FBI Focus' More on Counterterrorism and Less on Drugs

The FBI has dropped the number of criminal cases they open by nearly half since 2000 according to a 194-page audit, which was censored because it contained sensitive law enforcement information. The Justice Department’s inspector general said that this is a reflection of the bureau's shift toward counterterrorism. "The decline was steepest in drug investigations and extended to organized crime, bank robberies, civil rights, health care fraud, corporate fraud and public corruption," said Inspector General Glenn A. Fine. "Among the FBI’s traditional criminal investigations, only gang cases increased," Fine said. The FBI opened 62,782 criminal investigations in 2000 and 34,451 in 2004. This constitutes a drop of 45 percent. Drug cases declined by 70 percent, according to the audit.