[United States Government Manual]
[July 01, 1995]
[Pages 339-376]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Tenth Street and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20530
Phone, 202-514-2000
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL Janet Reno
Chief of Staff John M. Hogan
Confidential Assistant to the Bessie L. Meadows
Attorney General
Assistants to the Attorney Roxie Lopez, Donna F.
General Templeton
Special Assistant to the Attorney Elizabeth Hyman
General
White House Fellow Yvonne Campos
Deputy Attorney General Jamie S. Gorelick
Confidential Assistant Patricia A. Binninger
Principal Associate Deputy Merrick B. Garland
Attorney General
Executive Assistant and Counsel Dennis M. Corrigan
Associate Deputy Attorneys Andrew Fois, David
General Margolis, Mark R.
Steinberg, Seth
Waxman
Special Counsel, Financial Gerald M. Stern
Institution Fraud
Counsels to the Attorney General Roger C. Adams,
Elizabeth R. Fine,
Paul J. Fishman,
Beth A. Wilkinson,
Gerri Lynn Ratliff
Special Assistants to the Deputy Casey Cooper, Amy
Attorney General Jeffress, Geoffrey
Klineberg, Charles
S. Sgro
Director, Executive Office for Mark R. Steinberg
National Security
Counsel, International Programs Drew C. Arena
Associate Attorney General John R. Schmidt
Confidential Assistant Catherine E. Gallagher
Principal Deputy Associate Nancy E. McFadden
Attorney General
Deputy Associate Attorneys Paul R. Friedman, John
General C. Dwyer, Francis
M. Allegra
Assistant Associate Attorneys Joan Silverstein, James
General Vigil, Jr., Kevin
Hynes
Special Assistants to the Erik Reid
Associate Attorney General
Director, Office of Violence Bonnie Campbell
Against Women
Solicitor General Drew S. Days III
Inspector General Michael Bromwich
Assistant Attorney General, Walter E. Dellinger
Office of Legal Counsel
Assistant Attorney General, Kent Markus, Acting
Office of Legislative Affairs
Assistant Attorney General, Eleanor D. Acheson
Office of Policy Development
Assistant Attorney General for Stephen R. Colgate
Administration
Assistant Attorney General, Anne K. Bingaman
Antitrust Division
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Assistant Attorney General, Civil Frank W. Hunger
Division
Assistant Attorney General, Civil Deval L. Patrick
Rights Division
Assistant Attorney General, Jo Ann Harris
Criminal Division
Assistant Attorney General, Lois J. Schiffer
Environment and Natural
Resources Division
Assistant Attorney General, Tax Loretta C. Argrett
Division
Assistant Attorney General, Laurie Robinson
Office of Justice Programs
Director, Office of Public Affairs Carl L. Stern
Directors, Office of Information and Privacy Richard L. Huff
Daniel J. Metcalfe
Director, Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys Carol DiBattiste
Director, Bureau of Prisons Kathleen M. Hawk
Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation Louis J. Freeh
Director, United States Marshals Service Eduardo Gonzalez
Director, Executive Office for Immigration Anthony C. Moscato
Review
Director, Executive Office for United States Joseph Patchan
Trustees
Director, Community Relations Service Jeffrey L. Weiss,
Acting
Director, Community Orienting Policing Services Joseph Brann
Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration Thomas A. Constantine
Commissioner, Immigration and Naturalization Doris Meissner
Service
Chairman, United States Parole Commission Edward F. Reilly, Jr.
Chairman, Foreign Claims Settlement Commission Delissa A. Ridgway
Chief, INTERPOL-U.S. National Central Bureau Shelley G. Altenstadter
Counsel, Office of Intelligence Policy and Richard Scruggs
Review
Counsel, Office of Professional Responsibility Michael E. Shaheen, Jr.
Pardon Attorney Margaret C. Love
[For the Department of Justice statement of organization, see the Code
of Federal Regulations, Title 28, Chapter I, Part 0]
________________________________________________________________________
As the largest law firm in the Nation, the Department of Justice serves
as counsel for its citizens. It represents them in enforcing the law in
the public interest. Through its thousands of lawyers, investigators,
and agents, the Department plays the key role in protection against
criminals and subversion, in ensuring healthy competition of business in
our free enterprise system, in safeguarding the consumer, and in
enforcing drug, immigration, and naturalization laws. The Department
also plays a significant role in protecting citizens through its efforts
for effective law enforcement, crime prevention, crime detection, and
prosecution and rehabilitation of offenders.
Moreover, the Department conducts all suits in the Supreme Court in
which the United States is concerned. It represents the Government in
legal matters generally, rendering legal advice and opinions, upon
request, to the President and to the heads of the executive departments.
The Attorney General supervises and directs these activities, as well as
those of the U.S. attorneys and U.S. marshals in the various judicial
districts around the country.
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The Department of Justice was established by act of June 22, 1870, as
amended (28 U.S.C. 501, 503, 509 note), with the Attorney General as its
head. Prior to 1870 the Attorney General was a member of the President's
Cabinet, but not the head of a department, the office having been
created under authority of act of September 24, 1789, as amended (28
U.S.C. 503).
The affairs and activities of the Department of Justice are
generally directed by the Attorney General. The offices, divisions,
bureaus, and boards of the Department follow.
Offices
Attorney General The Attorney General, as head of the Department of
Justice and chief law enforcement officer of the Federal Government,
represents the United States in legal matters generally and gives advice
and opinions to the President and to the heads of the executive
departments of the Government when so requested. The Attorney General
appears in person to represent the Government before the U.S. Supreme
Court in cases of exceptional gravity or importance. The Office of the
Attorney General oversees the Offices of Deputy Attorney General,
Associate Attorneys General, Legal Counsel, and Inspector General, as
well as the following offices whose public purposes are widely applied.
Solicitor General The Solicitor General represents the U.S. Government
in cases before the Supreme Court. He decides what cases the Government
should ask the Supreme Court to review and what position the Government
should take in cases before the Court. Also, he supervises the
preparation of the Government's Supreme Court briefs and other legal
documents and the conduct of the oral arguments in the Court. He or his
staff argue most of the Government's cases in the Supreme Court. The
Solicitor General's duties also include deciding whether the United
States should appeal in all cases it loses before the lower courts.
Legal Counsel The Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Office of
Legal Counsel assists the Attorney General in fulfilling the Attorney
General's function as legal adviser to the President and all the
executive branch agencies. The Office drafts legal opinions of the
Attorney General rendered in response to requests from the President and
heads of the executive departments. It also provides its own written
opinions and informal advice in response to requests from the various
agencies of the Government, as well as offices within the Department and
from Presidential staff and advisers, typically dealing with legal
issues involving agency disagreements or with pending legislation. The
Office also is responsible for providing legal advice to the executive
branch on all constitutional questions.
All Executive orders and proclamations proposed to be issued by the
President are reviewed by the Office of Legal Counsel for form and
legality, as are various other matters that require the President's
formal approval. In addition, the Office of Legal Counsel functions as
general counsel for the Department. It reviews all proposed orders of
the Attorney General and all regulations requiring the Attorney
General's approval.
The Office coordinates the work of the Department with respect to
treaties, executive agreements, and international organizations. It
performs a variety of special assignments referred by the Attorney
General or the Deputy Attorney General. However, it is not authorized to
give legal advice to private persons.
Information and Privacy The Office of Information and Privacy (OIP)
operates under the supervision of a Director, who manages the
Department's responsibilities related to the Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) and the Privacy
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Act. These responsibilities include coordinating policy development and
compliance Governmentwide for FOIA, and by the Department for the
Privacy Act; and adjudicating all appeals from denials by any Department
component of access to information under those acts. OIP also processes
all initial requests under those acts for access to the records of the
Offices of the Attorney General, Deputy Attorney General, Associate
Attorney General, and other senior management offices of the Department.
Pardon Attorney The Office of the Pardon Attorney, in consultation with
the Attorney General or his designee, assists the President in the
exercise of executive clemency as authorized under Article II, section
2, of the Constitution. Generally, all requests for executive clemency
are directed to the Pardon Attorney for investigation and review.
Executive clemency may take several forms, including pardon,
commutation, remission of fine, and reprieve.
Community Relations Service The Service was created by title X of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000g et seq.). Pursuant to
Executive Order No. 12341 of January 21, 1982, the Attorney General
expanded the Service's mandate to include responsibility for the Cuban/
Haitian Entrant Program (CHEP), as authorized by subsection 501(c)(1)(A)
of the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980 (8 U.S.C. 1522). The
Community Relations Service is under the general authority of the
Attorney General and is headed by a Director, appointed by the President
with the advice and consent of the Senate.
The mission of the Service is to prevent and resolve community
conflicts and reduce community tensions arising from actions, policies,
and practices perceived to be discriminatory on the basis of race,
color, or national origin. The Service offers assistance to communities
in resolving disputes relating to race, color, or national origin and
facilitates the development of viable agreements as alternatives to
coercion, violence, or litigation. It also assists and supports
communities in developing local mechanisms as proactive measures to
prevent or reduce racial/ethnic tensions.
The services provided include conciliation, mediation, technical
assistance, and training, and involve specialized procedures for
preventing and resolving racial and ethnic conflicts. The Service
provides assistance directly to people and their communities. It shows
no partiality among disputing parties and, in promoting the principles
and ideals of nondiscrimination, applies skills that allow parties to
mediate their own disputes. The Service's conciliators, who are located
in 10 regional offices and 3 field offices around the country, assist
people of diverse racial and cultural backgrounds.
The Service offers its assistance either on its own motion, when in
its judgment peaceful relations among the citizens of a community are
threatened, or upon request of State or local officials or other
interested persons. The Service seeks the cooperation of appropriate
State and local, and public and private agencies in carrying out the
agency's mission.
Under the Refugee Education and Assistance Act, the Community
Relations Service provides assistance for the processing, care, and
placement within the United States of Cuban and Haitian entrants.
Working with voluntary and governmental agencies, the Service's
headquarters and Miami field offices provide humanitarian relief for the
successful resettlement of Cuban and Haitian entrants. These services
include shelter care, child welfare, and family reunification for these
individuals following their release from Immigration and Naturalization
Service custody.
The Community Relations Service's Primary Resettlement Program
provides transitional community-based refugee resettlement services to
recently apprehended Haitian nationals paroled from detention at
Immigration and Naturalization Service Processing Centers--primarily the
Krome Service Processing Center in South Florida and the U.S. Naval Base
at Guantanamo, Cuba--and to recently encountered and paroled Cuban
nationals from ports
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throughout Florida, mostly the Key West coast guard station.
The Secondary Resettlement Program provides resettlement services,
emphasizing employment placement and retention at specialized sites
outside of Florida, to Cubans and Haitians whose initial resettlement in
South Florida did not lead to self-sufficiency.
Under the Unaccompanied Minors Program, the Service has extensive
experience in providing services to Cuban and Haitian minors apprehended
by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Since 1986, under a
memorandum of agreement with INS, the Community Relations Service has
provided similar services to other alien minors detained at the Krome
Service Processing Center in Miami, FL, and other detention facilities
in Houston and Harlingen, TX.
The Community Relations Service provides residential shelter care;
health services; and counseling, educational, recreational, and family
reunification services to unaccompanied alien minors through grants to
voluntary agencies. These services are provided in compliance with
existing State child welfare standards and regulations. The Service's
involvement ensures that alien children apprehended by INS are placed in
safe and suitable environments.
Regional Offices--Community Relations Service
(Areas included within each region are indicated on the map in Appendix
A.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Region/Address Director Phone/FTS
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Boston, MA (99 Martin A. Walsh....... 617-424-5715
Summer St.,
02110)
2. New York, NY (26 Patricia Glenn........ 212-264-0700
Federal Plz.,
10278)
3. Philadelphia, PA Jonathan Chace........ 215-597-2344
(2d and Chestnut
Sts., 19106)
4. Atlanta, GA (75 Ozell Sutton.......... 404-331-6883
Piedmont Ave.
NE., 30303)
5. Chicago, IL (55 W. Jesse Taylor.......... 312-353-4391
Monroe St.,
60603)
6. Dallas, TX (1420 Gilbert J. Chavez..... 214-655-8175
W. Mockingbird
Ln., 75247)
7. Kansas City, MO Atkins Warren......... 816-374-6522
(323 W. 8th St.,
64105)
8. Denver, CO (1244 Leo Cardenas.......... 303-844-2973
Speer Blvd.,
80204-3584)
9. San Francisco, CA Julian Klugman........ 415-744-6565
(33 New
Montgomery St.,
94105-4511)
10. Seattle, WA (915 Robert Lamb, Jr....... 206-220-6700
2d Ave., 98101)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
For further information, contact any regional office or the Director,
Community Relations Service, Department of Justice, Suite 330, 5550
Friendship Boulevard, Chevy Chase, MD 20815. Phone, 301-492-5929.
Justice Management Division Under the direction of the Assistant
Attorney General for Administration, the Division provides assistance to
senior management officials relating to basic Department policy for
evaluation, budget and financial management, personnel management and
training, equal opportunity programs, automatic data processing and
telecommunications, security, records management, procurement, real
property and materiel management, and for all other matters pertaining
to organization, management, and administration.
The Division provides direct administrative support services, such
as personnel, accounting, payroll, procurement, budget, and facilities
and property management to the offices, boards, and divisions of the
Department; and operates several central services, such as automated
data processing and payroll. The Division supplies automated litigation
support as required to the Department of Justice and to other Federal
agencies involved in litigation.
The Division develops and promulgates Departmentwide policies,
standards, and procedures for the management of automated information
processing resources and for the directive system and reviews their
implementation. The Division collects, organizes, and disseminates
recorded information that is necessary for the Department to carry out
its statutory mandate and provides general research and reference
assistance regarding information to Department staff, other Government
attorneys, and members of the public.
Professional Responsibility The Office of Professional Responsibility,
which
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reports directly to the Attorney General, is responsible for
investigating allegations of criminal or ethical misconduct by employees
of the Justice Department. The Counsel on Professional Responsibility
heads the Office, the role of which is to ensure that departmental
employees continue to perform their duties in accordance with the high
professional standards expected of the Nation's principal law
enforcement agency.
All allegations against Department employees in attorney, criminal
investigative, or law enforcement positions involving violations of law,
departmental regulations, or departmental applicable standards of
conduct, are reported to the Office of Professional Responsibility. At
the Counsel's discretion, the Office frequently conducts its own
investigations into those allegations.
The Office may also participate in or direct an investigation
conducted by another component of the Department, or may simply monitor
an investigation conducted by an appropriate agency having jurisdiction
over the matter. In addition, the Office oversees the internal
inspection operations of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug
Enforcement Administration.
The Counsel submits an annual report to the Attorney General that
reviews and evaluates the Department's internal inspection units. The
Counsel makes recommendations to the Attorney General on the need for
changes in policies or procedures that become evident during the course
of internal inquiries reviewed or initiated by the Office.
Intelligence Policy and Review The Office of Intelligence Policy and
Review, under the direction of the Counsel to the Attorney General for
Intelligence Policy, is responsible for advising the Attorney General on
all matters relating to the national security activities of the United
States. The Office also serves as adviser to the Attorney General and
various client agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency, the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Security Agency, and the
Defense and State Departments, concerning questions of law, regulation,
and guidelines as well as the legality of domestic and overseas
intelligence operations.
The Office prepares and files all applications for surveillances and
searches under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978,
assists Government agencies by providing legal advice on matters of
national security law and policy and represents the Department of
Justice on a variety of interagency committees. The Office also comments
on and coordinates other agencies' views regarding proposed legislation
affecting national security and intelligence matters.
The Office serves as adviser to the Attorney General and various
client agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, the National Security Agency, and the Defense
and State Departments, concerning questions of law, regulation, and
guidelines as well as the legality of domestic and overseas intelligence
operations.
Executive Office for United States Attorneys Under the supervision of
the Deputy Attorney General and the direction of a Director, the
Executive Office for United States Attorneys provides general executive
assistance and nonlitigative oversight to the 94 offices of United
States attorneys, including evaluating the performance of the offices of
United States attorneys, making appropriate reports and taking
corrective action where indicated, and coordinating and directing the
relationships of the offices of the United States attorneys with other
organizational units of the Department of Justice.
The Office supervises the operation of the Office of Legal
Education, including the Attorney General's Advocacy Institute and the
Legal Education Institute, which develops, conducts, and authorizes the
training of Federal executive branch legal personnel and support staff.
Administrative and logistic services, including the allocation of
personnel, financial resources, and office automation equipment, are
furnished to the offices of the United States attorneys. The Office
supervises the
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implementation and administration of the Law Enforcement Coordination
Program and of the Victim and Witness Protection Act. Direction and
administrative support are provided to the Debt Collection Program and
Debt Collection Criminal Fines.
The Office manages the appointment process of United States
attorneys, assistant United States attorneys, and special assistant
United States attorneys. The United States Attorneys' Manual and the
United States Attorneys' Bulletin are published and maintained for the
internal guidance of the United States attorneys' offices and those
other organizational units of the Department concerned with litigation.
The Office also provides legal opinions, interpretations, and advice to
United States attorneys on topics such as budget, legislation, ethics,
and Department guidelines.
U.S. Trustee Program The U.S. Trustee Program acts in the public
interest to promote the efficiency and to protect and preserve the
integrity of the bankruptcy system. It works to secure the just, speedy,
and economical resolution of bankruptcy cases; monitors the conduct of
parties, takes action to ensure compliance with applicable laws and
procedures, and identifies and investigates bankruptcy fraud and abuse;
and oversees administrative functions in bankruptcy cases. The Program
is funded by the U.S. Trustee System Fund, which consists mainly of
filing fees paid by debtors invoking the protections of the bankruptcy
laws.
The U.S. Trustees supervise the administration of four of the five
types of bankruptcy proceedings defined under the Bankruptcy Code. These
are:
--proceedings under chapter 7 in which the assets of the debtor are
liquidated;
--reorganization proceedings under chapter 11 for rehabilitation of
the business debtor;
--adjustments of debts of a family farmer with regular income under
chapter 12; and
--adjustment of debts of an individual with regular income under
chapter 13, pursuant to which an individual can discharge debts by
arranging for payments over a period of time. The U.S. Trustee does not
have a significant role in proceedings under chapter 9, which relates to
the adjustment of debts of a municipality.
Specific responsibilities of the U.S. Trustees include:
--appointing and supervising the performance of private trustees in
individual cases;
--appointing and convening creditors' committees in chapter 11
corporate reorganization cases;
--reviewing applications for the retention of professionals and the
payment of fees;
--reviewing disclosure statements and submitting statements to the
court regarding their adequacy;
--appointing trustees or examiners in such cases as needed;
--ensuring that the assets involved in bankruptcy cases are
protected during the administration of cases;
--serving as trustees in chapters 7, 12, and 13 cases where private
trustees are unwilling to serve; and
--presenting matters relating to the Bankruptcy Code in court.
Executive Office for U.S. Trustees The Attorney General is charged with
the appointment, supervision, and coordination of the U.S. Trustees and
Assistant U.S. Trustees. Day-to-day policy and legal direction,
coordination, and control are provided by the Director of the Executive
Office for U.S. Trustees who is appointed by the Attorney General. The
Executive Office also provides administrative and management support to
individual U.S. Trustee Offices.
For further information, contact the Executive Office for U.S. Trustees,
Department of Justice, Suite 700, 901 E Street NW., Washington, DC
20530. Phone, 202-307-1391.
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Divisions
Antitrust Division
The Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division is
responsible for promoting and maintaining competitive markets by
enforcing the Federal antitrust laws. Such enforcement, which is the
principal function of the Division, involves investigating possible
antitrust violations, conducting grand jury proceedings, preparing and
trying antitrust cases, prosecuting appeals, and negotiating and
enforcing final judgments. The antitrust laws affect virtually all
industries and apply to every phase of business, including
manufacturing, transportation, distribution, and marketing. They
prohibit a variety of practices that restrain trade, such as price-
fixing conspiracies, corporate mergers likely to reduce the competitive
vigor of particular markets, and predatory acts designed to achieve or
maintain monopoly power. The Division prosecutes serious and willful
violations of the antitrust laws by filing criminal suits that can lead
to large fines and jail sentences. Where criminal prosecution is not
appropriate, the Division seeks a court order forbidding future
violations of the law and requiring steps by the defendant to remedy the
anticompetitive effects of past violations.
The Division also is responsible for acting as an advocate of
competition within the Federal Government. This involves formal
appearances in Federal administrative agency proceedings, development of
legislative initiatives to promote deregulation and eliminate
unjustifiable exemptions from the antitrust laws, participation on
executive branch policy task forces, and publication of reports on
regulated industry performance. The Division provides formal advice to
other agencies on the competitive implications of proposed transactions
requiring Federal approval, such as construction of nuclear powerplants
and mergers of financial institutions. It also consults with Federal
agencies on a variety of other matters, including the issuance of
Federal coal and oil drilling leases and the disposition of surplus
Government property.
In addition, the Antitrust Division represents the United States in
judicial proceedings to review certain orders of the Interstate Commerce
Commission, Federal Maritime Commission, Federal Communications
Commission, and Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and provides direct court
representation for the Secretary of the Treasury in certain Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms cases. It also participates in Federal
Trade Commission cases before the Supreme Court.
In the international law area, the Division represents the United
States on the Committee on Competition Law and Policy of the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, participates in
the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and, through the
Department of State, maintains liaison with foreign governments on
antimonopoly laws and policies.
For further information, contact the FOIA Unit, Antitrust Division,
Department of Justice, Tenth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW.,
Washington, DC 20530. Phone, 202-514-2692.
Civil Division
The Civil Division represents the United States, its departments and
agencies, Members of Congress, Cabinet officers, and other Federal
employees. Its litigation reflects the diversity of Government
activities, involving, for example, the defense of challenges to
Presidential actions; national security issues; benefit programs; energy
policies; commercial issues such as contract disputes, banking,
insurance, patents, fraud, and debt collection; all manner of accident
and liability claims; and violations of the immigration and consumer
protection laws. Each year, Division attorneys handle thousands of cases
that collectively involve billions of dollars in claims and recoveries.
The Division confronts significant policy issues, which often rise to
constitutional
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dimensions, in defending and enforcing various Federal programs and
actions.
The Civil Division litigates cases in all Federal district courts,
the U.S. Courts of Appeals, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, other
Federal and State courts, and the courts of foreign nations. Division
attorneys either conduct this litigation personally or they supervise or
assist the U.S. attorneys and foreign counsel to whom the Division
refers the cases. The Division is composed of seven major groups: the
Torts Branch, the Commercial Litigation Branch, the Federal Programs
Branch, the Appellate Staff, the Office of Consumer Litigation, the
Office of Immigration Litigation, and an Office of Management Programs.
Torts The Torts Branch is responsible for suits under the Federal Tort
Claims Act, including medical malpractice, aviation disasters,
environmental and occupational disease, and radiation and toxic
substance exposure. It also handles maritime litigation and suits that
seek personal monetary judgments against individual officers or
employees.
Tort litigation more specifically includes the defense of all
Federal Tort Claims Act suits against the United States, and the
prosecution of suits in tort on behalf of the United States. Suits and
administrative claims for death, personal injury, and property damage
brought under the Tort Claims Act allege negligence on the part of
Government employees acting within the scope of their employment and
involve matters such as the operation of Government vehicles, the
maintenance of Government premises, and the performance of Federal
services and regulatory functions such as medical treatment, hospital
care, and the control of civilian, military, and commercial air traffic.
In addition, the Torts Branch defends petitions filed pursuant to the
Vaccine Injury Compensation Program and is responsible for administering
the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.
Tort litigation also includes all legal proceedings involving the
United States related to ships, shipping, navigable waters, and
workmen's compensation. The Division's admiralty litigation includes
suits for personal injury and property damage involving vessels, shore
installations, and maritime personnel, equipment, and cargoes; suits
arising out of contracts involving shipping, chartering of vessels, and
the construction, repair, and salvaging of vessels; proceedings to
enforce navigation and shipping laws; and litigation based on
international maritime agreements.
Commercial Litigation The Commercial Litigation Branch is responsible
for litigation associated with the Government's diverse financial
involvements.
This litigation includes all monetary suits involving contracts,
express or implied; actions to foreclose on Government mortgages and
liens; bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings; and suits against
guarantors and sureties.
Branch attorneys bring suit under the False Claims Act (31 U.S.C.
3729) for the recovery of treble damages and civil penalties, and
alternative remedies, upon proof of loss to the Government sustained
through fraud in the award or performance of Government contracts, false
claims presented in connection with Federal programs, the submission of
false statements and vouchers to Government agencies, and the use of
other fraudulent devices in transactions with the Government. These
suits include those filed pursuant to the qui tam provisions of the
False Claims Act, in which private citizens with knowledge of fraud
against the Government may file a lawsuit against the perpetrators on
behalf of the United States and share in a percentage of any monetary
recovery. Branch attorneys also bring suits to recover sums paid to
bribe Government officials and kickbacks in Government procurement.
The Branch is responsible for all cases in the U.S. Court of
International Trade, including suits brought by importers of merchandise
to challenge the appraisement or classification of imported goods or
other decisions of the U.S. Customs Service in its administration of the
tariff laws and schedules.
The Branch has responsibility for all litigation in the U.S. Court
of Federal
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Claims except for those cases assigned to the Environment and Natural
Resources Division and the Tax Division. Included are:
--patent cases and suits arising out of construction, procurement,
service contracts, and claims associated with contract terminations;
--claims involving freight rate disputes arising out of the
transportation of Government property;
--claims for just compensation under the fifth amendment;
--claims for salary or retirement by civilian and military
personnel; and
--cases assigned by congressional reference or special legislation.
Likewise, Branch attorneys handle the majority of cases before the
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. This litigation involves
appeals of decisions made by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the U.S.
Court of Veterans Appeals, Boards of Contract Appeals, the Merit Systems
Protection Board, and Federal district courts.
The Branch handles all litigation involving the rights, liabilities,
and administrative functions of the Government with respect to patent,
copyright, and trademark matters. This includes:
--defense of patent infringement suits based on the liability of the
United States for infringements in connection with the performance of
Government contracts;
--legal proceedings to establish Government priority of invention;
--suits for specific performance to require transfer of rights and
title and payment of royalties;
--suits to cancel patents acquired by fraud upon the Patent Office;
--defense of administrative acts of the Register of Copyrights; and
--actions on behalf of the Government involving the use of
trademarks.
The Branch is also responsible for the supervision of litigation in
foreign courts involving the United States as a party and suits against
U.S. employees stationed abroad who are being sued in the course of
their Government service. Additionally, the Branch renders international
judicial assistance to foreign and international tribunals.
Federal Programs The Federal Programs Branch defends and asserts the
programs, policies, and decisions of virtually all Federal departments
and agencies, the President, Cabinet officers, Members of Congress, and
other Government officials. It defends against constitutional challenges
to statutes, suits to overturn Government policies and programs, and
challenges to the legality of Government decisions. These suits
typically seek injunctive and declaratory relief and range from
objections to the way that the Government deals with its employees to
allegations that the President has violated the Constitution or Federal
law. The Branch also initiates suits to enforce regulatory statutes and
to remedy or prevent statutory or regulatory violations.
The areas of litigation include:
--defense of suits against the heads of Federal departments and
agencies and other government officials to enjoin official actions, as
well as suits for judicial review of administrative decisions, orders,
and regulations;
--defense and prosecution of suits involving national security,
including suits to protect sensitive intelligence sources and materials;
--prosecution of suits to prevent interference with Government
operations;
--litigation concerning the constitutionality of Federal
legislation; and
--defense of suits involving specialized statutes, such as the
Freedom of Information Act, the Federal Advisory Committee Act, and the
Privacy Act.
Appellate Staff The Appellate Staff has primary responsibility for the
litigation of Civil Division cases in the appellate courts. The Staff
prepares Government briefs and presents oral argument for the cases.
Additionally, the Appellate Staff participates in drafting all documents
filed for these cases in the United States Supreme Court, including
briefs on the merits, petitions for certiorari, and jurisdictional
statements.
Consumer Litigation The Office of Consumer Litigation is responsible
for
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civil and criminal litigation and related matters arising under various
consumer protection and public health statutes, including the Federal
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Federal Trade Commission Act, the
Consumer Product Safety Act, the Hazardous Substances Act, and the Truth
in Lending Act. The Office also serves as a liaison with other Federal
agencies and with local enforcement agencies for the referral of
consumer complaints outside the jurisdiction of the Department of
Justice.
Immigration Litigation The Office of Immigration Litigation is
responsible for conducting civil litigation under the Immigration and
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101) and related laws and for representing
the United States in civil litigation brought against employees of the
Immigration and Naturalization Service. In addition, this Office handles
district court litigation, deportation review proceedings, habeas corpus
review and general advice, and immigration-related appellate matters.
The Office is also responsible for cases pertaining to the issuance of
visas and passports, and for litigation arising under the amnesty and
employer sanctions provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act
of 1986 (8 U.S.C. 1255a, 1324a) and 1990 immigration reforms.
Management Programs The Office of Management Programs provides
management and administrative services to the Division, including policy
analysis and planning, administrative management, budget formulation and
execution, management information systems, office automation, and
automated litigation support.
For further information, contact the Office of the Assistant Attorney
General, Civil Division, Department of Justice, Tenth Street and
Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20530. Phone, 202-514-3301.
Civil Rights Division
The Civil Rights Division, headed by an Assistant Attorney General, was
established in 1957 to secure effective Federal enforcement of civil
rights. The Division is the primary institution within the Federal
Government responsible for enforcing Federal statutes prohibiting
discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion, and
national origin. The Division is composed of the following Sections:
Appellate Section The Appellate Section handles civil rights cases in
the courts of appeals and, in cooperation with the Solicitor General, in
the Supreme Court. The Section frequently participates in amicus curiae
cases that affect the Division, and provides counsel to the Department
on civil rights and appellate litigation. It handles all appeals from
both favorable and adverse judgments in which the Government
participates.
Coordination and Review Section This Section coordinates the
enforcement by Federal agencies of various civil rights statutes that
prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin,
sex, and religion in programs and activities that receive Federal
financial assistance. The Section also conducts compliance reviews and
investigates complaints of discrimination on the basis of race, color,
national origin, sex, age, and religion in the services and activities
of recipients of Federal financial assistance from the Department of
Justice.
Criminal Section Under the Federal criminal civil rights statutes, the
Criminal Section prosecutes conduct involving conspiracies to interfere
with federally protected rights, deprivation of rights under color of
law, the use of force or threat of force to injure or intimidate someone
in their enjoyment of specific rights (such as voting, housing,
employment, education, public facilities, and accommodations),
interference with the free excercise of religious beliefs or damage to
religious property, and the holding of a worker in a condition of
slavery or involuntary servitude. More recently, the Section began
enforcing the criminal aspects of the new Freedom of Access to Clinic
Entrances Act (FACE). This statute prohibits conduct intended
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to injure, intimidate, or interfere with persons seeking to obtain or
provide reproductive services. Also, a task force staffed by attorneys
from both the Criminal and Civil Rights Divisions was created by the
Attorney General to determine if there is any organized criminal effort
to commit violence upon abortion providers.
Educational Opportunities Section The Educational Opportunities Section
enforces title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal
Educational Opportunities Act of 1974. In addition, it represents the
Department of Education in certain suits filed against and on behalf of
the Secretary of Education. The Section closely monitors approximately
400 school districts operating under desegregation court orders.
Employment Litigation Section The Employment Litigation Section
enforces the provisions of title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as
amended, and other Federal laws prohibiting employment practices that
discriminate on the grounds of race, sex, religion, and national origin,
as they apply to State and local government employers.
Housing and Civil Enforcement Section The Housing and Civil Enforcement
Section has principal responsibility for enforcing the Fair Housing Act
of 1968, as amended, which prohibits discrimination in housing on the
basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, and
familial status. The act allows the Section to bring cases on behalf of
individuals where a complaint is filed with the Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD). Additionally, the Section enforces the
Equal Credit Opportunity Act, which prohibits discrimination in credit
transactions; and title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which
prohibits discrimination in places of public accommodations, such as
hotels, restaurants, and places of entertainment.
Office of Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment
Practices The Office of Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair
Employment Practices was established pursuant to section 102 of the
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (8 U.S.C. 1324b). The Special
Counsel is responsible for investigating and prosecuting charges of
national origin and citizenship status discrimination in hiring, firing,
or recruitment. Jurisdiction over national origin charges is limited to
those not covered by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Jurisdiction over citizenship status is exclusive.
The Special Counsel files complaints before an administrative law
judge based on charges filed with this Office or on its own independent
investigations. Appeals of administrative decisions are to the U.S.
Courts of Appeals.
In addition, the Special Counsel coordinates with the Immigration
and Naturalization Service, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission,
and other Federal agencies in promoting public awareness of the
antidiscrimination provisions of the act, through employer and public
interest conferences, public service announcements, and nationwide
distribution of enforcement information.
Disability Rights Section This Section (previously the Public Access
Section) enforces Titles I, II, and III of the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Department of Justice regulations
implementing these provisions, provides technical assistance to entities
covered by the ADA and to persons protected by the ADA, and coordinates
the technical assistance efforts of all Federal agencies with technical
assistance responsibilities under the ADA. The Section also certifies
that State or local building codes meet or exceed the requirements of
the ADA. The Section is also responsible for carrying out the
Department's responsibilities under section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973.
Special Litigation Section The Special Litigation Section is
responsible for protecting the constitutional and statutory rights of
persons confined in certain institutions owned or operated by State or
local governments, including facilities for individuals with mental and
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developmental disabilities, nursing homes, prisons, jails, and juvenile
detention facilities where a pattern or practice of violations exist.
This authority is granted by the Civil Rights of Institutionalized
Persons Act. The Section is also responsible for civil enforcement
provisions of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE) which
prohibits force or the threat of force for the purpose of interfering
with the provision of reproductive services; and the police misconduct
provision of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994,
which gives the Attorney General authority to remedy patterns and
practices of misconduct by certain law enforcement authorities.
Voting Section The Voting Section is responsible for the enforcement of
the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly
and Handicapped Act, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting
Act, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, and other statutory
provisions designed to safeguard the right to vote of racial and
language minorities, illiterate persons, individuals with disabilities,
overseas citizens, persons who change their residence shortly before a
Presidential election, and persons 18 to 20 years of age.
Under section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, the Section brings
lawsuits to remedy discriminatory election practices. Under section 5 of
the Voting Rights Act, the Section reviews voting changes submitted to
the Attorney General and defends section 5 litigation in court to assure
that redistricting plans and other changes in voting practices and
procedures do not abridge the right to vote of racial or language
minorities. Under section 8 of the Voting Rights Act, the Attorney
General requests the assignment of Federal observers--who generally are
employees of the Office of Personnel Management--to monitor polling
place activities on election day to document and deter discriminatory
practices.
Administrative Management Section This Section supports the Division by
providing a diverse array of management and technical services,
including personnel administration, budget formulation and execution,
facilities services, mail and file operations, and automated systems.
This Section also contains the Freedom of Information/Privacy Act
Branch, which ensures that the Division complies with all aspects of the
Freedom of Information and Privacy Acts.
Another component of the Administrative Management Section is the
Office of Redress Administration, which implements the responsibilities
given to the Attorney General under section 105 of the Civil Liberties
Act of 1988. The Act provides for redress to American citizens and
permanent resident aliens of Japanese ancestry who were evacuated,
relocated, and interned by the United States during World War II.
For further information, contact the Executive Officer, Civil Rights
Division, Department of Justice, P.O. Box 65310, Washington, DC 20035-
5310. Phone, 202-514-4224.
Criminal Division
The Criminal Division develops, enforces, and supervises the application
of all Federal criminal laws, except those specifically assigned to
other divisions. The Division and the 93 U.S. attorneys are responsible
for overseeing criminal matters under more than 900 statutes, as well as
certain civil litigation. In addition to its direct litigation
responsibilities, the Division formulates and implements criminal
enforcement policy and provides advice and assistance. The Division
approves or monitors sensitive areas of law enforcement such as
participation in the Witness Security Program and the use of electronic
surveillance; advises the Attorney General, Congress, the Office of
Management and Budget, and the White House of matters of criminal law;
provides legal advice and assistance to Federal prosecutors and
investigative agencies; and provides leadership for coordinating
international as well as Federal, State, and local law enforcement
matters.
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Office of Administration The Office of Administration performs a wide
range of administrative and managerial functions for the components of
the Criminal Division, including budget preparation and execution,
personnel actions, computer support services, mail and records services,
procurement, and security.
Appellate Section The Appellate Section prepares draft briefs and
certiorari petitions for the Solicitor General to be filed in the U.S.
Supreme Court; makes recommendations to the Solicitor General as to
whether further review on adverse decisions in the district courts and
courts of appeals is necessary; and prepares briefs and argues cases in
the courts of appeals.
The Section assists U.S. attorneys and Division prosecutors in
preparing briefs for the courts of appeals and provides advice on Speedy
Trial Act [of 1974] problems and a variety of other legal issues.
Asset Forfeiture The Asset Forfeiture Office provides centralized
management of the Department's Asset Forfeiture Program to ensure its
integrity and to maximize its full law enforcement potential. The Office
provides oversight, management, and direction to the various Federal
participating components. It initiates, coordinates, and reviews
legislative and policy proposals impacting on the program and serves as
the Department's contact for Congress, other executive branch agencies,
and State and local law enforcement agencies. The Office develops,
promulgates, and oversees uniform forfeiture policies of the Department.
It assists in the litigation of both civil and criminal asset forfeiture
cases, either by conducting the litigation itself or providing legal and
practical advice to the U.S. attorneys or their assistants. The Office
oversees asset forfeiture training seminars for Federal prosecutors,
investigating agents, and contract personnel. It also adjudicates all
petitions for remission or mitigation of forfeited assets in judicial
forfeiture cases. The Office administers the program for sharing
federally forfeited property with State and local enforcement agencies,
as well as other nations, and oversees the approval of the placement of
such property into official use by the Federal agencies.
Child Exploitation and Obscenity The Child Exploitation and Obscenity
Section (CEOS) prosecutes violators of Federal criminal statutes
relating to sexual exploitation of minors, child support, and obscenity.
Under these statutes, the Section prosecutes those who possess,
manufacture, or distribute child pornography, those who sell, buy, or
transport children interstate or internationally to engage in sexually
explicit conduct; those who travel interstate or internationally to
sexually abuse children; those who sexually abuse children on Federal
and Indian lands; those who do not pay certain court-ordered child
support payments; and those who transport obscene material in interstate
or foreign commerce either by the mails, common carrier, cable
television lines, telephone lines, or satellite transmission. Section
attorneys also assist U.S. attorneys in investigations, trials, and
appeals related to these statutes. Finally, Section attorneys provide
advice on victim-witness issues and develop and refine proposals for
prosecution policies, legislation, governmental practices, and agency
regulations in the areas of child sexual exploitation of minors, child
support, and obscenity.
Fraud The Fraud Section, the largest component of the Criminal
Division, directs and coordinates the Federal effort against fraud and
white-collar crime, focusing primarily on complex frauds that involve:
multidistrict and international activities; financial institutions; the
insurance industry; Government programs and procurement procedures,
including health care providers, defense procurement fraud, and Housing
and Urban Development fraud; the securities and commodities exchanges;
and multidistrict schemes that involve consumer victimization, such as
telemarketing. The Section conducts investigations and prosecutes on its
own about 100 fraud cases of
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national significance or great complexity annually. It also assists
U.S. attorneys with cases, where requested. The Section maintains a
regional Bank Fraud Task Force field office in Dallas, TX, and Boston,
MA, and provides staffing for the San Diego Bank Fraud Task Force. The
Section also trains Federal agents and prosecutors through its
conferences and participation in other Federal conferences.
General Litigation and Legal Advice The General Litigation and Legal
Advice Section investigates and prosecutes cases involving violations of
approximately two-thirds of all Federal criminal statutes. Its Computer
Crime Unit enforces the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Other Section
jurisdiction includes crimes against the public and crimes against
government operations and offenses involving criminally enforceable
regulations in the areas of health, safety, and welfare. Examples of
areas handled by the Section include wiretapping violations, information
technology crimes and customs fraud, theft, or destruction of Government
property, obstruction of justice, perjury and offenses on Federal or
Indian reservations or on the high seas. The Section also handles
certain civil matters and provides extensive legal advice to officials
of the Department, U.S. attorneys' offices, and investigative agencies
relating to its broad spectrum of responsibilities.
Internal Security The Internal Security Section supervises the
investigation and prosecution of cases affecting national security,
foreign relations, and the export of military and strategic commodities
and technology. The Section has exclusive responsibility for authorizing
the prosecution of cases under criminal statutes relating to espionage,
sabotage, neutrality, and atomic energy. It provides legal advice to
U.S. attorneys' offices and investigative agencies on all matters within
its area of responsibility, which includes 88 Federal statutes affecting
national security. It also coordinates criminal cases involving the
application of the Classified Information Procedures Act. The Section
also administers and enforces the Foreign Agents Registration Act of
1938 and related disclosure statutes.
Money Laundering The Money Laundering Section works with the entire
spectrum of law enforcement and regulatory agencies using an
interagency, interdisciplinary, and international approach. The Section
is mandated to: coordinate multidistrict investigations and
prosecutions; provide guidance, legal advice, and assistance with
respect to money laundering investigations and prosecutions to U.S.
attorneys' offices and investigative agencies; develop regulatory and
legislative initiatives; ensure, through implementation of the money
laundering prosecution guidelines, the uniform application of the money
laundering statutes; litigate complex, sensitive, and multidistrict
money laundering cases and provide litigation assistance to U.S.
attorneys' offices and Criminal Division components; participate in
international efforts to combat money laundering; develop, use, and
teach cutting-edge investigative and prosecutive methodologies; identify
new trends and typologies in money laundering; develop national strategy
with respect to new and emerging trends, and coordinate responses among
appropriate agencies; and provide training, materials, and conferences
for attorneys and law enforcement personnel in conjunction with the
Department's Office of Legal Education. The Money Laundering Section
carries its own litigation caseload and, at the same time, works with
other law enforcement agencies throughout the country to promote
innovative, yet uniform development of the law in money laundering and
money laundering-related forfeiture matters.
Narcotic and Dangerous Drugs The Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section
investigates and prosecutes complex, multidefendant narcotics and
related money-laundering cases. The Section coordinates complex
multidistrict cases and provides direct litigation support to the
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, the High Intensity Drug
Trafficking Areas programs, and other
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multiagency initiatives. The Section litigates appeals from cases
prosecuted by its attorneys and appeals of denials or revocations of
licenses and registrations by the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement
Administration.
Section attorneys actively participate in various working groups
formed to assist the Department in fulfilling its responsibilities in
the development and implementation of domestic and international
narcotics law enforcement programs and policies.
The Section includes a Drug Intelligence Unit which serves as a
point of contact when information gathering efforts of the intelligence
community overlap with domestic investigations and prosecutions.
Enforcement Operations The Office of Enforcement Operations oversees
the use of the most sophisticated investigative tools at the
Department's disposal, including electronic surveillance and the Federal
Witness Protection Program. The Office provides U.S. attorneys' offices
and the various Criminal Division components with a wide range of
prosecutorial support services in these and other areas. These areas
include reviewing all Federal electronic surveillance requests;
reviewing and authorizing requests to apply for court orders permitting
the use of video surveillance; authorizing or denying the entry of all
applicants into the Federal Witness Security Program, coordinating and
administering all Program components and matters relating to all aspects
of the Witness Security Program; approving or denying requests by
Federal agencies to utilize Federal prisoners for investigative
purposes; administering the International Prisoner Transfer Program;
coordinating requests for U.S. prisoners to testify in foreign
countries; and supervising the mechanism by which persons who are not
Federal law enforcement officers or agents may become Special Deputy
United States Marshals. The Office provides legal advice to Federal,
State, and local law enforcement agencies on the use of Federal
electronic surveillance statutes, and assists in developing Department
policy on emerging technologies and telecommunications issues. It also
assists, upon request, in the drafting of reply briefs involving
electronic surveillance issues.
The Office responds to requests for disclosure of information under
the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act.
International Affairs The Office of International Affairs supports the
Department's legal divisions, the U.S. attorneys, and State and local
prosecutors regarding questions of foreign and international law,
including issues related to extradition and mutual legal assistance
treaties. The Office also coordinates all international evidence
gathering. In conjunction with the State Department, the Office engages
in the negotiation of new extradition and mutual legal assistance
treaties and executive agreements throughout the world. Office attorneys
also participate on a number of committees established under the
auspices of the United Nations and other international organizations
that are directed at resolving a variety of international law
enforcement problems, such as narcotics trafficking and money
laundering. The Office maintains a permanent field office in Rome.
Legislation The Office of Legislation develops legislative proposals,
legal memoranda, and congressional testimony. The Office also prepares
comments on pending and proposed legislation affecting the Federal
criminal justice system. It works closely with the U.S. Sentencing
Commission and provides legal support to the Advisory Committee on
Criminal Rules and the Federal Rules of Evidence of the Judicial
Conference regarding the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.
Professional Development and Training The Office of Professional
Development and Training furthers the goals of the Criminal Division
relating to its initiatives in international training. In this regard,
the Office coordinates the training of judges and prosecutors abroad
through various Government agencies and U.S. embassies. The Office
coordinates such training programs in
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South and Central America and in Central and Eastern Europe.
The Office also serves as the Department's liaison between various
private and public agencies that sponsor visits to the United States for
foreign officials who are interested in the U.S. legal system. The
Office makes presentations explaining the U.S. criminal system process
to hundreds of international visitors each year.
Another responsibility of this Office is the revision and
publication of Criminal Division manuals and monographs. The Office also
has a small in-house video library to afford Criminal Division attorneys
easy access to quick updates in important areas of the law, such as
sentencing guidelines and the admissibility of DNA (deoxyribonucleic
acid) identification evidence.
Policy and Management Analysis The Office of Policy and Management
Analysis analyzes policy and management issues relating to criminal
justice enforcement and makes recommendations to senior managers in the
Criminal Division and the Department. The Office is involved in projects
that may require contact with U.S. attorneys, Federal investigators, and
other law enforcement officials.
Special Investigations The Office of Special Investigations detects and
investigates individuals who took part in Nazi-sponsored acts of
persecution abroad before and during World War II, and who subsequently
entered, or seek to enter, the United States illegally and/or
fraudulently. It then takes appropriate legal action seeking their
exclusion, denaturalization, and/or deportation.
Organized Crime and Racketeering The Organized Crime and Racketeering
Section coordinated the Department's program to combat organized crime.
The principal enforcement efforts are currently directed against
traditional groups--such as La Cosa Nostra families, and emerging groups
from Asia and Europe--such as Chinese Triads, the Sicilian Mafia, and
Russian organized crime. The Section supervises the investigation and
prosecution of these cases by Strike Force Units within U.S. attorneys'
offices in 21 Federal districts having a significant organized crime
presence. These cases involve a broad spectrum of criminal statutes,
including extortion, murder, bribery, fraud, narcotics, and labor
racketeering.
The Section is involved in setting national priorities for the
organized crime program by coordinating with investigative agencies such
as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement
Administration, and others; and by working with the Attorney General's
Organized Crime Council, which is ultimately responsible for the Federal
Government's policy in this area.
In addition to its close supervision of all Federal organized crime
cases, the Section maintains close control over all Government uses of
the RICO statute, and provides extensive advice to prosecutors about the
use of this powerful tool for cases involving patterns of serious
criminal conduct.
In a more specialized context, the Section provides support for
criminal prosecutions, which may not include organized criminal groups.
These cases involve labor-management disputes, the internal affairs of
labor unions in the private sector, and the operation of employee
pension and welfare benefit plans.
Public Integrity The Public Integrity Section oversees the Federal
effort to combat corruption through the prosecution of elected and
appointed public officials at all levels of Government. The Section has
exclusive jurisdiction over allegations of criminal misconduct by
Federal judges, and also monitors the investigation and prosecution of
election and conflict of interest crimes. Section attorneys prosecute
selected cases against Federal, State, and local officials, and are
available as a source of advice and expertise to other prosecutors and
to investigators. Since 1978, the Section has supervised the
administration of the Independent Counsel provisions of the Ethics in
Government Act.
Terrorism and Violent Crime The Terrorism and Violent Crime Section
investigates and prosecutes Federal offenses relating to international
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terrorism incidents which impact on U.S. interests. The Section also
oversees the prosecution of domestic violent crime offenses over which
Federal jurisdiction exists, as well as the prosecution of firearms and
explosives violations. In appropriate instances, Section attorneys
assume direct responsibility for the prosecution of violent crime cases.
The Section assists in the implementation of an initiative designed to
deter criminals from possessing firearms by using Federal firearms laws,
which generally provide longer and often mandatory sentences for gun
offenses. Additionally, the Section administers the national anti-
violent crime strategy which is being carried out in every Federal
judicial district. The strategy focuses particular attention on the
investigation and prosecution of gang-related crimes. Section attorneys
provide legal advice to Federal prosecutors concerning Federal statutes
relating to murder, assault, kidnapping, threats, robbery, weapons and
explosives control, malicious destruction of property, and aircraft and
sea piracy. The Section also formulates legislative initiatives and
Department policies relating to international terrorism and violent
crime, and coordinates such initiatives and strategies with other
Government agencies.
Executive Office for the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces
Since 1982, the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF)
Program has been the principal coordinating mechanism for Federal,
State, and local enforcement investigations and prosecutions aimed at
high-level drug trafficking and related enterprises. The OCDETF goal is
to dismantle and/or significantly disrupt the operations of those
enterprises by investigating, prosecuting, and convicting the
organizational leadership.
The Executive Office for OCDETF supports the work of over 4,000
Federal agents and prosecutors and an annual average of 6,000 State and
local personnel in OCDETF activities through the coordination of legal
and administrative services provided to the Task Forces; the collection,
analyses, and reporting on caseload and other statistical data for the
Task Forces; the coordination of multiagency research reports for the
Attorney General, the Under Secretary of the Treasury, the U.S.
attorneys, the President, the Congress, and others; and the policy
formulation and management of the fiscal aspects of the program.
For further information, contact the Office of the Assistant Attorney
General, Criminal Division, Department of Justice, Tenth Street and
Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20530. Phone, 202-514-2601.
Environment and Natural Resources Division
The Environment and Natural Resources Division, formerly known as the
Land and Natural Resources Division, is the Nation's environmental
lawyer. It is responsible for litigating significant cases--ranging from
protection of endangered species, to global climate change, to cleaning
up the Nation's hazardous waste sites. A key Division responsibility is
enforcing civil and criminal environmental laws in order to protect its
citizens' health and environment. The Division also defends
environmental challenges to Government programs and activities. It
represents the United States in all matters concerning the protection,
use, and development of the Nation's natural resources and public lands,
wildlife protection, Indian rights and claims, and the acquisition of
Federal property.
Environmental Crimes The Environmental Crimes Section is responsible
for prosecuting individuals and industries which have violated laws
designed to protect the environment. The Section works closely with the
Federal Bureau of Investigation and criminal investigators for the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in dealing with violations of such
statutes as the Clean Air Act; the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation and Liability Act (Superfund); and the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), among others.
Environmental Enforcement The Environmental Enforcement Section is
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responsible for handling most of the affirmative civil litigation
brought on behalf of the United States Environmental Protection Agency;
claims for damages to our natural resources on behalf of the Departments
of Interior, Commerce, and Agriculture; claims for contribution against
private parties for contamination of public land; and recoupment of
money spent to clean up certain oil spills on behalf of the United
States Coast Guard. The Section supports the regulatory programs of its
client agencies through litigation to obtain compliance with
environmental statutes, establishes a credible deterrent against
violation of those statutes, recoups Federal funds spent to abate
environmental contamination, and obtains money to restore or replace
natural resources damaged through oil spills or the release of hazardous
substances into the environment. The primary statutes within the
Section's responsibility are: the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation and Liability Act (Superfund); the Clean Air Act; the Clean
Water Act; the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; the Safe Drinking
Water Act; and the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.
Environmental Defense The Environmental Defense Section represents the
United States, principally EPA, in suits challenging the Government's
administration of Federal environmental laws. The goal of the Section's
litigation is to assure that environmental laws are implemented in a
fair and consistent manner nationwide. The lawsuits arise in Federal
district and appellate courts, and include challenges by industries,
environmental groups, and citizens that Federal agencies are not meeting
environmental standards. The Section also protects the Nation's wetlands
from unauthorized development and destruction, through both enforcement
actions against illegal activities and actions defending Corps of
Engineer decisions on permit applications.
Wildlife and Marine Resources The Wildlife and Marine Resources Section
tries both civil and criminal cases under Federal wildlife laws and laws
concerning the protection of marine fish and mammals. Prosecutions focus
on illegal hunting, smuggling, and black-market dealers of protected
fish and wildlife. Civil litigation, particularly under the Endangered
Species Act, often focuses on conflicts between the needs of protected
species versus pressures for development by both the Federal Government
and private enterprise.
General Litigation The General Litigation Section is responsible for
ensuring compliance with over 80 different statutes dealing with land
management issues of federally owned properties and natural resources.
This includes litigation under the National Environmental Policy Act,
the Federal Land Policy Management Act, and the National Historic
Preservation Act. Important sources of Federal revenue such as offshore
oil leasing and coal slurry pipeline cases are examples of the varied
matters handled by the Section. In addition, the Section represents the
United States in all legal and equitable claims asserted by Indian
tribes on the grounds that the United States has failed to honor its
obligations to the tribes.
Indian Resources The Indian Resources Section represents the United
States in its trust capacity for individual Indians or Indian tribes.
These suits include establishing water rights, establishing and
protecting hunting and fishing rights, collecting damages for trespass
on Indian lands, and establishing reservation boundaries and rights to
land. The litigation is often complex but of vital interest to the
Indians.
Land Acquisition The Land Acquisition Section is responsible for
acquiring land, through condemnation proceedings, for use by the Federal
Government for purposes ranging from establishing public parks to
creating missile sites, and for approving title to lands being acquired
by the United States by direct purchase. The Section seeks to implement
the just compensation clause of the Fifth Amendment in a way that is
fair both to property owners and taxpayers. The legal and factual issues
involved can include the power of the
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United States to condemn under specific acts of Congress; ascertainment
of the fair market value of property; applicability of zoning
regulations and problems related to subdivisions; capitalization of
income; and the admissibility of evidence.
Policy, Legislation and Special Litigation The Policy, Legislation and
Special Litigation Section advises and assists the Assistant Attorney
General on specific policy matters and particular litigation. It
coordinates and directs the Division's legislative program, including
appearances of Division witnesses before congressional committees. Other
duties include responding to citizens' requests and serving as the
Division's ethics officer. Attorneys in the Section also litigate amicus
curiae cases and undertake other special litigation projects.
Appeals The Appellate Section is responsible for conducting all appeals
in cases initially tried in lower courts by any of the sections within
the Division. In addition, the Section drafts briefs for all Division
cases which reach the level of the U.S. Supreme Court, and formulates
recommendations to the Solicitor General that seek authority to appeal
unfavorable decisions. The Section deals with the full range and
complexity of the new and challenging issues presented by environmental
law.
Executive Office The Executive Office serves as administrator to the
Division on financial management, personnel, automated systems,
procurement, and automated litigation support issues.
For further information, contact the Office of the Assistant Attorney
General, Environment and Natural Resources Division, Department of
Justice, Tenth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20530.
Phone, 202-514-2701.
Tax Division
The Tax Division represents the United States and its officers in all
civil and criminal litigation arising under the internal revenue laws,
other than proceedings in the United States Tax Court. While the
Division's primary client is the Internal Revenue Service, it also
represents Federal officials and employees in actions arising out of the
performance of their official duties, as well as representing other
Federal departments and agencies in their dealings with State and local
tax authorities. In civil tax litigation the Division's responsibility
involves cases in the United States District Courts, the United States
Court of Federal Claims, the United States Courts of Appeals, and the U.
S. Supreme Court, as well as cases in the State courts.
The Division represents the United States in many different types of
disputes, both civil and criminal, dealing with the interpretation of
Federal tax laws. For example, when the Internal Revenue Service
challenges a tax return and determines a deficiency, the taxpayer may
pay the full amount of tax assessed and then bring a suit against the
Government for refund. The Division defends the Government in these
refund actions.
Other areas of civil litigation in which the Tax Division is
involved on behalf of the Federal Government include:
--suits brought by individuals to foreclose mortgages or to quiet
title to property in which the United States is named as a party
defendant because of the existence of a Federal tax lien on the
property;
--suits brought by the United States to collect unpaid assessments,
to foreclose Federal tax liens or determine the priority of such liens,
to obtain judgments against delinquent taxpayers, to enforce summonses,
and to establish tax claims in bankruptcy, receivership, or probate
proceedings;
--proceedings involving mandamus, injunctions, and other specific
writs arising in connection with internal revenue matters;
--suits against Internal Revenue Service employees for damages
claimed because of alleged injuries caused in the performance of their
official duties;
--suits against the Secretary of the Treasury, the Commissioner of
Internal Revenue, or similar officials to test the validity of
regulations or rulings not in the context of a specific refund action;
--suits brought by the United States to enjoin the promotion of
abusive tax
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shelters and to enjoin activities relating to aiding and abetting the
understatement of tax liabilities of others;
--suits brought by taxpayers for a judicial determination of the
reasonableness of a jeopardy or termination assessment and the
appropriateness of the amount;
--proceedings brought against the Tax Division and the Internal
Revenue Service for disclosure of information under the Freedom of
Information Act; and
--intergovernmental immunity suits in which the United States
resists attempts to apply a State or local tax to some activity or
property of the United States.
The Division also collects judgments in tax cases. To this end, the
Division directs collection efforts and coordinates with, monitors the
efforts of, and provides assistance to the various United States
attorneys' offices in collecting outstanding judgments in tax cases.
With respect to criminal tax litigation, the Division prosecutes or
supervises the prosecution of all criminal offenses committed under the
internal revenue laws, including attempts to evade and defeat taxes,
willful failures to file returns and to pay taxes, filing false returns
and other deceptive documents, making false statements to revenue
officials, and other miscellaneous offenses involving internal revenue
matters. These duties include the institution of criminal proceedings
and collaboration with U.S. attorneys in the conduct of litigation in
the trial and appellate courts. Further, Tax Division attorneys
frequently conduct grand jury investigations and actual trials of
criminal tax cases, often as a result of requests for assistance by the
appropriate U.S. attorney. In its efforts to deter willful deception
through prosecution of criminal offenders, the Tax Division also plays a
significant role in curbing organized crime, public corruption,
narcotics trafficking, and financial institution fraud.
The primary functions of the Division are to aid the Internal
Revenue Service in collecting the Federal revenue and to establish
principles of law that will serve as guidelines to taxpayers and their
representatives, as well as to the Internal Revenue Service, in the
administration of the Internal Revenue Code. As a result, coordination
with the Internal Revenue Service's administrative policies and the
Treasury Department's legislative tax concerns in developing litigating
postures is essential.
The Division also provides input into the preparation of reports to
the Congress, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Office of
Legislative Affairs on pending or proposed legislation and monitors
congressional activities with respect to matters of interest to the
Division.
In accordance with the Attorney General's program to enhance the
litigating skills of Department attorneys, the Division conducts
training programs for its attorneys, with special emphasis on matters
unique to tax litigation and the development of advocacy skills.
For further information, contact the Office of the Assistant Attorney
General, Tax Division, Department of Justice, Tenth Street and
Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20530. Phone, 202-514-2901.
Bureaus
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Ninth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20535. Phone,
202-324-3000
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the principal investigative
arm of the United States Department of Justice. It is charged with
gathering and reporting facts, locating witnesses, and compiling
evidence in cases involving Federal jurisdiction.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation was established in 1908 by the
Attorney General, who directed that Department of Justice investigations
be handled by its own staff. The Bureau is charged with
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investigating all violations of Federal law except those that have been
assigned by legislative enactment or otherwise to another Federal
agency. Its jurisdiction includes a wide range of responsibilities in
the criminal, civil, and security fields. Priority has been assigned to
the five areas that affect society the most: organized crime/drugs,
counterterrorism, white-collar crime, foreign counterintelligence, and
violent crime.
On January 28, 1982, the Attorney General assigned concurrent
jurisdiction for the enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act (21
U.S.C. 801) to the Bureau and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The DEA Administrator reports to the Attorney General through the FBI
Director.
The Bureau also offers cooperative services such as fingerprint
identification, laboratory examination, police training, and the
National Crime Information Center to duly authorized law enforcement
agencies.
The Bureau headquarters in Washington, DC, consists of nine separate
divisions, a Deputy Director, an Office of Public and Congressional
Affairs, an Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Affairs, and a
Director's staff.
The Bureau's investigations are conducted through 56 field offices.
Most of its investigative personnel are trained at the FBI Academy in
Quantico, VA.
For further information, contact the Office of Public and Congressional
Affairs, Federal Bureau of Investigation, J. Edgar Hoover F.B.I.
Building, Ninth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC
20535. Phone, 202-324-2727.
Bureau of Prisons
320 First Street NW., Washington, DC 20534. Phone, 202-307-3198
The mission of the Bureau of Prisons is to protect society by confining
offenders in the controlled environments of prisons and community-based
facilities that are safe, humane, and appropriately secure, and which
provide work and other self-improvement opportunities to assist
offenders in becoming law-abiding citizens.
The Executive Office of the Director provides overall direction for
agency operations. In addition to typical administrative functions
performed by an agency head, the Offices of General Counsel and Internal
Affairs are within the Office and report to the Director.
The Administration Division develops plans, programs, and policies
concerning the acquisition, construction, and staffing of new
facilities, as well as budget development, financial management,
procurement, and contracting.
The Correctional Programs Division is responsible for managing the
correctional services (security) operations in Bureau institutions and
case and unit management, as well as religious and psychological
services, drug treatment programs, and inmate systems.
Federal Prison Industries (trade name UNICOR) is a wholly owned
Government corporation whose mission is to provide employment and
training opportunities for inmates confined in Federal correctional
facilities. UNICOR manufactures a wide range of items--from executive
and systems furniture to electronics, textiles, and graphics/signage.
Services performed by UNICOR's inmates include data entry, printing, and
furniture refinishing. The corporation funds selected preindustrial,
vocational, and experimental training programs.
The Health Services Division has oversight responsibility for all
medical and psychiatric programs; environmental and occupational health
services; food and nutrition services; and farm operations.
The Human Resource Management Division provides personnel, training,
and labor management within the agency. Its functions also include pay
and position management and recruitment.
The National Institute of Corrections provides technical assistance
and training for State and local correctional agencies throughout the
country. It also provides grants for research, evaluation, and program
development. The Institute's administrative offices, Prison Division,
and Community Corrections Division are located in Washington, DC;
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and the Jails Division, Training Academy, and Information Center are
located in Longmont, CO. The Institute receives logistical support from
the Bureau of Prisons but is a separate budget entity.
The Program Review Division oversees agency review functions,
ensures internal controls, and coordinates the year-end assurance
statement to the Attorney General. This division also conducts in-depth
analyses of review outcomes, and tracks and monitors management changes
made in accord with those findings.
The Information, Policy and Public Affairs Division encompasses the
Bureau's Information Systems; Policy Review; Information Resources
Management; Research and Evaluation; Security Technology; Documents
Control; External Liaison; Archives; and Office of Public Affairs.
The Community Corrections and Detention Division is responsible for
the Bureau's Community Corrections and Detention Programs, Contract
Services, Administration, and Program Development.
The Bureau is subdivided into six geographic regions, each staffed
with field-qualified personnel who are responsible for policy
development and oversight, providing operational guidance to field
locations, and providing support functions in areas such as auditing,
technical assistance, budget, and personnel. Each regional office is
headed by an experienced career Bureau manager who is a full member of
the Bureau's executive staff.
For further information, contact the Public Information Officer, Bureau
of Prisons, Department of Justice, Washington, DC 20534. Phone, 202-307-
3198.
United States Marshals Service
600 Army Navy Drive, Arlington, VA 22202-4210. Phone, 202-307-9065
The United States Marshals Service is the Nation's oldest Federal law
enforcement agency, having served as a vital link between the executive
and judicial branches of the Government since 1789. Today, the
Presidentially appointed marshals and their support staff of
approximately 3,500 deputy marshals and administrative personnel operate
from 427 office locations in all 94 Federal judicial districts
nationwide, from Guam to Puerto Rico, and from Alaska to Florida.
The Marshals Service performs tasks that are essential to the
operation of virtually every aspect of the Federal justice system. The
Service is responsible for:
--providing support and protection for the Federal courts, including
security for over 700 judicial facilities and nearly 2,000 judges and
magistrates, as well as countless other trial participants such as
jurors and attorneys;
--apprehending most Federal fugitives;
--operating the Federal Witness Security program, ensuring the
safety of endangered government witnesses;
--maintaining custody of and transporting thousands of Federal
prisoners annually;
--executing court orders and arrest warrants;
--seizing, managing, and selling property forfeited to the
Government by drug traffickers and other criminals, and assisting the
Justice Department's Seizure and Forfeiture Program; and
--responding to emergency circumstances, including civil
disturbances, terrorist incidents, and other crisis situations, through
its Special Operations Group, and restoring order in riot and mob-
violence situations.
The Director of the U.S. Marshals Service, who is appointed by the
President, supervises the operations of the Service throughout the
United States and its territories. The Deputy Director for Operations
oversees the Service's enforcement, court security, witness protection,
prisoner transportation, and asset seizure and forfeiture activities.
The Deputy Director for Administration is responsible for personnel
management; procurement and property management; space, transportation,
and communications; information systems;
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and the U.S. Marshals Service Training Academy.
For further information, contact the Office of Congressional and Public
Affairs, U.S. Marshals Service, Department of Justice, Suite 1260, 600
Army Navy Drive, Arlington, VA 22202. Phone, 202-307-9065.
United States National Central Bureau-International Criminal Police
Organization
Washington, DC 20530. Phone, 202-272-8383
The U.S. National Central Bureau (USNCB) represents the United States in
INTERPOL, the International Criminal Police Organization. Also known as
INTERPOL--Washington, USNCB provides an essential communications link
between the U.S. police community and their counterparts in the foreign
member countries.
INTERPOL is an association of 169 countries dedicated to promoting
mutual assistance among law enforcement authorities in the prevention
and suppression of international crime. With no police force of its own,
INTERPOL has no powers of arrest or search and seizure. Instead,
INTERPOL serves as a channel of communication among the police of the
member countries, and provides a forum for discussions, working group
meetings, and symposia to enable police to focus on specific areas of
criminal activity affecting their countries.
United States participation in INTERPOL began in 1938 by
congressional authorization, designating the Attorney General as the
official representative to the organization. INTERPOL operations were
interrupted during World War II, but resumed in 1947.
The Attorney General officially designated the Secretary of the
Treasury as the U.S. representative to INTERPOL in 1958, and the U.S.
National Central Bureau was established within the Treasury Department
in 1969. In 1977, an arrangement was effected between Justice and
Treasury officials establishing dual authority in administering USNCB.
This Memorandum of Understanding designates the Attorney General as the
permanent representative to INTERPOL and the Secretary of the Treasury
as the alternate representative.
The Bureau operates through cooperative efforts with Federal, State,
and local law enforcement agencies. Programs and initiatives, such as
the State Liaison Program and the Canadian Interface Project, broaden
the scope of U.S. investigative resources to include the international
community, thus forming an integral part of the United States efforts to
confront the problem of international crime.
Federal and State law enforcement agencies represented at the USNCB
include the Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. Marshals Service; Drug
Enforcement Administration; Immigration and Naturalization Service;
Criminal Division, U.S. Customs Service; U.S. Secret Service; Internal
Revenue Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; Office of the
Comptroller of the Currency; Office of the Inspector General, Department
of Agriculture; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Bureau of Diplomatic
Security, Department of State; Naval Investigative Service; Federal Law
Enforcement Training Center; Financial Crimes Enforcement Network; and
the Massachusetts State Police.
Under the State Liaison Program, States establish an office within
their own law enforcement community to serve as liaison to USNCB.
International leads developed in criminal investigations being conducted
by a State or local police entity can be pursued through their Liaison
Office, and criminal investigative requests from abroad are funneled
through the relevant State liaison office for action by the appropriate
State or local agency. All 50 States now participate in the liaison
program, which is currently coordinated by a representative from the
Massachusetts State Police.
USNCB has two sub-bureaus which serve to more effectively address
the law enforcement needs of U.S. territories. The sub-bureaus are
located in San Juan,
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Puerto Rico; and Pago Pago, American Samoa.
For further information, contact the U.S. National Central Bureau-
INTERPOL, Washington, DC 20530. Phone, 202-272-8383.
Immigration and Naturalization Service
425 I Street NW., Washington, DC 20536. Phone, 202-514-4316, 4330, or
4354
[For the Immigration and Naturalization Service statement of
organization, see the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 8, Aliens and
Nationality]
The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was created by act of
March 3, 1891 (8 U.S.C. 1551 note), and its purpose and responsibilities
were further specified by the Immigration and Nationality Act, as
amended (8 U.S.C. 1101 note), which charges the Attorney General with
the administration and enforcement of its provisions. The Attorney
General has delegated authority to the Commissioner of the Immigration
and Naturalization service to carry out these provisions of immigraion
law.
Overall policy and executive direction flow from the Washington, DC,
headquarters office through 3 regional offices to 33 district offices
and 21 border patrol sectors throughout the United States. INS also
maintains three district offices in Bangkok, Thailand; Mexico City,
Mexico; and Rome, Italy.
INS carries out its mission through operational programs in
adjudications and naturalization, inspections, investigations, and
detention and deportation, as well as the U.S. Border Patrol. These
programs are divided into the following mission responsibilities:
--facilitating the entry of persons legally admissible as immigrants
or as visitors to the United States;
--granting benefits under the Immigration and Nationality Act, as
amended, including providing assistance to those seeking asylum,
temporary or permanent resident status, or naturalization;
--preventing unlawful entry, employment, or receipt of benefits by
those who are not entitled to them; and
--apprehending or removing those aliens who enter or remain
illegally in the United States and/or whose stay is not in the public
interest.
The Service also has a firm commitment to strengthen criminal
investigations and seek the most effective deterrents to illegal
immigration.
For further information, contact the Office of Information, Immigration
and Naturalization Service, Department of Justice, 425 I Street NW.,
Washington, DC 20536. Phone, 202-514-4316, 4330, or 4354.
Drug Enforcement Administration
600-700 Army Navy Drive, Arlington, VA 22202. Phone, 202-307-1000; FTS,
367-1000
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is the lead Federal agency in
enforcing narcotics and controlled substances laws and regulations. It
was created in July 1973, by Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1973 (5 U.S.C.
app.), which merged four separate drug law enforcement agencies.
DEA enforces the provisions of the controlled substances and
chemical diversion and trafficking laws and regulations of the United
States, and operates on a worldwide basis. It presents cases to the
criminal and civil justice systems of the United States--or any other
competent jurisdiction--on those significant organizations and their
members involved in cultivation, production, smuggling, distribution, or
diversion of controlled substances appearing in or destined for illegal
traffic in the United States. DEA immobilizes these organizations by
arresting their members, confiscating their drugs, and seizing their
assets; and creates, manages, and supports enforcement-related
programs--domestically and internationally--aimed at reducing the
availability of and demand for controlled substances.
DEA's responsibilities include:
--investigation of major narcotic violators who operate at
interstate and international levels;
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--seizure and forfeiture of assets derived from, traceable to, or
intended to be used for illicit drug trafficking;
--enforcement of regulations governing the legal manufacture,
distribution, and dispensing of controlled substances;
--management of a national narcotics intelligence system;
--coordination with Federal, State, and local law enforcement
authorities and cooperation with counterpart agencies abroad; and
--training, scientific research, and information exchange in support
of drug traffic prevention and control.
DEA manages the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC), a 24-hour
tactical drug intelligence center, which utilizes DEA and Federal
personnel from 13 other agencies.
The Administration concentrates its efforts on high-level narcotics
smuggling and distribution organizations in the United States and
abroad, working closely with such agencies as the Customs Service, the
Internal Revenue Service, and the Coast Guard. It also chairs the 11-
agency National Narcotics Intelligence Consumers Committee, which
develops an annual report on drug production, trafficking, and abuse
trends.
Approximately 400 Administration compliance investigators enforce
regulation of the legal manufacture and distribution of prescription
drugs. The agency also maintains an active training program for
narcotics officers in other Federal, State, and local agencies--as well
as foreign police.
The Administration maintains liaison with the United Nations,
INTERPOL, and other organizations on matters relating to international
narcotics control programs. It has offices throughout the United States
and in 50 foreign countries.
For further information, contact the Public Affairs Section, Drug
Enforcement Administration, Department of Justice, Washington, DC 20537.
Phone, 202-307-7977.
Office of Justice Programs
633 Indiana Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20531. Phone, 202-307-0781
The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) was established by the Justice
Assistance Act of 1984 and reauthorized in 1994 to provide Federal
leadership, coordination, and assistance needed to make the Nation's
justice system more efficient and effective in preventing and
controlling crime. OJP and its five program bureaus are responsible for
collecting statistical data and conducting analyses; identifying
emerging criminal justice issues; developing and testing promising
approaches to address these issues; evaluating program results, and
disseminating these findings and other information to State and local
governments.
The Office is headed by an Assistant Attorney General who, by
statute and delegation of authority from the Attorney General,
establishes, guides, promotes, and coordinates policy; focuses efforts
on the priorities established by the President and the Attorney General;
and promotes coordination among the five major bureaus or offices within
OJP. These are: Bureau of Justice Assistance, Bureau of Justice
Statistics, National Institute of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention, and Office for Victims of Crime.
Through the programs developed and financed by its bureaus and
offices, OJP works to form partnerships among Federal, State, and local
government officials to control drug abuse and trafficking, rehabilitate
crime-ridden neighborhoods, improve the administration of justice in
America, meet the needs of crime victims, and find innovative ways to
address problems such as gang violence, prison crowding, juvenile crime,
and white-collar crime. The functions of each bureau or office are
interrelated. For example, the statistics generated by the Bureau of
Justice Statistics may drive the research that is conducted through the
National Institute of Justice and the Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention. Research results may generate new programs that
receive support from the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Office of
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
[[Page 366]]
Although some research and technical assistance is provided directly
by OJP's bureaus and offices, most of the work is accomplished through
Federal financial assistance to scholars, practitioners, and State and
local governments.
Program bureaus and offices award formula grants to State agencies,
which, in turn, subgrant funds to units of State and local government.
Formula grant programs--drug control and system improvement, juvenile
justice, victims compensation, and victims assistance--are administered
by State agencies designated by each State's Governor. Discretionary
grant programs usually are announced in the Federal Register, and
applications are made directly to the sponsoring Office of Justice
Programs bureau or office.
Bureau of Justice Assistance The Bureau provides financial and
technical assistance to State and local units of government to control
drug abuse, drug trafficking, and violent crime and to improve the
criminal justice system.
The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 (42 U.S.C. 3750), which established
the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance
Programs, authorizes the Bureau to make grants for the purpose of
enforcing State and local laws that establish offenses similar to those
designated in the Controlled Substances Act and to improve the
functioning of the criminal justice system, with emphasis on violent
crime and serious offenders. The States are required to prepare a
statewide anti-drug and violent crime strategy as part of their
applications for Formula Grant funds. Federal funds may be used for up
to 75 percent of the total project costs.
The Bureau uses the Discretionary Grant Program to provide State and
local criminal justice agencies with state-of-the-art information on
innovative and effective programs, practices, and techniques through
demonstration projects, training, and technical assistance. For example,
the Bureau is developing and implementing comprehensive crime control
and crime prevention strategies for communities faced with high rates of
violence and drug-related crime through the Comprehensive Communities
Program. BJA also supports violence reduction initiatives, such as
homicide investigations and firearms control programs. Criminal justice
agencies are provided assistance in addressing new issues and problems,
such as the spread of drug-trafficking gangs; intermediate punishment,
such as bootcamps; and drug testing of criminal offenders. The Bureau
also supports programs that are national or multistate in scope, such as
Operation Weed and Seed, the Regional Information Sharing Systems, the
National White Collar Crime Center, and the National Crime Prevention
(McGruff) Campaign. Discretionary Grant funds are awarded directly by
the Bureau and do not require matching funds.
Direct assistance is also provided by the Bureau through the
Emergency Federal Law Enforcement Assistance, Federal Surplus Property
Transfer, Prison Industry Certification, Public Safety Officers' Death
and Disability Benefits, and the State Criminal Alien Assistance
Programs.
Bureau of Justice Statistics The Bureau is responsible for collecting,
analyzing, publishing, and disseminating statistical information on
crime, its perpetrators and victims, and the operation of justice
systems at all levels of government and internationally.
The Bureau also assists State governments in developing capabilities
in criminal justice statistics and improving their criminal justice
records and information systems.
The Bureau provides the President, the Congress, other officials,
and the public with timely and accurate data about crime and the
administration of justice. The Bureau publishes concise Special Reports
and periodic Bulletins that provide up-to-date statistical information
on various aspects of criminal justice. In addition, lengthier volumes
present detailed analyses of specific topics.
The National Crime Victimization Survey is the largest ongoing
statistical series currently conducted by the Bureau. Using interviews
from a large sample of U.S. households, the Survey measures the rates at
which the Nation's
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population is victimized by crimes of violence and theft.
Other statistical series cover civil justice, prison and jail
inmates, probation and parole, adjudication, processing offenders as
they move through the criminal justice system, criminal justice
expenditure and employment, law enforcement management and
administration, and the Federal justice system.
The Bureau supports a statistical component in the National Criminal
Justice Reference Service. The Bureau of Justice Statistics
Clearinghouse provides reference services for people requesting
information, maintains a mailing list, and distributes Bureau
publications. The Bureau may be contacted on 800-732-3277 (toll-free).
The Bureau also manages the Drugs and Crime Data Center and
Clearinghouse, funded by the Office of National Drug Control Policy,
which gathers and evaluates existing data on drugs and the justice
system; identifies drug enforcement data gaps; operates a clearinghouse/
reference center that serves as a single source for those in need of
drug statistics; and prepares special reports and tabulations of
existing drug data. The Drugs and Crime Data Center and Clearinghouse
may be contacted on 800-666-3332 (toll-free).
National Institute of Justice The National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
sponsors special projects and research and development programs designed
to improve and strengthen the criminal justice system and reduce or
prevent crime. It also conducts national demonstration projects that
employ innovative or promising approaches for improving criminal
justice, and develops new technologies to fight crime and improve
criminal justice.
NIJ conducts evaluations to determine the effectiveness of criminal
justice programs, particularly programs funded by the Bureau of Justice
Assistance, and identifies programs that promise to be successful if
continued or replicated in other jurisdictions. For example, it has
evaluated the effectiveness of innovative drug control programs,
including neighborhood-oriented policing, community anti-drug
initiatives, multijurisdictional task forces, and drug testing programs.
NIJ's evaluations of new approaches for holding offenders
accountable for their crimes has provided invaluable information
regarding such programs as bootcamps, youth challenge camps, intensive
community supervision, specialized probation, and prison work-release
programs. The corrections information sharing system at NIJ assists
State and local officials in exchanging information on innovative and
cost-effective concepts and techniques for planning, financing, and
constructing new prisons and jails.
In addition, NIJ works to fulfill the information needs of the
criminal justice system by publishing and disseminating reports and
other materials from its research, demonstration, evaluation, and other
programs; provides training and technical assistance to justice
officials on innovations developed through its programs; and serves as
the national and international clearinghouse of justice information for
Federal, State, and local governments.
For further information, contact the National Criminal Justice Reference
Service. Phone, 1-800-851-3420.
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention The Office was
created by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974
(42 U.S.C. 5601) in response to national concern about juvenile crime.
It is the primary Federal agency for addressing juvenile crime and
delinquency and the problem of missing and exploited children. The
Office is comprised of five divisions.
The State Relations and Assistance Division oversees the Formula
Grants Program. States can receive formula grants to help implement
delinquency prevention, control, and system improvement programs,
including the core requirements of the Juvenile Justice and Deliquency
Prevention Act. These core requirements include deinstitutionalizing
status offenders, separating juveniles from adult offenders in
institutions, removing juveniles from
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adult jails and lockups, and addressing the disproportionate
confinement of minority youth. Technical assistance is provided to
States and communities to enhance their programs. The Division also
administers the Title V Prevention Incentive Grants Program.
The Special Emphasis Division provides funds directly to public and
private nonprofit agencies and individuals to foster new approaches to
deliquency prevention and control and the improvement of the juvenile
justice system. The Division focuses on such areas as serious, violent,
and chronic juvenile offenders; gangs; at-risk female juvenile
offenders; and school dropouts.
The Research and Program Development Division sponsors research and
studies about national trends in juvenile deliquency and drug use,
serious juvenile crime, the causes of deliquency, prevention strategies,
program evaluation, and improvement of the juvenile justice system. It
is also responsible for program evaluation, statistics, and
demonstration programs.
The Training and Technical Assistance Division sponsors training for
juvenile justice practitioners, policymakers, and organizations and
provides technical assistance in planning, funding, establishing,
operating, and evaluating juvenile delinquency programs. In addition,
the Division administers juvenile court and prosecutor training, court-
appointed special advocates, and children's advocacy center programs
under the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 13001).
The Information Dissemination Unit conducts a wide variety of
information dissemination activities for the Office in support of its
statutory mandate to serve as a clearinghouse and information center for
the preparation, publication, and dissemination of information on
juvenile delinquency and missing children. The Unit also monitors the
operations of the juvenile justice clearinghouse, which collects,
stores, and disseminates the Office's and other juvenile justice-related
publications. The toll-free telephone number is 1-800-638-8736.
Programs The Concentration of Federal Efforts Program and the Missing
Children's Program are also under the Office's direction. The
Concentration of Federal Efforts Program coordinates Federal programs
dealing with juvenile delinquency and assists Federal agencies that have
responsibility for delinquency prevention and treatment. It also
promotes interagency cooperation in eliminating duplicate efforts and
provides direction for the use of Federal resources in facilitating a
comprehensive, unified Federal juvenile justice policy.
The Missing Children's Program was created in 1984 by the Missing
Children's Assistance Act to provide Federal leadership in ensuring that
every practical step is taken in recovering missing children, reuniting
them with their families, and prosecuting abductors. The Program serves
as a central focus for research, data collection, policy development,
training professionals in the field, and providing information about
missing and exploited children. It also funds the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children, which operates a national toll-free
telephone line and serves as a national information clearinghouse.
Office for Victims of Crime The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)
serves as the Federal focal point for addressing the needs and improving
the treatment of crime victims. This includes carrying out the
activities mandated by the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (VOCA), as
amended (42 U.S.C. 10601 note); monitoring compliance with the
provisions regarding assistance for Federal crime victims of the Victim
and Witness Protection Act of 1982; and implementing the recommendations
of the President's Task Force on Victims of Crime, the Attorney
General's Task Force on Family Violence, and the President's Child
Safety Partnership.
VOCA created a Crime Victims Fund in the U.S. Treasury to provide
Federal financial assistance to State governments to compensate and
assist victims of crime. Monies in the fund come from fines and
penalties assessed on convicted Federal defendants. The Office
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awards grants to States to compensate crime victims for expenses, such
as medical costs, resulting from their victimization. Grants also are
awarded to State governments to support State and local programs that
provide direct assistance to crime victims and their families. Priority
for victim assistance funds is given to programs providing direct
services to victims of sexual assualt, spouse abuse, and child abuse.
States also must use grant funds to assist previously underserved victim
populations, such as victims of drunk drivers or the families of
homicide victims.
A small portion of the Crime Victims Fund is available to support
services for victims of Federal crimes. Programs under this initiative
have focused on developing victim assistance services for Federal crime
victims in Indian country, creating an emergency fund for use by U.S.
attorneys offices to pay for emergency services for Federal crime
victims, and assisting Native American child abuse victims.
In collaboration with other agencies and groups, OVC administers
numerous projects serving the victims of drug-related crimes. The Office
also supports national programs to improve and coordinate services to
crime victims and sponsors conferences and training for criminal justice
practitioners, medical and mental health personnel, the clergy, and
others who work with crime victims and their families. In addition, each
year OVC sponsors National Crime Victims' Rights Week to increase public
awareness of crime victims' special needs and to honor those who work on
behalf of victims. The OVC Resource Center, which provides information
concerning victims issues to victims advocates, criminal justice
practitioners, and the public, is funded by OVC. The Center may be
reached toll-free on 1-800-627-6872.
Violence Against Women Program Office The Violence Against Women
Program Office coordinates the activities of the Bureaus within OJP
relating to violence against women. It also establishes the policy for
and administers the Department's formula and discretionary grant
programs authorized by the Violence Against Women Act of 1994.
The program assists the Nation's criminal justice system to respond
to the needs and concerns of women who have been, or potentially could
be, victimized by violence. The program emphasizes enhanced delivery of
services to women victimized by violence, and will work to strengthen
outreach efforts to minorities and disabled women. The Office provides
technical assistance to State and tribal government officials in
plannimg innovative and effective criminal justice responses to violent
crimes committed against women. The Office provides Indian tribal
governments with funds to develop and strengthen the tribal justice
system's response to violent crimes committed against Native American
women through a discretionary grant program.
States that receive Violence Against Women Program formula grant
funds are required to engage in a multidisciplinary planning process
involving law enforcement; prosecution; nonprofit, nongovernmental
victim service providers including domestic violence and sexual assault
coalitions; key criminal justice practitioners; and community leaders to
develop a coordinated and integrated strategy to address to address
violence against women. Funds may be used to support seven broad purpose
areas including training for law enforcement officers and prosecutors to
identify and respond more effectively to violent crimes against women;
developing, training, or expanding special units of law enforcement
officers and prosecutors to respond to violent crimes against women;
developing, training, or expanding special units of law enforcement
officers and prosecutors to respond to violent crimes against women;
developing and improving data collection and communications systems
linking police, prosecutors, and courts, or to identify and track
arrests, protection orders, violations of protection orders; creating or
enhancing victim services programs and programs addressing stalking; and
developing and
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enhancing programs which focus on the special needs of Indian tribes in
addressing violent crimes.
Drug Court Program Office The Drug Court Program Office was established
to support the development and implementation of effective Drug Court
programming at the State, local, and tribal level. The Office
coordinates the Drug Court activities of OJP's five component bureaus
and administers the Drug Court Grant Program as authorized by Title V of
the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.
This discretionary grant program assists local units of government
in the planning, implementation, and improvement of Drug Courts which
target non-violent, drug-involved offenders. The Office strives to
strengthen existing Drug Courts and develop new Drug Courts, encouraging
them to provide continuing judicial supervision, mandatory periodic
testing for substance abuse among clients, substance abuse treatment,
offender supervision, management and aftercare, combined with
appropriate sanctions for failure to comply with program requirements.
The Office will work closely with agencies and organizations involved in
the areas of justice and recovery. The Office also will develop and
deliver appropriate technical assistance, training, and research
findings in order to enhance the effectiveness and operation of both
existing and new Drug Courts.
Corrections Program Office The Corrections Program Office provides
policy direction, coordination, and administration for the corrections
programs authorized by the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act
of 1994. In particular, the Office is responsible for the following
grant programs: Violent Offender Incarceration; Truth in Sentencing;
Punishment of Young Offenders Formula Grants; Family Unity Demonstration
Projects; and Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners.
The largest grant programs--the Violent Offender and Truth in
Sentencing Incentive Grants--provide assistance through formula grants
to States, and States organized as multi-State compacts, for adult and
juvenile correctional systems. The program recognizes that States and
local jurisdictions have experienced substantial increases in jail,
prison, and juvenile confinement populations in recent years, resulting
in escalating costs and serious difficulties in managing overcapacity
correctional populations. This program provides funds for States to
construct, expand, modify, operate, and improve correctional facilities,
including boot camp facilities and other alternative correctional
programs that will free secure prison space for the confinement of
violent offenders.
The Corrections Program Office emphasizes comprehensive correctional
planning and State/local coordination in the provision of correctional
services to offenders. States participating in the grant program will
receive technical assistance and training and be expected to participate
in a comprehensive national evaluation.
For further information, contact the Office of Congressional and Public
Affairs, Office of Justice Programs, Department of Justice, 633 Indiana
Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20531. Phone, 202-307-0781.
Boards
Executive Office for Immigration Review
Falls Church, VA 22041
The Attorney General is responsible for the administration and
enforcement of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (8 U.S.C.
1101) and all other laws relating to the immigration and naturalization
of aliens. Certain powers and authorities of the Attorney General for
the administration and interpretation
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of the immigration laws are delegated to the Executive Office for
Immigration Review. The Executive Office for Immigration Review is
completely independent of the Immigration and Naturalization Service,
the body charged with the enforcement of the immigration laws. It
includes the Board of Immigration Appeals, the Office of the Chief
Immigration Judge, and the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing
Officer. It operates under the supervision of the Deputy Attorney
General and is headed by a Director, who is responsible for the
immediate supervision of the Board of Immigration Appeals, the Office of
the Chief Immigration Judge, and the Office of the Chief Administrative
Hearing Officer.
Board of Immigration Appeals The Board of Immigration Appeals is a
quasi-judicial body composed of a Chairman, Vice Chairman, and seven
members, and a Chief Attorney-Examiner, who is also an alternate Board
member.
Located in Falls Church, VA, the Board hears oral argument in that
location. The Board is authorized a staff of attorney-advisers who
assist the Board in the preparation of decisions.
The Board has been given nationwide jurisdiction to hear appeals
from decisions entered by district and center directors of the
Immigration and Naturalization Service and by immigration judges. In
addition, the Board is responsible for hearing appeals involving the
suspension or barring from practice of attorneys and representatives
before the Service and the Board.
Decisions of the Board are binding on all Service officers and
immigration judges unless modified or overruled by the Attorney General,
and are subject to judicial review in the Federal courts. The majority
of appeals reaching the Board involves orders of deportation and
applications for relief from deportation. Other cases before the Board
include the exclusion of aliens applying for admission to the United
States, petitions to classify the status of alien relatives for the
issuance of preference immigrant visas, fines imposed upon carriers for
the violation of the immigration laws, and motions for reopening and
reconsideration of decisions previously rendered.
Following a review of the record and research into questions of law
raised by the parties, the attorney-adviser drafts a proposed order for
consideration of the Board members. He or she frequently confers with
individual Board members concerning the proposed order. Attorney-
advisers also assist in various administrative and support functions. In
addition to developing expertise in the field of immigration law, the
attorney-adviser is often called upon to analyze questions of
constitutional law, State, Federal, and foreign civil and criminal law.
Office of the Chief Immigration Judge The Office of the Chief
Immigration Judge is responsible for the general supervision and
direction of the immigration judges in the performance of their duties.
It establishes operational policies for the offices of the immigration
judges and evaluates the performance of those offices.
Located in Falls Church, VA, the Office of the Chief Immigration
Judge includes a headquarters staff of management and legal personnel.
Office of the Immigration Judge The offices of the immigration judges
are responsible for presiding at formal, quasi-judicial deportation and
exclusion proceedings. The immigration judges act independently in their
decisionmaking capacity, and their decisions are administratively final
unless appealed or certified to the Board of Immigration Appeals.
In exclusion proceedings, an immigration judge determines whether an
individual arriving from a foreign country should be allowed to enter
the United States or should be excluded and deported. Located throughout
the United States, each judge has jurisdiction to consider various forms
of relief available in exclusion proceedings, including applications for
asylum and relief under section 243(h) of the Immigration and
Nationality Act of 1952 (8 U.S.C. 1158, 1253).
In deportation proceedings, the immigration judge determines whether
an individual who has already entered
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the United States is deportable from this country. In such proceedings
the judge also adjudicates applications for the various forms of relief
available under this country's immigration laws. These include
applications for adjustment of status, suspension of deportation,
voluntary departure, relief under section 212(c) of the act (8 U.S.C.
1182), and applications for asylum and withholding of deportation.
Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer The Office of the
Chief Administrative Hearing Officer is responsible for the general
supervision of administrative law judges in the performance of their
duties under 8 U.S.C. 1324a-1324c. Administrative law judge proceedings
are mandated by the Immigration and Nationality Act and concern
allegations of unlawful employment of aliens, unfair immigration-related
employment discrimination, and immigration document fraud.
For further information, contact the Counsel to the Director, Executive
Office for Immigration Review, Department of Justice, Falls Church, VA
22041. Phone, 703-305-0470.
United States Parole Commission
5550 Friendship Boulevard, Chevy Chase, MD 20815. Phone, 301-492-5990
The granting, denying, or revocation of parole for eligible Federal
offenders rests in the discretion of the U.S. Parole Commission. The
Commission will be abolished on November 1, 1997, 10 years after the
implementation of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. (The Comprehensive
Crime Control Act of 1984 abolished the U.S. Parole Commission and
instituted mandatory sentencing for all offenders whose crimes were
committed after November 1, 1987.) The Commission is also responsible
for the supervision of paroled or otherwise released offenders until
expiration of their terms and may discharge parolees early from
supervision. Under the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of
1959 (29 U.S.C. 401 note), the Commission determines whether or not
persons convicted of certain crimes may serve as officials in the field
of organized labor or in labor-oriented management positions; likewise,
under the Employment Retirement Income and Security Act of 1974, the
Commission determines whether or not such persons may provide services
to or be employed by employment benefit plans.
The Parole Commission presently consists of six members, appointed
by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. It has sole
authority to grant, modify, or revoke paroles of eligible U.S. prisoners
serving sentences of more than 1 year and D.C. Code prisoners housed in
Federal institutions. It is responsible for the supervision of parolees
and prisoners released upon the expiration of their sentences with
allowances for statutory good time, and the determination of supervisory
conditions and terms. U.S. probation officers supervise parolees and
mandatory releasees under the direction of the Commission.
The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 gave the Commission jurisdiction
over all foreign transfer treaty cases beginning January 1, 1989. For
offenses committed after November 1, 1987, the Commission is to apply
the guidelines of the U.S. Sentencing Commission.
For further information, contact the Office of the Chairman, United
States Parole Commission, Department of Justice, 5550 Friendship
Boulevard, Chevy Chase, MD 20815. Phone, 301-492-5990.
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services
The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) was created
with the passage of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of
1994 to achieve several goals: to advance the philosophy of community
policing as a national law enforcement strategy; to deploy 100,000 new
police officers in community policing roles; to reinforce partnerships
that will sustain community policing; and to evaluate and demonstrate
the effectiveness of community policing to improve the quality of life
by reducing the levels of disorder, violence, and crime in our
communities.
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The primary activity of the COPS Office is the awarding of
competitive, discretionary grants directly to law enforcement agencies
across the United States and its territories. Over the life of the COPS
Office, approximately $8 billion in grant funding will be made available
to achieve these goals.
The COPS Office is headed by a Director, appointed by the Attorney
General, and is organized into several divisions. The Grants
Administration Division is responsible for developing and designing new
programs to provide resources for the hiring of new officers and to
further the adoption and implementation of community policing, reviewing
grant applications, maintaining liaison with the Office of Justice
Programs for financial review of applications, monitoring grant awards,
developing and maintaining databases to support policymaking,
participating in the evaluation of the grant programs, and coordination
of the Office's research agenda. Within the Grants Administration
Division are the Police Hiring section and the Program Planning,
Research and Evaluation section.
The Training and Technical Assistance Division is responsible for
coordinating the provision of training and technical assistance to
advance the adoption, implementation and sustaining of community
policing in the thousands of communities served by the COPS Office.
The Legal Division is responsible for providing legal advice to the
Director and other functional areas of the COPS Office, and for ensuring
compliance with the legal requirements applicable to the activities of
the COPS Office.
The Congressional Relations Division assists Members of Congress in
serving their constituents, thereby facilitating greater dissemination
of information about COPS programs and activities, and provides input in
program design and development and policy formulation so that programs
and policies reflect legislative intent and address congressional needs.
The Communications Division provides ongoing information about
community policing and COPS programs through every available channel of
communication, including timely and accurate responses to media
inquiries, interviews, public events, publications and related materials
produced by and for any telecommunication format.
The Intergovernmental and Public Liaison Division maintains channels
for communication and feedback regarding COPS programs with
representatives of interested local, State, and national organizations
and with local elected officials.
Finally, the Administrative Division provides support services to
the COPS Office, including resource management to recruit, train, and
maintain a professional workforce; fiscal resource management to perform
the accounting and budget formulation and execution functions necessary
to administer the COPS appropriation; facilities management to acquire
and maintain space, provide security, and procure supplies, equipment,
telephones, and other services; and information resource management.
Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the United States
The Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the United States is a
quasi-judicial, independent agency within the Department of Justice
which adjudicates claims of U.S. nationals against foreign governments,
either under specific jurisdiction conferred by Congress or pursuant to
international claims settlement agreements. Funds for payment of the
Commission's awards are derived from congressional appropriations,
international claims settlements, or the liquidation of foreign assets
in the United States by the Departments of Justice and the Treasury.
The Commission recently started an Albanian Claims Program, to
adjudicate claims and make awards compensating U.S. nationals for losses
resulting from nationalization, expropriation, intervention and other
property-taking by the Albanian regime which took power at the end of
World War II.
The Commission recently completed the adjudication of more than
3,100
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claims against the Government of Iran, which arose out of the 1979
Islamic Revolution. The Iran Claims Program resulted in total awards in
excess of $86 million between 1991 and February 1995, pursuant to the
June 1990 Iran-U.S. Settlement Agreement and the Iran Claims Settlement
Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 note).
The Commission also has authority under the War Claims Act of 1948,
as amended (50 U.S.C. app. 2001 et seq.), to receive, determine the
validity and amount, and provide for the payment of claims by U.S.
servicemen and civilians held as prisoners of war or interned by a
hostile force in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam conflict, or by the
survivors of such servicemen and civilians.
In addition, the Commission furnishes technical assistance and
advice to other Federal agencies and offices in planning new claims
adjudication programs, and negotiating international claims settlement
agreements. In addition, the Commission is responsible for maintaining
records and responding to inquiries related to the various claims
programs it has conducted under the International Claims Settlement Act
of 1949, as amended, involving the Governments of Yugoslavia, Panama,
Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Italy, the Soviet Union,
Czechoslovakia, Cuba, the German Democratic Republic, the People's
Republic of China, Vietnam, Ethiopia, and Egypt, as well as those
authorized under the War Claims Act of 1948, and other statutes.
The Commission's organization and functions are defined in the
International Claims Settlement Act of 1949, as amended (22 U.S.C. 1621
et seq.), the War Claims Act of 1948, as amended (50 U.S.C. app. 2001 et
seq.), and the Iran Claims Settlement Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 note).
For further information, contact the Office of the Chair, Foreign Claims
Settlement Commission of the United States, Department of Justice, Suite
6002, 600 E Street NW., Washington, DC 20579. Phone, 202-616-6975; or
fax, 202-616-6993.
Sources of Information
Controlled Substances Act Registration Information about registration
under the Controlled Substances Act may be obtained from the
Registration Section of the Drug Enforcement Administration, P.O. Box
28083, Central Station, Washington, DC 20038. Phone, 202-307-7255.
Employment The Department maintains an agencywide job line. Phone, 202-
514-3397.
Attorneys' applications: Director, Office of Attorney Personnel
Management, Department of Justice, Room 6150, Tenth Street and
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20530. Phone, 202-514-1432.
Assistant U.S. attorney applicants should apply to individual U.S.
attorneys.
United States Marshals Service: Field Staffing Branch, United States
Marshals Service, Department of Justice, 600 Army Navy Drive, Arlington,
VA 22202-4210.
Federal Bureau of Investigation: Director, Washington, DC 20535, or
any of the field offices or resident agencies whose addresses are listed
in the front of most local telephone directories.
Immigration and Naturalization Service: Central Office, 425 I Street
NW., Washington, DC 20536 (phone, 202-514-2530); or any regional or
district office.
Drug Enforcement Administration: regional offices, laboratories, or
Washington Headquarters Office of Personnel.
Bureau of Prisons: Central Office, 320 First Street NW., Washington,
DC 20534 (phone, 202-307-3082); or any regional or field office.
Office of Justice Programs, 633 Indiana Avenue NW., Washington, DC
20531. Phone, 202-307-0730.
United States Trustee Program, Room 770, 901 E Street NW.,
Washington, DC 20530. Phone, 202-616-1000.
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Foreign Claims Settlement Commission: Attorneys: Office of the Chief
Counsel, Suite 6002, 600 E Street NW., Washington, DC 20579 (phone, 202-
616-6975); Other: Administrative Officer, same address and phone.
Reading Rooms Located in Washington, DC, at: U.S. Department of
Justice, Room 6505, Tenth Street and Constitution Avenue NW.,
Washington, DC 20530 (phone, 202-514-3775). Bureau of Prisons, 320 First
Street NW., 20534 (phone, 202-307-3029); Immigration and Naturalization
Service, 425 I Street NW., 20536 (phone, 202-514-2837); Foreign Claims
Settlement Commission, 600 E Street NW., 20579 (phone, 202-616-6975).
Also at the U.S. Parole Commission, 5550 Friendship Boulevard, Chevy
Chase, MD 20815 (phone, 301-492-5959); Board of Immigration Appeals,
Suite 2400, 5107 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041 (phone, 703-305-
0168); some of the Immigration and Naturalization Service district
offices; and the National Institute of Justice, 9th Floor, 633 Indiana
Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20531 (phone, 202-307-5883).
Publications and Films The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin and Uniform
Crime Reports--Crime in the United States are available from the
Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC
20402.
The Annual Report of the Attorney General of the United States is
published each year by the Department of Justice, Washington, DC 20530.
Approximately nine textbooks on citizenship, consisting of teachers
manuals and student textbooks at various reading levels, are distributed
free to public schools for applicants for citizenship and are on sale to
all others from the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing
Office, Washington, DC 20402. Public schools or organizations under the
supervision of public schools which are entitled to free textbooks
should make their requests to the appropriate Immigration and
Naturalization Service Regional Office (See appropriate section of this
manual for mailing addresses.). For general information, call 202-514-
3946.
The Freedom of Information Act Guide and Privacy Act Overview and
the Freedom of Information Case List, both published annually, are
available from the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing
Office, Washington, DC 20530; and in electronic format through INTERNET-
Library of Congress. ISBN 0-16-042921-8.
FOIA Update (Stock No. 727-002-00000-6), published quarterly, is
available free of charge to FOIA offices and other interested offices
Governmentwide. This publication is also available from the
Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC
20402; and in electronic format through INTERNET-Library of Congress.
Guidelines for Effective Human Relations Commissions, Annual Report
of the Community Relations Service, Community Relations Service
Brochure, CRS Hotline Brochure, Police Use of Deadly Force: A
Conciliation Handbook for Citizens and Police, Principles of Good
Policing: Avoiding Violence Between Police and Citizens, Resolving
Racial Conflict: A Guide for Municipalities, and Viewpoints and
Guidelines on Court-Appointed Citizens Monitoring Commissions in School
Desegregation are available upon request from the Public Information
Office, Community Relations Service, Department of Justice, Washington,
DC 20530.
A limited number of drug educational films are available, free of
charge, to civic, educational, private, and religious groups.
A limited selection of pamphlets and brochures is available. The
most widely requested publication is Drugs of Abuse, an identification
manual intended for professional use. Single copies are free.
Copies of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission's semiannual
(through December 1966) and annual (from January 1967) reports to the
Congress concerning its activities are available at the Commission in
limited quantities.
Reference Service In 1972, the National Institute of Justice
established
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the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS). All five OJP
bureaus now support NCJRS, a clearinghouse of information and
publications concerning OJP programs and other information of interest
to the criminal justice community. The Office's National Institute of
Justice, which has supported the clearinghouse for almost 20 years,
provides most of the funding for the National Criminal Justice Reference
Service. Police, corrections agencies, courts, criminal justice
planners, juvenile justice practitioners, community crime prevention
groups, and others needing information for planning and problem solving
in criminal justice can refer to this international information service
specially designed to assist the justice community.
The National Criminal Justice Reference Service provides information
from its computerized data base system free or at a minimal cost to
users through a variety of products and services including the bimonthly
NIJ Catalog, which contains abstracts of significant additions to the
data base and pertinent information and a Calendar of Events announcing
upcoming training courses and conferences; selected hardcopy documents
upon request; three types of data base search packages; various
microfiche products; and referrals to other information sources. Under
contracts with OJP bureaus, the National Criminal Justice Reference
Service also operates the Drugs and Crime Data Center and Clearinghouse,
the Bureau of Justice Assistance Clearinghouse, the Justice Statistics
Clearinghouse, the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse, the National Victims
Resource Center, and the Construction Information Exchange. All the
Service's clearinghouses may be contacted on 800-851-3420 (toll-free);
or in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area on 301-251-5500.
The NCJRS Electronic Bulletin Board, with 3,000 registered users,
makes NCJRS' services available online. The Bulletin Board may be
accessed by modem on 301-738-8895.
Organizations and individuals may register to receive information
from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service by writing NCJRS,
Box 6000, 1600 Research Boulevard, Rockville, MD 20850.
Small Business Activities Contract information for small businesses can
be obtained from the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business
Utilization, Department of Justice, Tenth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue
NW., Washington, DC 20530. Phone, 202-616-0521.
For further information concerning the Department of Justice, contact
the Office of Public Affairs, Department of Justice, Tenth Street and
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20530. Phone, 202-514-2007
(voice); 202-786-5731 (TDD).