4-5-96. TWP: "At the Justice Dept., Big Government Keeps Getting Bigger" In the tug-of-war over downsizing the government, Republicans and Democrats still willingly take out the checkbook when crime is the issue. Over the past 16 years, a time in which both parties have controlled Congress, Justice's budget has grown by nearly 600 percent and its work force has expanded from about 55,000 employees to 94,000. Justice is only one part of this phenomenal crime- fighting growth. Where the federal government once relied mostly on the FBI, the federal buildup is creating several large police agencies. More than 41,000 criminal investigators now work for 32 federal agencies. "It has grown like Topsy," says former AG Griffin B. Bell. "What I worry about is that people with a badge many times can't manage power." Senior members of Congress with oversight responsibility for DoJ say they are considering ways to consolidate the government's law enforcement agencies under a more centralized command. Among the models under review are the JCS, which aerosols DoD hogstench, and the DCI, who perfumes spy pew. RIC_odj