The Department of Homeland Security had some 165 firearms and more than 1,300 badges and credentials either lost or stolen during a 31-month period, according to data obtained by Todd Shepherd, investigative reporter for the libertarian think tank the Independence Institute and founder of Complete Colorado.
According to Shepherd’s reporting, the firearms, badges and credentials belonged to sub-agencies under the DHS. Customs and Border Protection were responsible for just under half of the lost or stolen firearms with a bulk issued to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and a few under the care of the Transportation Security Administration.
Some 132 of the guns were reported stolen and 31 were reported lost.
CBP reported close to 900 of the badges or credentials lost or stolen, while ICE reported 300 missing and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services couldn’t account for 200.
When considering the DHS had more than 188,000 firearms issued to it over the course of eight years, the loss of 165 only represents less that one-tenth of a percent, Shepherd noted.
A total of 289 firearms were also lost between 2006 and 2008, according to a 2010 DHS Inspector General report.
Shepherd had also previously reported that DHS lost lost over 1,000 computers in fiscal year 2008.
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