Missing Weapons and Laptops at the FBI
You'd think that FBI agents, of all people, wouldn't lose track of weapons. Or laptops that hold classified documents.
The FBI reported 160 laptop computers as lost or stolen in less than four years, including at least 10 that contained highly sensitive classified information and one that held "personal identifying information on FBI personnel," according to a new report released today.
An undetermined number of the laptops -- between 10 and 51 -- contained classified information.
The bureau, which has struggled for years to get a handle on sloppy inventory procedures, also reported 160 missing weapons during the same time period, from February 2002 to September 2005, according to the report by the Justice Department inspector general's office.
Incompetence is the norm in the Bush administration, but tolerance of such widespread ineptitude in a federal agency is inexcusable.
It's remarkable that the agency doesn't have clear records designating the computers that were authorized to hold classified information.
"Without knowing the content of these lost and stolen laptops, it is impossible for the FBI to determine the extent of the damage these losses might have had on its operations or on national security," the inspector general's office said.
To the agency's credit, it hasn't been quite as reckless as in years past.
The 2002 report found nearly 1,000 missing firearms in Justice agencies, including at least 18 weapons later recovered by local police departments in connection with criminal investigations. Several were used in armed robberies and one was found in the pocket of a murder victim, according to the previous audit.
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