Grassley's comments came as the Inspector General (IG) for the Justice Department released audits of missing weapons and computers at Justice Department agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Grassley said the problem has real consequences, in criminal acts and danger to national security. "The report shows that the problem of missing guns at the FBI, in particular, is a mess, and it's been that way for years. It stems from weak discipline, lax standards, tardy reporting and few, if any, consequences. Tracking deadly weapons and computers with sensitive information may seem like housekeeping to some in law enforcement, but it's critical to public safety, national security and the credibility of these agencies," he said.
Today's findings, coupled with those uncovered by the IG in a similar audit in March 2001 of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), indicate that the five Justice Department agencies collectively reported at least 775 weapons and 400 laptop computers as lost, missing or stolen during the time periods audited.
According to the IG, the INS and the FBI reported the largest number of missing weapons, 539 and 212 weapons respectively. The FBI had an additional 211 weapons reported missing outside the audit time period. None of the other three agencies reported more than 16 missing weapons. The FBI also reported missing 317 of its more than 15,000 laptop computers. The content of 218 of the missing FBI computers was unknown and could have stored sensitive law enforcement information.
Grassley said the IG reports make common-sense recommendations that should have been adopted years ago, especially improved accountability inside the agencies. He cited several disturbing examples of lax discipline, including one FBI agent who left his handgun in a public telephone booth and got nothing more than a letter of censure and another FBI agent who left his backpack containing his handgun on the ground next to his car after he drove away but received nothing more than a letter of censure.
Grassley said the IG also pointed to a third FBI agent who stored one of this handguns among sweaters in a closet in his home and another in a briefcase. A friend of this agent's daughter stole both of these handguns. One gun was quickly recovered. The other was ultimately found in the possession of a felon facing a murder charge. In the end, the FBI determined that this agent took "reasonable care," and the agent received only counseling on handling his weapon properly.
Concerns about missing weapons and computers in Justice Department agencies first surfaced in July 2001. At that time, Grassley asked the IG for the Treasury Department to conduct a similar review of the law enforcement agencies within Treasury. Those findings have not yet been released.
Grassley is a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, which oversees the Justice Department. And he is the top Republican on the Finance Committee, which oversees the Treasury Department. He has a long record as an effective watchdog over federal law enforcement agencies.
To access today's reports of the Justice Department IG, go to www.usdoj.gov/oig, and click on"What's New."