The FBI measures success by the number of convictions they achieve; they are a law enforcement agency and have defined their job as catching, convicting, and imprisoning criminals. If they can’t amass the evidence necessary to prove in court a defendent is a criminal, they can’t act.
Be clear, if the FBI tries to “prevent crime” that hasn’t yet happened, they will be sued for violation of civil rights. This is particularly true in the case of “known wolf” shooters and bombers.
Such individuals do not collude with others, plotting their misdeeds alone, and sometimes brag they will do so online, in social media. I suspect there are thousands who make such claims for each one who carries them out. Should we warehouse them all? Under what law?
This is a difficult issue for the Bureau, and for law enforcement in general. People can legally say virtually anything other than “FIRE” in a crowded theater, without fearing arrest - First Amendment rights. So people say they will do something horrible, and a few of them actually do what they said.
How do we deal with this? I’m fresh out of ideas, we can’t very well lock up all who make the claims or our prison budget would quadruple. Bring back mental hospitals? Monitor social media sites so people can’t post outrageous things?
