The New York Times reports that the FBI is looking at significantly changing its role.
The idea, of course, is that other federal agencies (DEA, BATF, inspectors general of various departments, etc.) will take on some of the federal jurisdiction, while other crimes will fall back to state law enforcement.
Good news: Better focus on national security issues, less “grandstanding” by the Feds, less “federalizing” of law enforcement.
Bad news: Investigation of interstate crimes may require increased cooperation between state law enforcement officials — lack of which is why the FBI got into the picture in the first place. State law enforcement, beholden to state politics, may also be less inclined to enforce some politically unpopular federal laws, e.g., civil rights laws.
(Via InstaPundit)