The CI unit in DC is the main abuser!
Because its CI it doesn’t have to meet the same evidentiary standards as the field offices. Its chain-of-command goes directly to the director thus guaranteeing a certain amount of political influence in its actions\decision making. Also by being in DC political influence flows in socially.
Maybe best thing to do is make it more like MI5\BSS. No arrest power (Note: It didn’t use to! Maybe it has it now!). To make an arrest it has to go through royal state prosecutors & Scotland Yard Special Branches. That was suggested back in the 1980s as part of a general INTEL community reform.
Thanks. A very cogent reply. I think you know more about Federal Law operations than I do. I have worked in government and large bureaucracies, but not anything like FBI or IC.
we agree there are important intelligence and investigative functions that must be done. I suppose I am more focused on how structure informs operations, and what this says to society at large. That's why I would propose a complete name-and-structure change
look at the Soviet KGB. Although many of its tasks, people and methods transferred to the FSB new Russia (ie. Putin!), it nonetheless broke-up its structure, its name, bureaucracy and operating rules. It was important in the post-communist system to demonstrate, even if symbolically, a clean-break