Wider FBI Crime Fighting Role Urged By JIM ABRAMS .c The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - The global dimensions of crime require that the attorney general and the FBI extend their authority over other law enforcement agencies such as the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, according to a congressional report. The Commission on the Advancement of Federal Law Enforcement recommended Tuesday that the law enforcement functions of the Treasury Department's ATF be shifted to the FBI and that the Drug Enforcement Administration become a separate division of the FBI. Congress, which created the commission in 1996 in the wake of law enforcement controversies such as the 1992 Ruby Ridge standoff in Idaho and the 1993 Branch Davidian siege in Waco, Texas, has failed to act on similar recommendations in the past. The departments of Treasury and Justice, in a joint statement, said the report was ``thoughtful and deliberative,'' but noted that the idea of merging the ATF and DEA into the FBI was not new and had previously been rejected. ``We believe such a merger would be unnecessary and would be detrimental to our law enforcement efforts.'' But the chairman of the five-member group, former FBI Director William H. Webster, said better coordination is crucial if the country is to meet the growing threats of global crime, terrorism and cyber-crime. ``I have serious concerns about the readiness of the federal government to protect Americans and the national security'' without structural changes, he said. The report said the attorney general should be responsible for overseeing all major federal law enforcement policies and practices. The commission also criticized the recent tendency to ``federalize'' crimes. It said 40 percent of federal crimes have been put on the books since 1970 and now total more than 3,000. ``This situation threatens to overwhelm federal law enforcement capacities, just as dramatic and serious new law enforcement challenges grow in intensity.'' Webster acknowledged that others in the past, going back to President Lyndon Johnson, have attempted to restructure the ATF or consolidate law enforcement efforts, with limited success. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said his panel ``will study the report and review its recommendations.'' A hearing on the findings was scheduled for Thursday. Webster said that while such events as Ruby Ridge and Waco had become ``metaphors'' for some of the recent problems in law enforcement, they were only part of a larger picture that included some real successes such as law enforcement coordination after the 1995 bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City. The FBI was deeply involved in both the 1992 Ruby Ridge and 1993 Waco incidents. At Ruby Ridge, the wife and son of white separatist Randy Weaver and a deputy U.S. marshall died. At Waco, which began with a botched ATF raid on the Branch Davidians religious sect's complex, the FBI was in charge for most of the standoff that ended in the complex's destruction by fire, with more than 80 people dead. The commission also recommended that law enforcement and intelligence communities better coordinate their activities, that global crime be made a national law enforcement priority and that Congress require that law enforcement agencies establish new standards for professionalism and integrity.
