New FBI director Louis Freeh announced Tuesday the elimination of the third-ranking posts and more than 40 other jobs at FBI headquarters in a major reorganization.

Freeh, quickly putting his own stamp on the bureau after taking over Sept. 1, said he was abolishing the posts for associate deputy director for investigations and associate deputy director for admin-istration.By cutting those two jobs, the FBI's 12 assistant directors will re

port directly to Freeh and Deputy Director Floyd Clarke.

Freeh also eliminated 47 other positions, including all assistant section chiefs and special assistants below the deputy director level.

He said the reorganization was aimed at streamlining operations at headquarters, im-proving pro-duc-tivity and saving money.

Freeh said he still was studying ways to increase the number of FBI agents on the streets, including transferring more agents from headquarters and making field offices more efficient.

He called the reorganization "the first step in what I contemplate to be an ongoing evaluation of this organization's decision-making, administrative and operational strengths and weaknesses."

Freeh said he made his decisions independently of an 18-month reorganization study completed just after he took office.

Among the other changes, Freeh said:

- The special agent in charge of the Washington field office would become an assistant director. Previously, New York City was the FBI's only office headed by an assistant director.

View Comments

- The technical services and information management divisions will be merged.

- All units involved in background investigations of government appointees will be trans-ferred from the FBI's criminal investigative division to its personnel division.

- The intelligence division, responsible for catching spies, will be renamed the National Security Division.

FBI officials said Freeh also would appoint Burdena Pasenelli, the only woman in charge of a field office, and a Hispanic agent from Miami as assistant directors. The FBI in recent years has faced numerous allegations that it has discriminated against black, Hispanic and female agents.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.