POLITICS - BATFE Loses Guns/Laptops

[cnjarvis]

This is the agency that expects dealers to maintain perfect records while they can't even keep their own "stuff" straight. Why doesn't this surprise me?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,424082,00.html

FOXNEWS.COM HOME > POLITICS

Audit: ATF Has 'Serious' Weaknesses' in Controls
Wednesday, September 17, 2008

WASHINGTON — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has sufficient controls over its explosives but serious weaknesses in its controls over weapons, laptop computers and ammunition, according to an audit by the Inspector General's office.

The audit report found that 76 ATF weapons and 418 laptops were lost, stolen or missing over five years until 2007.

The rate of loss per month for weapons has nearly tripled and risen dramatically for laptops since a 2002 audit by the Department of Treasury which was overseeing the ATF then.

ATF officials said the higher rate of laptop losses resulted primarily from adjustments ATF made to its inventory records to correct inaccurate data. But the report says that explanation lacks sufficient evidence.

The report found 53 percent of the weapons missing appeared to have resulted from the carelessness of employees or failure to follow ATF policy.

The ATF's rate for missing weapons and laptops was significantly higher than that of the FBI and the DEA, the report said.

"It is especially troubling that the ATF's rate of loss for weapons was nearly double that of the FBI and DEA, and that the ATF did not even know whether most of its lost, stolen, or missing laptop computers contained sensitive or classified information," the report stated.

[Old Ironsights]

Rules do not apply to Governments/Government Employees (except for the occasional scapegoat). Weren't you aware of that?

[Duff L Bagg]

If not a loose of his FFL license what fines would a dealer face if his record keeping were as shabby as the ATF's?
Maybe AFT agents would be a little more careful with their Firearms if they were held to the same standard.

[FWiedner]

Government and it's friends shouldn't be held accountable, after all, they're out there every day "putting their lives on the line".

[1886]

Rules do not apply to Governments/Government Employees (except for the occasional scapegoat). Weren't you aware of that?

Old I pretty much nailed it. Imagine your local gun shop telling the friendly folks at the ATF that he lost a couple of guns and had screwed up a couple 4473 forms. I am sure they would be most understanding. 1886.

[AJMD429]

Government and it's friends shouldn't be held accountable, after all, they're out there every day "putting their lives on the line".

[L8agin]

Sorry bureaucracy with a sorry arrogant attitude about a sorry job. what do expect from government run anything.
L8

[505stevec]

This is exactly why LE needs to stay local. If something like this happens at a local level heads roll. Well at least there is local outrage. In this case who cares? Or at least who will speak out?

[reo]

As a former cop, I would love to see some heads roll. Some of those Life Member dollars I sent to the NRA should be applied towards this...

[Ysabel Kid]

What every FFL holder should do is print out a copy of this article and keep it for their next BATFE audit. If they start harassing them, show the agents the article and say "well, at least I'm not in your class of incompetence".

Scratch that - federal agencies don't have any sense of humor!

[brucew44guns]

Maybe Sarah plans to "shake up" this agency as well.

[donw]

geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...the ATF would try their level best to imprison an FFL who did the same.

dollars to donuts, the "weapons" are in the possesion of ATF agents as "backup" or "throw-away's", or "i can have one 'cuz i'm ATF"

heads should roll, if justified...

[Old Ironsights]

geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...the ATF would try their level best to imprison an FFL who did the same.

dollars to donuts, the "weapons" are in the possesion of ATF agents as "backup" or "throw-away's", or "i can have one 'cuz i'm ATF"

heads should roll, if justified...

Except for the ones that were actually taken from the criminals who stole them... AFTER they had been used in crimes...

Heads should roll - period. But they probably won't.

Can't show problems in Homeland Security... that would show weakness and people might stop trusting the Gooberment...

[cnjarvis]

Scratch that - federal agencies don't have any sense of humor!

Maybe we shouldn't call them the "alphabet police" then...

[Old Ironsights]

Here's the AP report:

WASHINGTON - The ATF lost 76 weapons and hundreds of laptops over five years, the Justice Department reported Wednesday, blaming carelessness and sloppy record-keeping.

Thirty-five of the missing handguns, rifles, Tasers and other weapons were stolen, as were 50 laptops, the internal audit found. Two of the stolen weapons were used in crimes.

The audit by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine found "inadequate" oversight of weapons and laptops resulted in "significant rates of losses" at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

"It is especially troubling that that ATF's rate of loss for weapons was nearly double that of the FBI and DEA, and that ATF did not even know whether most of its lost, stolen, or missing laptop computers contained sensitive or classified information," he added.

In a Sept. 10 letter responding to the audit, ATF acting Director Michael J. Sullivan said his agency "agrees or partially agrees with most of the recommendations."

"We are revising our procedures of reporting losses of weapons or laptops," Sullivan said.

The audit looked at ATF's inventory of weapons, laptops, ammunition and explosives between Oct. 1, 2002 and Aug. 31, 2007.

It found that ATF lost three times more weapons each month than it had in a similar 2002 audit by the Treasury Department, which used to oversee the agency. (thank you Homland Insecurity) It also lost 50 times as many laptops as reported in the earlier audit.

Of the 76 weapons, 35 were reported stolen, 19 lost and 12 missing from inventories, investigators found. Of the 418 missing laptops, 50 were stolen, 8 lost and 274 could not be found during inventory. Another 86 laptops were unaccounted for because ATF had either destroyed or lost documents showing where they were, the audit concluded.

Two weapons reported stolen were used to commit crimes. In one instance, a gun was stolen from an ATF car parked outside the agent's home and later used to shoot through the window of another residence, the audit found. In the other, a stolen ATF gun was taken from a burglary suspect.

Additionally, ATF employees did not report 13 of the 76 lost weapons, or 365 of the 418 missing laptops, to internal affairs as required. ATF officials also did not report much of the lost equipment to the Justice Department.

Investigators could not conclude what was on 398 of 418 missing laptops — except that few were encrypted. That means any sensitive material on the laptops could have been exposed.

Moreover, "we found that ATF did not regularly attempt to determine whether the lost, stolen or missing laptop computers contained sensitive or classified information," the audit said.

But few — only 18 of 7,500 — ATF laptops were authorized to hold classified information.

Compared to weapons loss rates for the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration, the ATF misplaced almost twice as many guns. The audit found that the ATF lost .52 weapons per 1,000 employees, compared to .29 at the FBI and .28 at the DEA.

Fine's investigators concluded there were proper controls and oversight of explosives in ATF's possession, and good security for ammunition. However, nine of 20 ATF field offices surveyed did not have proper accounting methods for ammunition.

In a statement responding to the audit, ATF Assistant Director W. Larry Ford said the agency disciplined employees whose carelessness or improper handling of equipment resulted in losses.

"ATF is committed to safeguarding its inventory of weapons and laptop computers in the interest of public safety," Ford said. "ATF agrees that rigorous and thorough internal controls will enhance its ability to account for, and most importantly prevent, thefts and losses of weapons and laptop computers."

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Us and Them boys. Us and Them... and We are nothing but an excuse for Them to show off their Power.

[revolverjunkie]

just post a copy of the report so the ATF flunkies can see it bet they'll chill out
then again maybe they can read