The FBI—Past, Present, and Future
Wednesday: October 23, 9:30 a.m. – 12 noon
Bethany Congregational Church 556 N. Hope Avenue, Santa Barbara
VISTAS member price: $20; non-member price $30
Presented by Tom Parker
While the FBI is considered one of the world’s premier investigative agencies and has had a century of successfully fulfilling its criminal investigative and national security missions, it has been criticized in recent years for its handling of several difficult cases. These include the Waco, Ruby Ridge, and Wounded Knee sieges; the Oklahoma City bombing investigation; the Robert Hanssen spy case; and the alleged improper use of confidential informants and wiretaps. Some members of Congress and presidential administrations have called for increased oversight and reform or, perhaps, dismantling of the FBI and transferring its domestic and international security functions to another agency. This presentation will provide an overview of the history of the FBI from the perspective only an insider could have and will simultaneously explore some of those calls for change in the present and future responsibilities of the FBI.