Law Enforcement
Judge again orders reinstatement of Bureau of Prisons union contracts, but stops short of contempt
U.S. District Judge Jordan Oliver found that the agency’s re-termination of its collective bargaining agreements last week violated last month’s preliminary injunction but said he would not police individual contract infractions.
AI offers Secret Service unique mission enhancements, official says
Threats against the Secret Service’s full-time protectees are up over 40% since last year. The service’s CIO and CAIO Chris Kraft said AI “can help us as we investigate those threats, monitor those threats [and] bring together correlations between seemingly disparate information.”
ICE resists automatic activation of body cameras despite oversight concerns
Federal investigators found gaps in guidance for immigration officers’ use of body-worn cameras, raising concerns about whether the agencies can ensure the devices are used as required.
Bureau of Prisons re-terminates union contracts despite court order
Attorneys for the Trump administration said there is nothing in U.S. District Judge Vernon Oliver’s preliminary injunction preventing BOP from canceling its collective bargaining agreements a second time.
Bureau of Prisons is the latest agency ordered to reinstate union rights
As of Tuesday, at least one correctional facility has refused to recognize its union local, in apparent contravention of a preliminary injunction issued last week.
Updated
ShinyHunters claims FBI data theft, demands bureau retract cyber warning
The hacking group says it obtained sensitive employee and applicant records. The full scope of the claimed breach remains unclear.
Blanche is confirmed. Now Congress needs to hold him accountable
COMMENTARY | A former Justice Department staffer argues that Congress must protect whistleblowers and demand answers when the agency crosses the line.
Plans to move FBI headquarters to Reagan Building blocked by federal judge
A federal judge in Maryland ruled that the Trump administration's decision to move the FBI headquarters to the Ronald Reagan Building runs counter to spending bills passed by Congress.
Attorney general violated Hatch Act ethics rules, nonprofit says
Good government groups have filed Hatch Act complaints against several Trump administration officials.
Todd Blanche is officially the nation’s top law enforcement official
Trump’s former personal attorney takes over the Justice Department after a contentious Senate confirmation vote.
Secret Service phone security lapses put US officials at risk, watchdog says
The DHS inspector general found that agents routinely used personal phones for official work, including during protective operations, because government-issued devices lacked key capabilities.
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TSA workforce, aviation leaders challenge Trump push to expand privatized airport screening
The proposal would require hundreds of small airports to join the Screening Partnership Program and shift thousands of TSA jobs.
VA security personnel aren’t detecting knives or booze, according to a watchdog report assessing medical facility security
The Government Accountability Office highlighted that there are staffing shortages among VA police, but department officials say they have taken steps to address the issue.
$1 billion Secret Service funding boost plan draws scrutiny over limited details
Lawmakers are seeking a clearer breakdown of how the funds would be used as debate continues over security upgrades, modernization projects and the scale of the request.
More than 3-in-4 allegations of sexual assault against federal prison staff are going unresolved
Such allegations are spiking and the Justice Department is failing to implement key reforms meant to institute a zero-tolerance policy toward prison rape, GAO finds.
Career agent confirmed to lead ATF despite GOP’s past push for the agency’s elimination
New Director Robert Cekada testified that the Trump administration wants to increase the number of officers at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which some Republicans have previously proposed to abolish.
Federal agents made hundreds of protest arrests that prosecutors couldn’t sustain
A review of more than 300 cases tied to ICE and CBP immigration sweeps found charges frequently dropped or lost, exposing gaps in evidence, training and coordination.
DHS has no top cop. Congress should fix that
COMMENTARY | Without a Senate-confirmed law enforcement deputy, DHS has no official to answer for ICE, CBP or Secret Service actions.
Postal Service sets up mental health peer support program for its law enforcement officers
The mental health of federal law enforcement employees has been a focus of lawmakers in recent years.
FBI gathered intelligence on reporters, religious orgs using ‘assessment’ authority, watchdog report says
The bureau also undercounts analysts’ non-compliance with assessment policies because it relies on self-reporting and infrequent audits, the sensitive GAO review adds.
