP)
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Federal Protective Service (FPS)
Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS)
Oakland Police Department (OPD)
United States Customs Service (USCS)
United States Secret Service (USSS)
In support of the FBI San Francisco Counterterrorism initiative, the role of the Domestic Terrorism squad and the CTTF have the following roles:
Responsibility for addressing all aspects of the FBI's Domestic Terrorism Operational/Investigative Subprogram, and the establishment of an effective intelligence and liaison base in support of these efforts;
Responsibility to address all Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) matters which occur in the Division, including all related WMD investigative, training, and contingency planning matters;
National Infrastructure Protection, consisting of the identification of those key industries and other entities vital to the economy and health and safety of the San Francisco Bay Area. These efforts include the establishment of liaison, threat awareness briefings, contingency planning, and related training;
Aviation Security, consisting of joint FBI - Federal Aviation Administration - Police airport security assessments and information sharing; and
Special Events Management, consisting of support to Special Events in areas to include intelligence gathering, contingency planning, and Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD), as well as liaison with the FBI's Evidence Response Team (ERT) Special Operations Group (SOG), Aviation Support, and SWAT, should their assistance be required.
Hate Crimes
The 2001 edition of Hate
Crimes Statistics (Uniform Crime Reports) indicates that
California leads the nation in reported hate crimes, with 23%
of the total. The City of San Francisco reported 164 hate crimes
in 2001. 39 (24%) of the reported incidents in San Francisco
were racially motivated, 23 (14%) involved the victim's religious
beliefs, 50 (31%) involved the victim's sexual orientation, and
52 (32%) involved the victim's ethnicity.
State and local authorities in the Bay Area take an aggressive approach to hate crime investigations, and conduct thorough investigations leading to prosecutions and convictions.
National Infrastructure
Protection
The FBI is the lead agency for the National
Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC). The mission of the
NIPC is both a national security and law enforcement effort to
detect, deter, assess, warn of, respond to, and investigate computer
intrusions and unlawful acts, both physical and "cyber,"
that threaten or target our critical infrastructures. The NIPC's
job is not simply to investigate and respond to attacks after
they occur, but to learn about preventing them.
