I-Drive Bad

Few organizations can have as much expertise scouring computers for data as the FBI, which makes this story especially ridiculous:

In an oversight that could impact cases nationwide, the FBI (news - web sites) hasn't routinely searched a special computer space where agents store investigative documents to see whether those materials should be sent to defense lawyers, Congress or special investigative bodies like the Sept. 11 inquiry.

The existence of the unsearched "I-drive" computer files, brought to the attention of The Associated Press by concerned FBI agents, could give lawyers an avenue to reopen numerous cases to determine whether documents that could have aided the defense of criminal defendants were withheld.

The FBI is uncertain about the nature or breadth of the documents on the computer space and has asked its internal investigation unit, its inspection division, to determine how many documents on I-drives in FBI offices across the country did not make it into official case files, officials said Monday.

Comments

[JD]

Not too surprising, given what I've heard about the FBI. The wife of a cousin of mine works for the FBI, and she told us that the last time the threat level was raised (Super Bowl time, I think?) her office found out about it by watching CNN.

[JD]

Not too surprising, given what I've heard about the FBI. The wife of a cousin of mine works for the FBI, and she told us that the last time the threat level was raised (Super Bowl time, I think?) her office found out about it by watching CNN.

[Mo]

JD, does that say more about the FBI, the DHS or the color-coded threat levels? You would think the DHS would send out an email or make some sort of announcement to let the other departments know there was going to be a shift in the security level.

[dj of raleigh]

Either our institutions are starting to fail,
or we're starting to find out they've been failing.

[Brady]

After 9/11, reports came out of the FBI saying they did not have document searching technologies present in grade schools and universities. This is not surprising.

[Chuck]

AH, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

HaHaHaHaHaHa...Heh, Heh. Heh.

Jesus H. Fucking Christ...

[Chris Howell]

Dispite the FBI's reputation for high-tech crime fighting, they seem to be woefully uneducated when it comes to computers(at least some agents).

I seem to remember a news story not too long ago that outlined failure of FBI interoffice communication because some agents shy away from email, or don't use it at all. They just never learned to use desktop PC's.

I'm really surprised that quite a few people my age (mid 40's) won't bother to learn how to use a PC or email. However, it should be required to know how to use a PC when you work for the paramount law enforcement agency in the U.S.

[Jimmy Antley]

The problem is one of manpower. They don't have enough geeks to do all this important stuff, cause the really good ones are checking college students' hard drives for ripped copies of old Beach Boys and ABBA songs.

"so long, see ya honey.
you can't find me where you're runnin.
You know it's not worth tryin',
so long, so long, so long."

Sorry, I wish that album hadn't warped to all hell.

[Glen]

Isn't this just pathetic?

[Andy]

If this was Fark, it would have an obvious tag.