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Return to Article: Homeland Security nominee seeks to bring allies to department

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  A plea to the Nominee:

  Mr. Chertoff, abolish the useless BTS directorate, abolish ICE, and send the Office of Investigation (legacy Customs & Legacy INS investigations) back to CBP where we rightfully belong. Send the Air Marshals back to TSA to fulfill their Transportation Security mission. Send the FPS to the Secret Service who can better use them and incorporate them into its primary mission of protection. Allow Legacy Customs Office of Investigations get back to successfully conducting long-term complex investigations and please get our lost turf back from the over budgeted and under performing FBI. To accomplish this Mr. Chertoff, you must not cede any more DHS jurisdiction and responsibility to DOJ. You yourself are no longer with DOJ and your absolute loyalty must now be with the men and women of DHS and our mission of securing the Homeland. Don't try to make us a divison within the DOJ. Fight for us and we will fight for you! We are desperate for leadership and direction in ICE and DHS overall, please don't let us down Mr. Nominee!

  GovExec.com reader Posted January 25, 2005 10:01 AM
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  The Bush administration just doesn't get it when it comes to political appointments. The only people who can "tame" the Department of Homeland Security are cops - tough cops. The diverse law enforcement agencies and organizational cultures that make up the department will not respond to political hacks, lawyers, or political hack lawyers. The sooner the White House and the non-cops trying to run the agency wake up to this fact, the quicker things can be brought into line at DHS.

  Dennis White Posted January 24, 2005 10:20 AM
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  Wow, great choices. More lawyers leading this agency!!! I can't wait to see all the changes he will bring to DHS... Now just where the heck did I put those retirement papers?

  Senior, Senior, ICE Special Agent

  GovExec.com reader Posted January 24, 2005 9:33 AM
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  Wholesale changes do need to be made and at all levels. Regardless of what changes are made they are usually political hacks, not concerned with the overall operation only their future in Washington. If the changes are only made at the HQ level it will not change anything in the field - it still is the good old boy network.

  GovExec.com reader Posted January 24, 2005 7:07 AM
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  Oh great, that's all we need is more attorneys running things!! Haven't the current attorneys screwed up DHS enough? Chertoff needs to hire more people with back bones that are law enforcement directed rather than gutless, spineless attorneys that turn tail and give away the barn [or country] at the drop of the hat or whining, sniveling congressman. Hutchinson and Garcia have done NOTHING to improve the agency.

  GovExec.com reader Posted January 22, 2005 1:09 AM
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  What is it with the fascination about attorneys and their ability to lead an organization like DHS? Every one of Michael Chertoff's so-called "dream team" happens to be an attorney. What about leaders with extensive real-world experience and significant academic training in management like the kind found in most MBA and MPA programs? The last time I checked law schools offer very little, if any at all, training on actual managerial or leadership topics that would be beneficial to someone taking over a supervisory/leadership position at DHS. Most lawyers are pretty good at handling legal matters, but it may be time to bring in people with extensive leadership experience and fresh ideas who are skilled at managing large-scale organizations, especially dysfunctional ones like ICE.

  If more attorneys get put into high level positions within DHS then Michael Garcia (former AUSA) may not be held accountable for the meltdown that currently is taking place throughout ICE. What about looking for LEADERS instead of LITIGATORS to get DHS back on the right track? I'm sure the new and improved HR system that will be implemented later this year will entice successful managers from both within and outside government who are interested in taking on the challenges that DHS offers. After all, the whole idea of MaxHR is to hire the "best and brightest" for DHS. But then again, judging by the number of high-ranking officials to abandon DHS over the last couple of years, maybe not.

  Oh well. If Chertoff brings an army of attorneys with him at least they will be experienced enough to handle the onslaught of class action lawsuits that will undoubtedly be forthcoming in the next few years, once everyone realizes how the wonderful pay-for-performance system negatively affects them.

  GovExec.com reader Posted January 21, 2005 7:19 PM
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  It is my hope that Mr. Chertoff will do the right thing. I hope that he is a moral and ethical person. I hope that he can rebuild what was destroyed by Asst. Secretary Michael Garcia. I don't think that Garcia's gross incompetence is a secret in Washington. Garcia is the pink elephant in the room. He cannot be ignored. Garcia has not earned the respect of his employees and does not deserve to lead any organization. Mr. Chertoff will primarily be gauged by how he deals with his subordinates. The longer Garcia stays the more damage he will do. Garcia's is purposely ruining this agency partly because he wants this agency to do only immigration cases and partly because he wants to discredit the agents that blew the whistle on his handling of the ICE budget, and his determination to give our moneylaundering investigations authority to the DEA and the FBI. Operation Casa Blanca, the dismantling and arrests of the leaders of Colombia's North Valley Cartel, our continued sucess with the El Dorado task force, the seizure of money in Miami that were laundered by the ex-president of Nicaragua, our record drug seizures...all speak for themselves. We, as agents, have nothing to be ashamed of except for our boss. Mr. Chertoff, get rid of Garcia before he stinks you up like he did to Ridge and Hutchinson.

  concerned employee Posted January 21, 2005 6:17 PM