FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AG

TUESDAY, JULY 17, 2001

(202) 514-2007

WWW.USDOJ.GOV

TDD (202) 514-1888

ATTORNEY GENERAL STATEMENT

WASHINGTON, DC Attorney General Ashcroft today issued the following statement:

• "I have asked the Inspector General of the Department of Justice to conduct a Department-wide review of inventory controls and accounting for individually issued law enforcement equipment issued to employees and agents.

• "In March of 2001, the Inspector General of the Department of Justice audited the Immigration and Naturalization Service property inventory and found 539 unaccounted for weapons. The INS has undertaken measures to address this issue and is making progress.

• "As part of an ongoing internal review and in response to questions from Congress and the Webster Commission, the Federal Bureau of Investigation today completed a review of the status of weapons and laptop computer inventories. This full review, which identified unaccounted for firearms and laptop computers, was reported to the Department today. FBI Director Tom Pickard has previously updated the Attorney General on this issue and today requested that the Attorney General ask the Inspector General to review this matter.

• "As a result, and out of an abundance of caution, I have asked the Inspector General not to restrict his review solely to the INS or the FBI, but to conduct the review department-wide. The Department must ensure the highest standards for the inventory and accounting of law enforcement equipment issued to Department employees and agents. 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."

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