Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Reform isn’t enough; get rid of the FBI Harvey Silverglate
msn.com ^ | Dec 7, 2021 | Harvey A. Silverlate

Posted on 08/17/2022 7:07:12 AM PDT by KeyLargo

Historically, the problem with the Federal Bureau of Investigation has not been one of leadership but of culture. Directors come and go; the culture remains. That culture is one of “us versus them,” very insular, functioning under its own unwritten rules. There are periodic calls for reform, but these are Band-Aids covering a serious gunshot wound. As an experienced criminal defense lawyer, I’ve concluded that the FBI must be abolished and its duties assigned to a new agency.

Consider an example from my own law practice....

(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: abolish; abolishdojfbitrump; chat; doj; fbi; learnhowtopost; silverlate; trump
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-54 next last
To: pas

There is no real over sight.

************

That is the bottom line. Well that and congressional fear of the agencies. It all adds up to out-of-control agencies and roadblocks to accountability.


21 posted on 08/17/2022 7:47:50 AM PDT by Starboard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: AnotherUnixGeek

How would the new agency be prevented from arriving at exactly the same state the FBI is in now?


I repeat my idea.

All FBI duties should be turned over to the sheriffs. The sheriff is responsive to the citizens. If I want to talk to the sheriff, he is 20 miles from here and available to the public.

The tricky part would the funding. Small departments with a huge territory, big departments in densely populated small counties....in other words a small department might need more money just because of the large area.

Where does the money come from? It would be best to prevent the money from being distributed by Washington, DC


22 posted on 08/17/2022 7:49:12 AM PDT by old curmudgeon (There is no situation so bad that the federal government can not make worse.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Political Junkie Too

You missed my point, and San Francisco has far deeper problems than their DA’s office.


23 posted on 08/17/2022 7:50:18 AM PDT by GOP_Party_Animal
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: KeyLargo

Wow, it is amazing to read this from a person who describes himself as “libertarian-liberal” and a “Boston-based criminal defense and civil liberties lawyer.” Even more surprising is that this was published in the Boston Globe and picked up by MSN.


24 posted on 08/17/2022 7:52:03 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (“May your neighbors respect you, trouble neglect you, angels protect you and heaven accept you”)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: KeyLargo

EVERY function of the FBI should be turned back over to individual states. It has shown itself to be nothing but criminal, IMO.


25 posted on 08/17/2022 7:52:13 AM PDT by Gaffer (Infidel, and proud of it!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: KeyLargo
There may be good apolitical agents out there but the leadership is way too political.
There is also the notion that the "feds" outranks the "locals". That must change.

26 posted on 08/17/2022 7:54:14 AM PDT by BitWielder1 (I'd rather have Unequal Wealth than Equal Poverty.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: GOP_Party_Animal
Maybe.

You said: Prosecutors represent the government against the citizen, and we’ve seen how that’s worked out lately.

That seems to be the case with federal prosecutors these days, who are Democrats clearing the electoral field for their fellow Democrats.

Defense Attorneys (not prosecutors) have been taking over the District Attorney offices in the cities, and that has led to an increase in crime in those cities.

-PJ

27 posted on 08/17/2022 7:54:17 AM PDT by Political Junkie Too ( * LAAP = Left-wing Activist Agitprop Press (formerly known as the MSM))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: Mr. K
Make the FBI a task-force coordinator of State, County and Law enforcement regarding federal crimes. Fire 50% right off the bat especially from the higher tier. No new recruits. Rubber gun squad all remaining employees. They will be experts at conference calls and webex meetings. Reform the FBI labs.

We shall not have a secret police force for the executive branch any more.

28 posted on 08/17/2022 7:57:44 AM PDT by frogjerk (I will not do business with fascists)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: KeyLargo
The key to eliminating the FBI lies in first reducing their responsibilities, that means pushing responsibilities down to the state.

The biggest example I can think of is federal drug laws. All Federal drug laws should be eliminated unless the crime involves crossing a border (state or national).

Once you reduce the responsibilities, you reduce the head count. Then you can transfer the responsibilities to other agencies

29 posted on 08/17/2022 7:58:24 AM PDT by ProudGOP
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Labyrinthos

Rich Ulmen
Former 13 Yrs as Agent Partially as a Deputy Marshal1y

The US Marshal and his deputies have more authority than any other federal law enforcement officers. U.S. Marshals can enforce all federal law and all state laws. However, the DOJ and 18USC have assigned primary investigative authority for many crimes to the FBI. Title 21USC is mostly enforced by the DEA. But FBI and DEA task forces ask to swear in their local police members as Deputy US Marshals for the above reasons. A good rule of thumb is the FBI is an investigative agency (a very political one lately) and the US Marshals are an enforcement agency. The US Marshals also investigate child trafficking and child molester cases and escape from federal custody and assaults of federal officers and related probation parole and other crimes. Additionally, most areas have a US Marshals led violent crime and drug trafficker fugitive task force.


30 posted on 08/17/2022 8:00:53 AM PDT by KeyLargo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: KeyLargo

The FBI should be scrapped and replaced with nothing.

L


31 posted on 08/17/2022 8:05:37 AM PDT by Lurker (Peaceful coexistence with the Left is not possible. Stop pretending that it is.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Political Junkie Too

How about just have each state have sub-section of their state police force responsible to investigate federal crimes. They would be assigned to work with the FED DOJ states attorney. The drug trafficking crime units are made up of local, county, state, and federal LEO’s. Why does this need to be any different to give this power to the states?

Just like all the states have some version of a federal agency and basically duplicating federal regulations with their state regulations.

We should pass a constitutional amendment that gave the states this power.


32 posted on 08/17/2022 8:07:36 AM PDT by shotgun
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: KeyLargo

The US Marshall Service is also assigned to protect federal judges and courthouses, and yet very few people were arrested for attacking federal court houses during the BL riots.


33 posted on 08/17/2022 8:13:37 AM PDT by Labyrinthos
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: KeyLargo

Locate the new FBI headquarters in Barrow Alaska.

Lovely summers.


34 posted on 08/17/2022 8:16:02 AM PDT by Colo9250 (Dump the RINOS including McCarthy and Waltz and many others.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: KeyLargo

And he is correct

FBI has been a hot mess for scores of years. Openly politicized now but has been used politically from the very beginning


35 posted on 08/17/2022 8:19:34 AM PDT by Nifster (I see puppy dogs in the clouds )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: butlerweave

Something less than 20 whistleblowers out of thousands. These folks are probably close to retirement and have secured their nest-egg. The rest of those so called ‘good agents’ are either fanatics, true-believers or are just everyday Joes and Janes trying to get along by going along.

If the basic tenet of FBI investigating is ‘gotcha’ tactics rather than follow the evidence police work then that department is ripe for dissolution.


36 posted on 08/17/2022 8:20:14 AM PDT by ByteMercenary (Slo-Joe and KamalHo are not my leaders.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: shotgun
The idea is that one state would be called up to investigate a crime in another state. This can be done now without any constitutional amendments with my plan.

I don't want to augment the FBI, I want to eliminate and replace it.

-PJ

37 posted on 08/17/2022 8:54:42 AM PDT by Political Junkie Too ( * LAAP = Left-wing Activist Agitprop Press (formerly known as the MSM))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: Labyrinthos

oh gosh then we shouldn’t do that...


38 posted on 08/17/2022 8:55:13 AM PDT by Mr. K (No consequence of repealing obamacare is worse than obamacare itself)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: butlerweave

Then they can go work for the US Marshals or other agency.

The FBI has to be disbanded.


39 posted on 08/17/2022 9:03:48 AM PDT by Valpal1 (Not even the police are safe from the police!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: old curmudgeon
All FBI duties should be turned over to the sheriffs.

How would this work for federal crimes committed across more than one state jurisdiction? I'm not knowledgeable about law enforcement in general, so there's a lot I don't know about here.
40 posted on 08/17/2022 9:12:04 AM PDT by AnotherUnixGeek
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-54 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson