Inspector general report criticizes Justice, FBI on terrorism statistics

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Justice Department and FBI often used inaccurate terrorism statistics in describing the government's successes in the battle against terrorism, according to a report released Tuesday by the Justice Department's internal watchdog.

The detailed report by the inspector general says analysis found that 24 of 26 statistics were inaccurate for a variety of reasons.

"Department components could not provide support for the numbers reported, could not provide support for a terrorism link used to classify statistics as terrorism-related, and could not document that the activity reported occurred in the period reported," the report said. --From Justice Producer Terry Frieden (Posted 11:03 a.m.)

link: http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/02/20/tuesday/index.html

Audit: Justice anti-terror data flawed

WASHINGTON - Federal prosecutors counted immigration violations, marriage fraud and drug trafficking among anti-terror cases in the four years after 9/11 — despite no evidence linking them to terror activity, a Justice Department audit found Tuesday.

Overall, nearly all of the terrorism-related investigations, referrals and cases examined by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine were either diminished or inflated. Only two of 26 sets of department data reported between 2001 and 2005 were accurate, the audit found.

Responding, a Justice spokesman pointed to figures showing that prosecutors in the department's headquarters either accurately or underreported their data — underscoring what he called efforts to avoid pumping up federal terror statistics.

The numbers are used to monitor the Justice Department's progress in battling terrorists. They are reported to Congress and the public and help, in part, shape the department's budget needs.

link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070220/ap_on_go_ot/terror_prosecutions_1

[rodeodance]

1. a BIG REC. and I will send to my Congresscritters also!

[maddezmom]

2. pdf link here

http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/new.htm

[yellerpup]

3. 2 Right, 24 Wrong

That's a failing grade and the whole, pitiful legacy. Kick & Recommend! :kick:

[Supersedeas]

4. Competence is not a Bush appointee's strong suit -- loyalty yes, competence -- nadda

[MasonJar]

5. Come on now, y'all. Don't play hardball. They got 2 right; that's

really good for the Bushies.

[The Stranger]

6. Come on, this is beyond incompetence -- this is calculated malfeasance.

Targetting a recognized minority in a modern day lynching using, of all things, the court system.

Just when you think it cannot get worse, it does.

[Heidi]

7. Kick.

:kick:

[UpInArms]

8. Report finds U.S. terrorism statistics inaccurate

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN2018965520070220

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nearly all of the terrorism-related statistics reported by the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI from the September 11 attacks until early 2005 had some inaccuracies, the department's inspector general said on Tuesday.

The findings drew immediate criticism from U.S. senators, who said it raised serious doubts over how effectively the administration was fighting the terrorism threat.

"If the Department of Justice can't even get their own books in order, how are we supposed to have any confidence they are doing the job they should be?," said Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat.

"Whether this is just an accounting error or an attempt to pad terror prosecution statistics for some other reason, the Department of Justice of all places should be classifying cases for what they are, not what they want us to think them to be," Schumer said.

The report found that only two out of 26 statistics were accurate after reviewing the number of terrorism convictions in the 2003 and 2004 financial years, the number of convictions or guilty pleas from September 11, 2001, through February 3, 2005, and the number of terrorist threats tracked by the FBI in 2003 and 2004.

...more...

[jaxx]

9. Which translates to: The SOB's have lied about everything.

Damn them.

[TexasLawyer]

10. "only two out of 26 statistics were accurate"

Criminy! Will someone be fired over this? Or will someone get the presidential medal of freedom?

[Miss Chybil]

11. You mean they lied? nt

[rodeodance]

12. Bingo!!!!

[magellan]

13. It's only bad if someone lies about a BJ

The government lying about terrorism? Pfft. Carry on as normal.

[KurtNYC]

14. Guess what the official murder rate for NYC in 2001 was...

960

http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/nycrime.htm

which is short by the 2,752 who were murdered 9/11/2001. Disgusting.

[EFerrari]

15. Where I live, you can only miss 3 of 18 to pass your driver's license test.

These guys shouldn't be driving anything, let alone our national security system.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

16. I hear you

They scored a big red F and there's no make up exam. Sadly, no one is grading them.

[EFerrari]

17. Peter Bergen just did! There's a thread around here somewhere

about his Motherjones article. It had great grafs -- showing that we are less safe since we invaded Iraq. If I can find it, I'll update this post with the link.

(This morning on CSPAN, he said we're hovering between a D- and an F.)

Edit: and here you go:


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x258837