REAMOND
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posted on July 30, 2002 12:09:14 PM
Maryland Man Hijacks al-Qaida Web Site for FBI Use, but Agents Pass
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20020730_1069.html
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saabsister
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posted on July 30, 2002 12:16:39 PM
For too long the FBI has hired those with degrees in Accounting and Law instead of putting enough emphasis on Computer Science grads.
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REAMOND
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posted on July 30, 2002 12:22:11 PM
Whoever they are hiring,they must have low IQs.
I don't understand why they would have to be computer literate in order to pursue this lead.
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Helenjw
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posted on July 30, 2002 12:28:51 PM
Right now, they do have a computer science requirement. But I have worked for people who believed that it was beneath their dignity to use a computer. That was a few years ago but I imagine they are still at work. After 9/11, wasn't it discovered that their computer system was obsolete?
As REAMOND suggested, it seems that they would have made an effort to find someone with the ability to work with this fellow.
Helen
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REAMOND
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posted on July 30, 2002 12:46:00 PM
If someone called them and said they thought they had found a nuke, would they pass on the information because no one knew how the bomb functions ?
If a plane is hi-jacked, do they pass because they don't know how to fly a plane or how to build one ?
The FBI could have gotten info from this guy as well as find someone that could handle the language and probably gotten a wealth of info.
Even when good info is laid on their doorstep, these folks seem to screw it up.
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saabsister
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posted on July 30, 2002 12:52:01 PM
To get the techie knowledge, they'd probably have to WORK WITH the CIA. God forbid!
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gravid
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posted on July 30, 2002 12:53:04 PM
I don't know if the FBI is that way but in a lot of businesses still computer people are viewed as low class maintenance workers who keep a needed item running just like the plumber or the heating and cooling. BUT it is a career dead end in those companies with no thought that such workers could be on a track for higher management.
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saabsister
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posted on July 30, 2002 12:58:37 PM
I know the emphasis really has shifted, but there are still a lot of agents who are not computer nerds. I suspect that a lot of dropped leads result from the sheer number of leads the agencies have received since 9/11. And let's face it, manpower is stretched thin.
And, yeah, I read that the FBI's computers are not top-of-the-line or up to date.
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REAMOND
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posted on July 30, 2002 01:39:35 PM
But this problem is not just with "techie" issues. The FBI had the 20th hi-jacker and a warning from an agent in Ariz, and this info was also ignored.
What they need are agents in responsible positions that can analyze information and use sound "judgement" on what to pursue. This doesn't require a computer science degree, but it does require mental skills to synthesize information and act on it. You can have a degree in Philosophy or Economics and competently synthesize information.
Staffing may be an issue, but it must not be when the FBI is doing wiretaps and prosecutions for prostitution.
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Helenjw
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posted on July 30, 2002 02:18:03 PM
That is exactly right. There is too much focus on petty crime. I have a friend who's husband is an FBI agent. His job is tracking down stolen art. Now, I appreciate art but it seems to me that today, he would be more useful in another pursuit...such as helping this fellow with the computer information about terrorist activity. He knows how to use a computer, for example.
I think that they need a major reorganization.
Helen
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saabsister
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posted on July 30, 2002 04:27:55 PM
I think that they need a major reorganization.
And start with the bureau. The field agents often dig up information, but it has to get the bureau's okay. Since they are more prone to political influence, they're conservative in what they do.
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