IU alum steps up in FBI

An IU alumnus has been appointed to a significant position in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as the bureau undertakes an increased effort to fight terrorism.\nJohn Pistole, a veteran agent, began last week in his new role as the deputy assistant director for the FBI's counterterrorism division, which has tripled in size since Sept. 11, he said.\nAs its number two official, Pistole will face incredible responsibility in coordinating the counterterrorism division's domestic, international and financial review sections. He must also direct intelligence to other divisions such as the Central Intelligence Agency, he said.\nWith a major restructuring of the division underway to develop a more sophisticated counterterrorism program, FBI Director Robert S. Mueller was searching extensively to find the best people, said Doug Garrison, Chief Division Counsel for the Indianapolis Bureau.\n"Clearly the fact that Mueller picked him reflects very highly on John," said Garrison. "That's a very lofty position in the FBI."\nWith Pistole's past involvement in the bureau, the choice must have been clear. In his career, he has served in the Minneapolis, New York, Indianapolis and Boston field offices, gaining experience with work in complex organized crime investigations and other FBI programs as an investigator, supervisor and manager.\nHis impressive FBI career was set in motion by simple curiosity.\n"I actually had two acquaintances that were FBI agents," Pistole said. "I wanted to try and see what working for the FBI was all about."\nBefore joining the FBI in 1983, Pistole had practiced law in Anderson with his degree from the IU School of Law in Indianapolis. His practice proved a beneficial preparation for his career as an agent.\n"It gave me a disciplined approach to investigating and knowing what prosecutors need as evidence," he said.\nAfter over 20 years, Gerald Bepko, chancellor of IUPUI, remembered Pistole as a very talented individual. Being a former FBI agent himself, Bepko said he understood what an important position Pistole has achieved.\nThe nation's heightened concerns regarding terrorism has made this position even more vital.\nAs the White House is under fire for allegedly mishandling terrorism predictions prior to Sept. 11, Pistole sustained the claim the nature of the information did not justify a need for public alarm.\n"There was no specific threat," he said. "That was just good investigative work and speculation."\nAs some questioned the President's attentiveness in the fight against terrorism, Pistole had nothing but praise.\n"He's doing a fantastic job under extremely difficult circumstances, facing security issues domestically and internationally," Pistole said. "Both the FBI and CIA directors brief him every morning on security issues."\nYet another responsibility for Pistole is helping prepare the briefings. To be successful in fighting terrorism, he said the counterterrorism division must be sure to share reliable intelligence gathered from state and local police as well as internationally and coordinate this information among all various components of the FBI.\nThe public should not always be involved in such sharing, he said.\n"Anytime we see a credible threat with some specificity, we will share it with the public," he said. "Unfortunately, the information getting to the public lately is general and has no specificity. It's a difficult position to be in"