April 1, 2001 – September 30, 2001
Office of the Inspector General

MESSAGE FROM THE INSPECTOR GENERAL

This semiannual report summarizes the work of the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) from April 1, 2001, through September 30, 2001. The audits, inspections, investigations, reviews, and other activities highlighted in this report illustrate our continuing commitment to helping improve the integrity and efficiency of Department of Justice (Department) operations.

During the past six months, we completed many important audit and evaluation reports and continued our strong record of investigating allegations of criminal and administrative misconduct by Department employees, contractors, and grantees. This report also describes several sensitive OIG investigations undertaken at the request of the Attorney General and Congress, such as our investiga-tion of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) belated production of documents in the Oklahoma City bombing cases and our investigation into the FBI’s actions in connection with the espionage activ-ity of Robert Hanssen.

Yet, the normal work of the OIG was dramatically changed by two events during this reporting period. One was the terrorist attacks of September 11. These tragic events have affected all of us, as individuals and as an organization. In the aftermath of September 11, we are revisiting our audit, evaluation, and investigation work plans in an effort to maximize the effectiveness of our reviews given new Department and national priorities. The other event occurred in July 2001 when the Attorney General expanded the OIG’s investigative authority to include allegations of misconduct against employees of the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Previously, the FBI and DEA Offices of Professional Responsibility handled these allegations, except in rare cases when they were assigned to the OIG. The expansion of our jurisdiction enables the OIG to investigate allegations of misconduct in all Department components.

We appreciate the confidence in the OIG the Attorney General showed in assigning us these new responsibilities. We look forward to working with the Attorney General and Congress to meet the new challenges while at the same time continuing our ongoing responsibility to provide comprehen-sive oversight of Department programs and personnel.

Glenn A. Fine
Inspector General
October 31, 2001