U.S. State Dept. seeks police powers

WASHINGTON, July 31 (UPI) -- The U.S. State Department has asked Congress to give the passport agency law enforcement status, saying it is needed to combat fraud.

Brenda Sprague, deputy assistant secretary of state for passport services, told a Senate subcommittee Thursday police powers will allow the department to obtain information from other law enforcement agencies, The Washington Times reported.

A report this year from the Government Accountability Office said that in 2008 undercover investigators applied for seven passports using fraudulent documents. Five of the passports were granted, although two were later rescinded and retrieved from the U.S. Postal Service.

Gregory Kutz of the GAO testified investigators deliberately created applications that should have been questioned, including using photographs of one person for several passports.

Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., the subcommittee chairman, has introduced a bill endorsed by Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., and Sen. Joe Lieberman, Ind-Conn. The measure also orders Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to consider using fingerprints or other biometric data on passports.