The national program responsibilities, performed by OECE with the assistance

of other sections of CRM, include the following major functions:

To create 30 ECE geographic regions for the program's national scope;

To select site locations and Specialists for the ECE units;

O To coordinate the ECE program activities in all Federal judicial
districts and CRM through the ECE Specialist and their units;

To establish a reporting system including specific information
regarding investigative and litigative activities of the units;

To publish an ECE Bulletin describing: newly developed techniques in
the areas of prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution and
sentencing; significant cases; and relevant changes within the inves-
tigative and regulatory agencies;

To arrange training for investigative, program and prosecution personnel in the most recent developments in the investigation and prosecution of white-collar crimes;

To maintain effective liaison with the appropriate prosecutive, investigative, program and other agencies regarding program developments and goals;

To collect and maintain relevant statistical data on the performance
of the program in fraud and corruption matters in order to develop a
white-collar crime information system, and indicate areas for priority
treatment;

To prepare periodic reports to the Attorney General including an
annual overall report of the program; and

To obtain additional prosecutorial resources from the Department, as

available, to assist with the complex, quality cases developed at the

district level.

NATIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

During the past 19 months (February 9, 1979 through September 1, 1980), OECE has made substantial progress in fulfilling its responsibilities to implement an effective ECE program. In support of this conclusion, there are described below some of the major achievements at the national level:

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Selecting ECE Units: Following the formal creation of the ECE program the OECE engaged in a two pronged effort establishing ECE Units and implementing program objectives. The first phase of the OECE implementation plan was initiated by establishing seven ECE units between April and July 1979.

The process of selecting Federal districts within which to establish the initial seven ECE units focused on medium sized OUSAS* (determined by the number of AUSAs and overall caseload), considered the history of the OUSA's approach to white-collar crime, and took into account the economic conditions and flow of trade in multi-district regions.

In addition, it was designed to limit the Specialist's ECE region to Federal judicial districts in not more than two States. Finally, establishment of the

California was selected in order to assess the differing needs and approaches of operating an ECE unit in a large OUSA, which had an existing special unit prosecuting white-collar crimes.

units was contingent on the U.S. Attorney's support and adoption of the program's concept, goals and objectives, operational methodology, and district priorities.

The following chart identifies the number of districts, the States within which the ECE Specialist is to operate, and the relative size of each OUSA in terms of AUSAS and caseload for the initial seven ECE units.

Originally, the ECE unit in Denver was to cover Colorado and New Mexico, but the consideration of other factors led to a decision to restructure its geographic area.

** Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was selected to replace the Birmingham, Alabama site in the original plan until a Specialist could be found for that unit.

*** Criminal and civil cases filed by the OUSA for FY 1979. These figures are provided to show the relative size of the caseload for the selected OUSAS and do not consider the quality of the cases filed.

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At present, OECE has 18 ECE units operating, the original seven, and 11 additional units in: Boston, Massachusetts; Houston, Texas; Detroit, Michigan; Atlanta, Georgia; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; San Francisco, California; Dallas, Texas; Birmingham, Alabama; Phoenix, Arizona; Memphis, Tennessee; and New Orleans, Louisiana.

Selecting ECE Specialists: The staffing requirements of an ECE Unit is specified in the Attorney General Order. CRM is to employ the ECE Specialist and the U.S. Attorney is to assign at least three AUSAS full time to the unit for a minimum of 18 months.

Selecting an ECE Specialist is based upon the candidate's professional experience and proficiency, interest and expertise in the specialized area of white-collar crime, and personal attributes that could foster the development of professional working relationships among many agencies and groups.

Other factors in the selection process include: the willingness of the Specialist to assume a new role in and a new approach to investigations and prosecutions, including a willingness to perform functions not traditionally performed by a prosecutor; and the willingness of the Specialist to relocate to another geographical area. Finally, the appointment of the Specialist was subject to the joint approval of the Assistant Attorney General, CRM, and the relevant U.S. Attorney. Four of the first seven Specialists were hired from CRM, two from the Antitrust Division and one from an OUSA.

Reporting System: Consistent with the Attorney General Order, a comprehensive reporting system has been developed and implemented. This system, designed to facilitate CRM's responsibilities in coordinating and monitoring the activities of the ECE units, has recently been adjusted and standardized to acquire more effectively information about unit activities. The required reports include specific information regarding investigative and litigative activities of the units. This information forms part of a national information base to develop trends and patterns in criminal activity and identify multi-district cases so that OECE may ensure their proper coordination.

ECE Bulletin: A bi-monthly publication of the ECE Bulletin commenced in October 1979. In the survey of the seven ECE units, this publication generally received positive reaction from the AUSAS and the Specialists. The Bulletin focuses on substantive legal developments in the area of white-collar crime, and has helped to establish a stronger network of communication among the units.

National ECE Conferences: OECE has sponsored two national conferences to date: November 1979 in Washington, D.C., and May 1980 in Boston, Massachusetts. Among those attending the conferences were ECE Specialists, AUSAs, representatives of the OIGs, and other members of the law enforcement community. Conferences dealt with substantive legal questions and issues, and provided opportunities for round-table discussions of program problems and achievements. Most Specialists indicated that the conferences were an important part of the program's development. In particular, the conferences provided an opportunity to share experiences, develop personal contacts, and strengthen the coordination of inter-district matters.