07/18/01: FBI missing firearm, comp

[Freakapotimus]

Wednesday July 18 09:26 AM EDT

FBI Missing Firearms, Computers
By ABCNEWS.com

Justice Dept.: firearms, laptops missing from FBI.

Justice Department officials are investigating the disappearance of 449 firearms and 184 laptop computers - at least one containing classified information - from the FBI.

One weapon was stolen from an FBI agent's car in New Orleans and later used in a homicide in Detroit, an FBI official said.

The problem of missing weapons extends beyond the FBI. In March, an audit of the Immigration and Naturalization Service found that 539 weapons were unaccounted for.

Attorney General John Ashcroft on Tuesday ordered Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine to conduct a sweeping review that will include all Justice Department law enforcement agencies.

"Your review should focus on those items which if not properly controlled, might result in danger to the public or might compromise national security or investigations," Ashcroft wrote in a memo to the inspector general.

The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold an oversight hearing on the FBI today, and questions about the missing equipment are expected to be raised.

Back to Basics

The disclosure was the latest piece of bad news for the FBI. Already this year, the nation's top law enforcement agency has dealt with a spy in its ranks and problems with its Oklahoma City bombing investigation.

The FBI made the discovery during a top-to-bottom inventory as part of its "Back to Basics" review.

Officials started with an inventory of guns and laptops. The FBI does periodic reviews, but this was the first ever comprehensive review of ever single weapon in its inventory. The review, conducted over the past four weeks, counted weapons and laptops missing over the past 11 to 12 years.

FBI Acting Director Tom Ickard submitted the preliminary conclusions of the review to Ashcroft on Tuesday.

As part of the review, all supervisors must conduct a full-field search for the missing firearms by Sept. 30 and must open criminal investigations where the weapons missing belonged to fired or retired agents.

"The Department must ensure the highest standards for the inventory and the accounting of law enforcement equipment issued to Department employees and agents," Ashcroft said in a statement. "In order for law enforcement organizations to be effective, they must have the public's confidence in their ability to perform not only the most complex duties, but also the most basic responsibilities."

Computer Had Classified Information

At least one of the laptops contained classified information on two closed investigations, FBI officials said. Three others may contain other classified information, the officials said.The FBI has approximately 50,000 weapons and 13,000 laptops total. With the missing guns, 184 were stolen and 265 were reported lost or missing, according to FBI officials. Of the lost or missing weapons, 91 involved training weapons, 61 involved agents who retired, and four involved agents who died or were fired.

Now, agents will search for the weapons. "If we have it in our possession, we're gonna count it. If we don't, we're gonna find out why," one FBI official said.

Assessing the Blunder

The announcement of the missing firearms and computers comes as the FBI is under increased scrutiny for a series of recent blunders. But one expert said it is too early to judge the gravity of the situation.

"It's hard to evaluate. … the FBI has always had some poor record-keeping practices," said author and FBI expert Ron Kessler. "When you think of the number of firearms and the number of laptops the FBI has, it seems like a pretty small number. I wouldn't lump it in the same category as some of the other scandals."

In recent months, the agency has been criticized for failing to provide documents to Timothy McVeigh's defense attorneys, a move that postponed the Oklahoma City bomber's execution by nearly a month. Longtime FBI agent Robert Hanssen also pleaded guilty recently to charges he spied on the United States for the former Soviet Union.

Fine has open investigations into both the McVeigh and Hanssen cases. Now, it will probe the missing firearms and computers.

Also, William Webster, a former director of both the FBI and CIA, is heading a commission to investigate ways to improve security at the FBI.

Reported by ABCNEWS' Beverley Lumpkin, Pierre Thomas and Bryan Robinson.

[pyroarchy]

Stuff like this happens all the time, especially where I live there are 3 major military compounds, camp lejune, bogue airfield, and cherry point. And you see in the papers about marines stealing weapons and stuff to sell, I even saw on TV where the cops and SBI where doing a sting operation, and people where bringing them grenades 50 cal guns, and more, one person even tried selling them jet engines and missles, he was selling the jet engine for $500,000. I had a friend who did that he tried selling me a military issued blasting cap (used for igniting high explosives) but I refused so he gave it to me anyway, its so easy to steal from the military around here, they only check cars when something bad happens over seas cause they think a bunch of isrielies and such will try to blow up the airfeild or base.

[anhnonymous]

At 7/18/01 10:52 AM, pyroarchy wrote: Stuff like this happens all the time, especially where I live there are 3 major military compounds, camp lejune, bogue airfield, and cherry point. And you see in the papers about marines stealing weapons and stuff to sell, I even saw on TV where the cops and SBI where doing a sting operation, and people where bringing them grenades 50 cal guns, and more, one person even tried selling them jet engines and missles, he was selling the jet engine for $500,000. I had a friend who did that he tried selling me a military issued blasting cap (used for igniting high explosives) but I refused so he gave it to me anyway, its so easy to steal from the military around here, they only check cars when something bad happens over seas cause they think a bunch of isrielies and such will try to blow up the airfeild or base.

Ok...do not confuse the FBI with the marines or any military service. The FBI is like a corporation that works for the federal government. When you deal with paperwork, papers come up missing. Believe me it is nearly impossible to walk away with anything that was issued to you here on base. We have full accountability for everything. You cannot get on a marine base without clearance. And you don't have to lie to get your point across...have some tact man. I've never read anything in the papers about marines stealing weapons. Nor do I believe the fact that someone would advertise to sell a jet engine for $500,000. Everything must go up the chain of command. That makes it almost impossible to just "walk off" with anything. If you knew anything, you would know that 50 cal. rifles can be bought almost at any gun show, the military is not the only ones who have them. And it is highly unlikely that someone could pull a tim mcveigh on a marine base. I'm sure some things have snuck through the cracks but rarely ever.

[pyroarchy]

I'm not lying, it happens, and I mean marines take the stuff not regulars, there is a armory on base where the weapons are kept I've been there, they are all siting out with a bar that goes across to hold them against the rack and helps them from being stolen, and it is locked witha padlock, and at night very few people are left to keep guard, so its not impossible or almost impossible to steal from a military base. plus I meant .50 cal machine guns that were fully automated, i know you can buy virtually any gun at gunshows but most are semi-auto, as it is illegal in most states to own a fully-auto gun. And I see it in the paper about marines getting arrested for theft of weapons, documents, even fucking paper clips, and they get caught alot, it takes awhile usually, and around here where most of these military bases are along the waterway and sound it would be easy to steal stuff, cause I drive by them all the time in our boat, bogue airfield gets broke into alot by kids and people trying to steal stuff to sell. And that jet engine thing, I saw on courtTV they were going to sell it(i dunno when this was), and I was'nt confusing the FBI ith the marines, i was just saying that theft from law enforcment and military installments are common, military theft is common around with 3 bases all no more than 40 minutes away from each other.

[pyroarchy]

I forgot to comment on you saying that it is higly unlikly tht some one would pull a tim mcveigh on a base, but they are afraid that(i live on the east coast) some people would drive through shooting people, I goto school with marines and they talk about having to pull gaurd duty, and how they hate pulling out the sandbags and such, they beef up security when we do sonething overseas that pisses off other people.

[anhnonymous]

Maybe I was wrong. I guess if you know the right people but that's the "10%" that would do something like that. On our base it is heavily guarded.

[pyroarchy]

I have'nt heard anything latly about stealing, but I went on a feild trip for FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) to Cherry Point and the guy showed me all around, and they even let me take the guns apart and put them back together which was very cool, and they let me watch them do shooting drills with the machine guns and stuff. Cherry Point is like a big town and military base combined, they got gas stations, grochery stores, billard bars, paint ball courses, just about everything a normal town has, camp lejune is like that too, so taking something would be somewhat easy until you get caught, they could take a gun or something home then find a way to hide it good in their car and leave base.

[anhnonymous]

At 7/19/01 11:25 PM, pyroarchy wrote: they could take a gun or something home then find a way to hide it good in their car and leave base.

It's easy to leave base with anything, but my main point is that someone is responsible for it. We would know within a few hours if something was missing where as the FBI took weeks. Accountability is harder to cover up since that one person is accountable. If he took off and went U.A. or A.W.O.L. then it would take a little more time to locate.