WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- The FBI is doing fewer investigations into traditional domestic crimes because of the shift of focus to counterterrorism, a Justice Department study finds.
For example, the analysis by the department's inspector general found cases related to violent fugitives alone have dropped sharply, with 11,617 fewer opened in 2003 than in 2000, prior to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Inspector General Glenn Fine said the study was intended to document the impact of the FBI's re-prioritization. The report was not critical of the shift of resources, and did not offer an opinion on performance, CNN reported.
One surprising finding was that despite a decrease of 26 percent in agents assigned to bank robbery cases, the FBI actually opened 485 more bank robbery cases in 2003 than in 2000.
The 135-page unclassified report is a condensed version of a classified 486-page report previously provided secretly to the FBI and Capitol Hill.
