Letter to Robert Mueller, Federal Bureau of Investigation

January 7, 2004

The Hon. Robert Mueller
Federal Bureau of Investigation
935 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20429

Dear Director Mueller:

With bank robberies on Long Island up an unprecedented 70 percent since 2000 and with the increase even higher in New York City, I am concerned that the New York Regional FBI field office has not fully restored the net loss of 85 FBI agents it experienced over the same period of time.

As you may be aware, in 2000, there were 40 bank robberies in Nassau and Suffolk Counties , which comprise New York's Long Island. In 2003, there were 68, which is an increase of 70 percent. In May 2003, as the number of bank robberies in New York began to skyrocket, I respectfully requested that the FBI agent positions in New York that had been eliminated over the years be restored.

On June 2, Deputy Director Joseph L. Ford acknowledged to me that 85 agent positions in New York had been eliminated since Fiscal Year 2000. He also wrote that "We appreciate your concerns regarding the agent staffing levels of the New York Field Office, and additional agent staff are proposed for permanent assignment before the close of the year."

I am writing this morning to inquire about the status of those new agents. I respectfully repeat my request that the full complement of 85 agents be brought back to New York. I also ask that a number of these new agents be assigned to the FBI's Violent Crime Task Force and work out of the FBI's Long Island office to fight the rising tide of bank robberies there.

As you know, the Justice Department's 2004 budget submission to Congress stated that the average annual cost for an FBI agent is less than $138,000 - including salary, training, supplies, and equipment. Congress will finalize the FBI's 2004 budget within weeks, and I respectfully request today that you to allocate $11.8 million to restore the agents cut from the New York Regional Field Office.

I want to be clear that the FBI agents in the New York field office - particularly since September 11 - have been doing great work and are some of the best law enforcement processionals anywhere. We in New York are grateful to each and every one of them - the only problem is that there aren't enough of them. Fighting violent crime and fighting terrorists should not be an either-or proposition. With enough people in law enforcement - as many people as we once had - we can do both in New York. Thank you for your continued attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator