NCJ Number
145687
Date Published
1993
Length
65 pages
Annotation
In the aftermath of the confrontation between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) and the Branch Davidians at Waco, Texas, the Department of Justice conducted an evaluation of the procedures followed by the Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), paying particular attention to the means used, the alternatives considered, and the decisions made in attempting to resolve the stand-off.
Abstract
The report concludes that the fire which destroyed the Branch Davidian compound on April 19, 1993, in which many inhabitants, including young children, died, was deliberately set by persons inside the compound and not by the FBI's tear gas insertion operations. It is not yet clear from medical reports whether those who died remained inside voluntarily, were being held hostage in the compound, or were shot in order to prevent their escape from the fire. According to this report, the evidence forecasting the intention of the Branch Davidian leader, David Koresh, to institute a mass suicide was contradictory and the FBI in fact developed a coherent negotiating strategy that took into account the possibility of mass suicide. This strategy appropriately placed tactical actions designed to increase agent safety above other negotiating considerations. All reasonable alternatives, including a protracted siege, were considered, and the plan to insert tear gas in stages over a 48-hour period while the FBI simultaneously prepared to reenter the compound was the most viable decision. 17 notes