FBI reduces access to information after spy case

WASHINGTON -- Since capturing a spy in its ranks, the FBI has reduced the number of agents with access to sensitive intelligence and conducted hundreds of polygraphs that have identified possible problems with about 10 employees, officials said.

Senior FBI officials said the intensified focus on preventing espionage also has increased the number of disciplinary cases in the last six months involving employees.

No new espionage suspects have been identified, officials said. Most matters have been referred to the FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility, which investigates internal wrongdoing, the officials said.

"Our goal is to bring the culture along to the point where security is considered part of the daily operations," said Ken Senser, a CIA employee who was brought over to the FBI in 1999 to improve internal security. He now oversees the FBI's new security division.

Over the last six months, the FBI has reduced by hundreds the number of employees who have access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI), which is even more sensitive than top secret intelligence.

Roughly half of the FBI's 28,000 employees held SCI clearance at times before the number was reduced. Officials said the new, lower figure is classified, but only employees with a need to know such information for their immediate jobs now hold the high-level clearance.

700 agents tested

Former CIA and FBI Director William Webster is wrapping up a massive review of the FBI's internal security in the aftermath of the Robert Hanssen spy case. The senior agent spied for Russia for more than a decade without U.S. detection.

While awaiting Webster's recommendations, the FBI agreed to answer questions from The Associated Press about some of the changes and findings already made.

FBI officials said they have conducted more than 700 polygraphs of FBI agents and workers with access to the most sensitive information and have identified a small number whose tests raised flags, such as possible deception, that warranted additional scrutiny.

Officials said the number was just over 1 percent of those tested -- just under 10 workers. They declined to be more specific, citing ongoing investigations and personnel privacy.

Officials said that some workers whose polygraphs raise initial concerns about deception may eventually be cleared because things like medical conditions can cause anomalies on the tests.