Report: DEA loses guns, computers

WASHINGTON, March 29 (UPI) -- The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has deficiencies in tracking its weapons and other government property, a government report said.

The report by the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General found "significant deficiencies" remain despite the DEA's efforts.

More than 90 weapons, including pistols, rifles, shotguns and a submachine gun, and 230 laptop computers have gone missing at DEA over the past five years, The Washington Times reported Saturday.

"The DEA has made improvements to its internal controls over weapons and laptop computers since our 2002 audit, such as conducting physical inventories and reconciling these inventories to its financial system records," Inspector General Glenn Fine said. "However, we concluded that the DEA still requires significant improvement in its overall controls on weapons and laptops."

DEA spokesman Garrison Courtney said the agency has cut its rate of loss for laptops, and noted it has taken disciplinary action in cases of lost weapons, the newspaper reported.

"DEA has recently implemented new interim policy regarding the detailed reporting of lost, stolen and missing laptop computers by all DEA personnel, as well as reporting potential losses of sensitive information ... that may have been contained on lost and stolen laptops," Courtney was quoted as saying.