WWW.USDOJ.GOV

STATEMENT BY THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Stephen R. Colgate, Assistant Attorney General for Administration, U.S. Justice Department issued the following statement in response to Congressman Stephen Horn's assessment of the Department's Y2K readiness:

"As the Department's Chief Information Officer and Y2K Program Manager, I can assure Congressman Horn and the American citizens that the Department of Justice will be fully ready to meet any Y2K law enforcement challenges. Federal agents will have access to the necessary tools to enforce our laws and there will be no interruptions in our law enforcement efforts due to computer malfunctions.

"As Congressman Horn noted today, three of the Department's mission critical systems, one in the FBI, another in DEA, and a third in the Tax Division, have not been reported as Y2K compliant. All three are office-automation systems that provide basic word processing and administrative systems support and have been successfully deployed in individual offices at headquarters and in field offices. Each system has cleared Y2K testing and validation procedures, but until all the systems have been fully deployed to every office, the Department of Justice does not declare a system to be Y2K compliant. All three systems are expected to be fully deployed and implemented by mid-December.

"In addition, there are contingency plans in place for all mission critical systems in Justice and each contingency plan has been verified and validated by an independent contractor.

"I am confident that the Department of Justice will be ready for the new Millennium."

99-567