Inside FBI tip line that failed during shooting

WASHINGTON – Until FBI Director Christopher Wray acknowledged Friday that the bureau’s tip line failed to act on crucial information about Nikolas Cruz more than a month before last week’s massacre at a school in Florida, the busy call center had operated in near-anonymity from its hub in rural West Virginia.

Nearly 4 million telephone calls and emails have poured into the so-called Public Access Line since the operations were consolidated six years ago.

Here’s a look at the operation: Question: How are tips routed to the FBI public access line?

Answer: Typically, calls are received at FBI field offices. Those with leads on potential crimes or threats to public safety are transferred to the call center at the FBI’s offices in Clarksburg, W.Va., the same location that houses the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Q: Who receives and assesses the information?

A: Former assistant FBI director Stephen Morris said more than 100 staffers handle the information, which is reviewed not only for the raw material but also for the source’s credibility. When possible, the information is evaluated against bureau databases to further verify it. Q: When is the tip referred for additional investigation?

A: The process can be largely “subjective,” Morris said. When a tip is determined to have investigative merit, a supervisor reviews the information before it is routed to the appropriate field office.

Q: How much information is not deemed worthy of additional investigation?

A: Nearly 98% — or 1.4 million — reports to the FBI’s tip line in 2017 did not warrant follow-up investigation. Morris said it is not uncommon to field calls that have no connection to threats or potential criminal activity.