United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office General Government Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1998-06-19 monographic deposited born digital 79 p. GA 1.13:GGD-98-117 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-117 P0b002ee180377f77 f:gg98117 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-117 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-117 GGD-98-117 Law enforcement agencies Intergovernmental relations Law enforcement information systems Internal controls Banking law Financial records Money laundering Law enforcement Confidential communication Treasury Project Gateway ONDCP High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program Letter Report GGD Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's (FinCEN) products and services in support of law enforcement, focusing on: (1) trends in the types and quantities of products and services provided by FinCEN to the law enforcement community; (2) the extent to which FinCEN's products and services have been considered useful by the law enforcement community in identifying, developing, or prosecuting money laundering and other financial crime cases; (3) the extent to which FinCEN evaluates the states' compliance with applicable controls over access to and use of information when state law enforcement officials directly access FinCEN's resources; and (4) FinCEN's efforts to provide Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 8300 information to the law enforcement community.<p/>GAO noted that: (1) FinCEN has expanded the types of products and services it provides to the law enforcement community; (2) in recent years, FinCEN has issued fewer tactical, strategic, and artificial intelligence products and has encouraged, trained, and increasingly relied on federal agencies to use the platform concept and state and local agencies to use Project Gateway to support cases that do not require FinCEN's expertise; (3) according to FinCEN, one significant reason for the decrease in the number of products issued was that its staffing levels have remained fairly constant over the years, while its overall mission has expanded to include: (a) responsibility for promulgating Bank Secrecy Act regulations; and (b) a leadership role in international efforts to combat money laundering; (4) respondents to surveys indicated that FinCEN's tactical products have been useful and assisted law enforcement investigations in ways not previously identified; (5) officials that had requested few or no tactical products from FinCEN generally did not indicate dissatisfaction with it; (6) some respondents were not aware of the various products and services offered, and FinCEN has neither developed nor widely disseminated general criteria or guidelines on when law enforcement officials should request its support; (7) according to federal and state officials, the platform concept and Project Gateway are useful tools for helping agencies combat money laundering and other financial crimes; (8) FinCEN data show that an increasing number of federal, state, and local agencies are using these self-help mechanisms to support their investigations; (9) while Project Gateway is designed to enhance the capabilities of state and local law enforcement agencies, this technological advancement increases the potential risk that sensitive information could be inappropriately accessed, used, or disclosed; (10) although FinCEN has established policies and procedures designed to limit access to and use of information obtained through the Gateway system, it has not evaluated the states' compliance with these controls; (11) in an effort to enhance its investigative support, FinCEN is seeking IRS approval to provide IRS Form 8300 information to law enforcement officials; and (12) however, several issues must still be resolved before FinCEN can obtain approval from IRS to disseminate this information. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-117/html/GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-117.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-117/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-117.pdf GAO/GGD-98-117 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-117 Letter Report GAO/GGD-98-117; Money Laundering: FinCEN's Law Enforcement Support Role Is Evolving; Law enforcement agencies Intergovernmental relations Law enforcement information systems Internal controls Banking law Financial records Money laundering Law enforcement Confidential communication Treasury Project Gateway ONDCP High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program Volume 102 Page 4181 102 Stat. 4181 Volume 110 Page 1452 110 Stat. 1452 Public Law 100-690 Public Law 104-168