Watchdog: DHS employees lost 228 firearms over three years

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel lost more than 200 firearms and close to 1,900 badges over a three-year period, according to a new watchdog report.

Between fiscal 2014 and 2016, DHS personnel lost 228 firearms, 1,889 badges and 25 secure immigration stamps, with many left unattended or unsecured, DHS’s Office of the Inspector General said in an audit released Tuesday.

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Those numbers are down slightly from the inspector general’s last audit, conducted in 2010, which found that DHS personnel lost 289 handguns, rifles and shotguns over a three-year period.

The latest audit found personnel do not always safeguard sensitive assets, and were not always held accountable for failing to do so. In a review of 115 case files, auditors noted 65 instances where badges, firearms or stamps were not properly protected, according to the report.

In one example, two off-duty Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers left their firearms unattended in backpacks while on a beach in Puerto Rico. When the officers returned, the bags were gone.

In another instance, a Transportation Security Administration officer left his firearm in a bag in the back seat of his car while having dinner with his family. When the officer returned, the rear passenger side window was shattered and the bag was gone.

In a third case, a Customs and Border Protection officer left his backpack containing his wallet and government badge in an unlocked public gym locker. When he returned, his belongings were gone.

“DHS cannot ensure its sensitive assets do not fall into the hands of criminals or pose additional risk to national security and public safety,” the audit states.

A stolen ICE firearm was used to kill a man in a September 2015 robbery near San Francisco. Four other cases ended with police recovering lost assets from convicted felons, including three firearms and one badge, according to the report.

Of those 65 cases, 22 officers did not receive any disciplinary action, and none of the officers received remedial training, though the department’s policy does not require such training.

Items were typically lost or stolen from vehicles, residences or public locations.

The report also concluded that personnel were not properly tracking and recording the status of firearms, badges and stamps, making it difficult to locate assets.

The report included six recommendations for improving asset management in the department. Among the recommendations were strengthening the policy manual for asset management, re-training employees who handle property inventory records and standardizing law enforcement and non-law enforcement badges.

The Department of Homeland Security agreed with all six recommendations, according to the report, with target implementation dates in mid-2018.