The U.S. Marshals Service can’t find an estimated 2,000 high-tech two-way radios that cost taxpayers millions of dollars, the Wall Street Journal found, after analyzing internal records obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request.
The agency has had difficulty tracking the whereabouts of the encrypted radios since 2011, the Wall Street Journal reported. Moreover, an agency official had been warned about the tracking problem — but did not take effective action.
“It is apparent that negligence and incompetence has resulted in a grievous mismanagement of millions of dollars of USMS property,” the Office of Strategic Technology within the agency reported in 2011, the Wall Street Journal found. “Simply put, the entire system is broken, and drastic measures need to be taken to address the issues.”
Some marshals interviewed by the Wall Street Journal said they were worried the radios might end up in the hands of criminals, who could then use them to tap into sensitive information about agents.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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