Source: US FBI
Counterterrorism
Wray said the evolving nature of the terrorism threat demands stronger bonds between the Bureau and state and local law enforcement agencies.
He explained that lone actors—whether they be jihad-inspired homegrown violent extremists or ideologically or domestic-issue-driven domestic violent extremists—tend to act soon after they’re radicalized. This, combined with the fact that they tend to act alone or with few co-conspirators, doesn’t “leave a whole lot of ‘dots’ for those of law enforcement to connect, or a whole lot of of time for us to connect them,” Wray said.
“And to make matters worse, we often see them using easily-obtainable weapons like a firearm, a knife, a crude IED [improvised explosive device], or even something like a car against ‘soft targets’—which, of course, is just Intelligence-Community-speak for everyday people, living their everyday lives,” he said.
According to Wray, the ability for “angry, disaffected” individuals to find and network with like-minded people on the internet is giving would-be lone actors an unprecedented “sense of community and validation.”
“In a sense, social media serves as a sort of accelerant, facilitating access to propaganda and training materials, and providing a means for recruitment, target selection, incitement, and even operational planning,” he added.
The complexity of this threat underscores the importance of the FBI’s cooperation with local law enforcement, since local partners have an innate understanding of their communities, and thus, are “the eyes and ears in the fight against terrorism.”
Cyber
Wray also underscored the importance of the Bureau’s Cyber Task Forces, which unite the FBI with state and local partners to combat these threats. He said the FBI aims to train-up more state- and local-level experts, and to better equip the law enforcement to combat cybercrime.
“The cyber threat can’t be adequately addressed without collaboration across all levels of law enforcement, which is why we’ve set up Cyber Task Forces in all 56 of our field offices, a lot like the Joint Terrorism Task Forces you’re familiar with and that your folks may have been a part of for some time now,” he said. “The task force model allows us to share information more quickly, surge resources where they’re most needed, and collaborate with our partners more effectively.”
Task forces also let teammates exchange expertise and expand their cybersecurity skillsets, which proves especially important in the fight against what Wray called “‘middle-market’ cybercrime.” He defined this as cybercrime that demands the Bureau’s “specialized knowledge, training, and skills” to investigate, but that doesn’t “meet the threshold for federal prosecution.” By working side-by-side with the Bureau’s cyber experts on these kinds of cases, he said, state and local partners can learn from them and bring back lessons learned to their home law enforcement departments.
NIBRS Reporting
The FBI has made significant strides in expanding National Incident-Based Reporting System (or NIBRS) participation—with all 50 states and Guam now NIBRS-certified, Wray said.
But he said more law enforcement agencies need to share data with the FBI via NIBRS to keep Bureau crime reporting relevant and useful.
“NIBRS helps answer a lot of questions—about individual incidents, about trends, about offender relationships, and a whole lot more,” Wray said. “It can also help us determine where best to deploy our already-stretched and -scarce resources. I know I don’t need to tell this group that law enforcement resources and manpower are not infinite. But armed with data, we’ve got a much better idea of where our resources are needed the most.”
Wray acknowledged that getting started with NIBRS reporting can be time- and resource-intensive but noted that the FBI can help law enforcement agencies make this shift.
At the end of the day, he said, NIBRS participation isn’t only about the Bureau—it benefits the entire U.S. law enforcement community.
“Ultimately, by contributing data through NIBRS, you’re not just helping us,” he said. “You’re helping and supporting every other chief and sheriff across the country, and all the citizens they serve.”
Preventing Law Enforcement Officer Suicides
Wray also shone a spotlight on the issue of office wellness, calling the ability to recognize and process work-related stress a mark of strength.
He said he’s instructed Bureau leaders to cultivate an environment in which FBI personnel can feel comfortable asking for help if they need it. And he asked conference attendees to follow his lead.
“Set the example when the stress and the grind of your day jobs take hold again,” he said. “Take care of yourself, too.”
Wray tasked the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division to stand up the Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection, and the Bureau began collecting this data in 2022. But only 22 agencies reported data, he said.
“This is a problem we’re going to need a lot more data on if we’re going to really understand and change what’s happening in our profession,” he said. “So, I would urge every department here to participate and to help spread the message about our law enforcement suicide repository. The information that we glean and share could literally save lives.”