Firearms and Explosives:
Information and Observations on ATF Law Enforcement Operations
GGD-93-73BR: Published: Jun 24, 1993. Publicly Released: Jun 24, 1993.
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Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms' (BATF) firearms and explosives activities, focusing on: (1) the types of cases the BATF Office of Law Enforcement investigates; (2) how BATF special agent allocations are determined; (3) how BATF sets firearms and explosives law enforcement priorities; (4) the results of BATF firearms and explosives cases; (5) how the BATF Office of Law Enforcement uses referrals; (6) the effectiveness of BATF firearms traces; and (7) how BATF handles firearms and explosives it takes into custody.
GAO found that: (1) the BATF Office of Law Enforcement investigates primarily firearms cases and, to a lesser extent, explosives, arson, alcohol, and tobacco cases; (2) from 1988 through 1992, BATF steadily increased its firearms investigative staff and funding; (3) BATF bases its special agent allocations on internal and external staffing commitments, staffing formulae, emerging crime trends, and promotions and retirements; (4) although BATF staff allocations are influenced by the total number of violent crimes, it does not consider data on the total number of reported violent crimes committed with firearms; (5) the BATF national law enforcement strategy is based on the Crime Impact Program, which BATF uses to set crime priorities, set work objectives, and monitor accomplishments; (6) of the cases BATF recommended for prosecution between 1988 to 1991, most involved firearms violations and most defendants were convicted; (7) BATF uses referrals from its compliance inspectors to initiate and develop cases, but does not systematically evaluate the overall quality of compliance referrals; and (8) although BATF handles a large volume of firearm traces annually, it does not evaluate the usefulness of the traces in terms of timeliness or investigative value.
Oct 26, 2020
Intellectual Property:
CBP Has Taken Steps to Combat Counterfeit Goods in Small Packages but Could Streamline EnforcementGAO-20-692: Published: Sep 24, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 26, 2020.
Sep 30, 2020
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Federal Criminal Restitution:
Department of Justice Has Ongoing Efforts to Improve Its Oversight of the Collection of Restitution and Tracking the Use of Forfeited AssetsGAO-20-676R: Published: Sep 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 30, 2020.
Sep 10, 2020
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Federal Tactical Teams:
Characteristics, Training, Deployments, and InventoryGAO-20-710: Published: Sep 10, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 10, 2020.
Sep 8, 2020
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VA Police:
Actions Needed to Improve Data Completeness and Accuracy on Use of Force Incidents at Medical CentersGAO-20-599: Published: Sep 8, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 8, 2020.
Aug 13, 2020
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Anti-Money Laundering:
FinCEN Should Enhance Procedures for Implementing and Evaluating Geographic Targeting OrdersGAO-20-546: Published: Jul 14, 2020. Publicly Released: Aug 13, 2020.
Jul 29, 2020
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Federal Prison Industries:
Actions Needed to Evaluate Program EffectivenessGAO-20-505: Published: Jul 29, 2020. Publicly Released: Jul 29, 2020.
Jul 8, 2020
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Gun Control:
DOJ Can Further Improve Guidance on Federal Firearm Background Check RecordsGAO-20-528: Published: Jul 8, 2020. Publicly Released: Jul 8, 2020.
Jun 22, 2020
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Federal Prisons:
Additional Analysis Needed to Determine Whether to Issue Pepper Spray to Minimum Security PrisonsGAO-20-342: Published: Jun 22, 2020. Publicly Released: Jun 22, 2020.
May 26, 2020
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Bureau of Prisons:
Improved Planning Would Help BOP Evaluate and Manage Its Portfolio of Drug Education and Treatment ProgramsGAO-20-423: Published: May 26, 2020. Publicly Released: May 26, 2020.
May 12, 2020
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Forensic Technology:
Algorithms Used in Federal Law EnforcementGAO-20-479SP: Published: May 12, 2020. Publicly Released: May 12, 2020.
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