Criminal misconduct by US border officers has hit a 5-year high - Quartz
Criminal misconduct by US border officers has hit a 5-year high - Quartz |
- Criminal misconduct by US border officers has hit a 5-year high - Quartz
- MP Olga Vasylevska-Smaglyuk did not take bribe but had offers - 112 International
- Law enforcers have all grounds for holding of pretrial check in Vasylevska-Smaglyuk case - 112 International
- Criminal arrests of border agents have surged amid aggressive hiring practices - Shareblue Media
- Yes or no: Do you really, really want to go into space? Lie detectors could be used in Russian cosmonaut recruitment - RT
| Criminal misconduct by US border officers has hit a 5-year high - Quartz Posted: 24 Oct 2019 05:23 AM PDT Criminal misconduct by US border officers has reached a five-year high, according to an internal US government report obtained exclusively by Quartz. The offenses range from fraud to capital murder. The 68-page document covers disciplinary actions within US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the US Border Patrol for the federal government's 2018 fiscal year, which ended Oct. 1, 2019. The unredacted data provides the most comprehensive look yet at the agency's disciplinary apparatus. The number of arrests of CBP officers and Border Patrol agents, according to the report, had been on a half-decade decline before leaping 11% between fiscal years 2017 and 2018. (Arrests of officers and agents increased annually starting in 2007 and hit a high of 348 in 2012 before going down again.)  "[A]n unacceptable number of CBP employees are arrested each year for violating federal, state, or local law," the report says. Of 268 CBP employees arrested in fiscal 2018, 11 were arrested twice; one was arrested four times; and one was arrested five times, resulting in a total of 286 arrests.
That's an arrest rate of about 0.5% of the overall CBP force, which numbers more than 60,000. While the percentage seems small, it is about five times that of other US law enforcement agencies. Arrests of state and local police, for example, occur at an average rate of about 0.1% of the force per year, according to the Henry A. Wallace Police Crime Database. Corruption, specifically, has been an enduring problem for CBP, Border Patrol's parent agency. A 2015 audit by CBP's integrity advisory panel found that "arrests for corruption of CBP personnel far exceed, on a per capita basis, such arrests at other federal law enforcement agencies." Although it does not break down individual cases by year, 144 CBP employees were arrested or indicted on corruption charges between fiscal year 2005 and fiscal year 2012. "The true levels of corruption within CBP are not known, nor is there an evaluation based on sophisticated risk analysis," it says. The fiscal 2018 discipline report lists seven corruption-related arrests for the year, four for unspecified white collar crimes, one for mission-related misconduct, and 12 for "miscellaneous misconduct." It does not provide details or a comparison to corruption-related arrests in past years. Border corruption is enough of a problem that the FBI has a task force dedicated entirely to rooting out rogue border officers and agents. James Tomsheck, CBP's chief of internal affairs from 2006-2014, told Quartz that the number of arrests detailed in the report are "high for any organization." And, as Christopher Herrmann, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a former New York Police Department crime analyst, explained in an earlier interview with Quartz, they may in fact be artificially low due to "professional courtesy." "Obviously if it's a major crime, those aren't things you can sweep under the rug," Herrmann said. "But even lower felony stuff might get overlooked. There's so much passing over of bad things when cops do it." Faster isn't betterThis uptick in misconduct may be in part the result of a hiring surge ordered by US president Donald Trump last year as he ramped up efforts to crack down on illegal immigration at the southern border. Issuing an executive order, Trump demanded the Border Patrol add 5,000 new agents "as soon as is practicable" to help fulfill his agenda. Past hiring sprees ordered by political decree have also led to more problems with conduct at the immigration enforcement agency. In 2006, US president George W. Bush ordered the hiring of an additional 8,000 Border Patrol agents. To achieve that, training for new agents was reduced, and background checks on candidates were truncated or not performed at all. There is "a clear relationship" between wrongdoing and those hired during surges, Tomsheck said. A 2012 audit by the Government Accountability Office found that a hiring rush then attracted an unknown number of recruits who joined "solely to engage in mission-compromising activity." According to Tomsheck, more than 30 people during this period, in fact, confessed to having applied for the job at the direction of drug traffickers. "Hiring surges afford infiltrators an opportunity that doesn't otherwise exist," he said. A spokesperson for CBP told Quartz that any "decision to change any aspect of the hiring process should not result in the erosion or lowering of agency standards. All successful applicants must still pass a polygraph examination, strenuous vetting checks, and the highest level of background investigation available, in addition to still undergoing basic training at our academies. We are confident that our recruiting and hiring processes are exceptionally strong." It all boils down to one thing, argues Tomsheck: Patience. "There has to be some acceptance and understanding that making suitability determinations for any law enforcement organization has to be a carefully conducted, thorough process," he said. "Attempting to compress or expedite that process is nearly certain to introduce errors and compromise the integrity of the workforce." Rogue's galleryAccording to the report, there were 57 domestic violence-related arrests within the CBP and Border Patrol ranks last year, a 10.5% increase over the year before. Alcohol-related driving offenses accounted for 94 arrests CBP-wide. One Border Patrol agent was arrested for a DUI twice in one week, losing his gun, ammunition, radio, baton, and handcuffs in the process. He received a 45-day suspension. Another was charged with a felony DUI, "after crashing into another vehicle while driving the wrong way on the interstate," the report says. Outside of arrests by law enforcement, the new CBP report says that 9% of the CBP workforce was accused by supervisors or members of the public of "some degree of misconduct resulting in formal disciplinary action" last year. Two CBP officers and one Border Patrol agent were also fired after being convicted of felonies. (Removal from federal service is mandatory after a felony conviction.) Under certain circumstances, some officers and agents are allowed to quit before they can be fired. As Quartz reported in August, Border Patrol agent Jason Andrew McGilvray agreed to resign and forfeit his security clearance after pleading guilty to assaulting a migrant. CBP will impose indefinite suspensions when there is reasonable belief that an employee committed a crime. In fiscal 2018, 37 CBP employees were indefinitely suspended, a 42% increase from the year before. Reasons for indefinite suspensions in fiscal 2018:
"The public has placed a great deal of trust in CBP and with that trust comes an expectation that CBP employees will perform their duties with a level of integrity that includes transparency, accountability, and professionalism," the report concludes, adding, "Those who breach the public trust by engaging in misconduct will continue to be held accountable for their actions."  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MP Olga Vasylevska-Smaglyuk did not take bribe but had offers - 112 International Posted: 24 Oct 2019 04:49 AM PDT MP from the Servant of the People Olga Vasylevska-Smaglyuk did not take bribe but she received the offers as 112 Ukraine reported citing the polygraphologist as the lawmaker passed the polygraph test. The expert noted that Smaglyuk is concealing some information. "She did not take money for the solution of some issues. The only thing is that she conceals information that similar, and it is spotted, offers took place. Possibly, not directly to her because in such case the reaction has more associative nature but our person under the test is aware of presence of similar offers," the polygraphologist said. Head of Servant of the People faction David Arakhamia and MP from same faction Oleksandr Dubinskyi have already passed the polygraph test. On October 18, the Tax Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine failed to support the bill #2047-d on the cancelation of the corruption schemes. Later the mass media reported that the Office of the President demands the polygraph testing of the members of the financial committee due to this voting. The Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) opened the criminal proceeding to check the information published by the mass media. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky expressed conviction that all members of the Verkhovna Rada on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy should pass the polygraph test. Earlier the regulatory committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine recommended to the parliament to create the temporary investigation committee (TIC) for investigation of the facts toward the meeting the requirements during the change of the owners of 112 Ukraine, NewsOne, ZIK TV Channels. On October 17, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has approved as a whole the draft resolution, which provides for the investigation of the activities of three TV channels - NewsOne, 112 Ukraine and ZIK. 278 MPs voted in favor of the decision.  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 24 Oct 2019 06:21 AM PDT The law enforcement bodies have all grounds for holding the pretrial check in the case of MP Olga Vasylevska-Smaglyuk as the lawmaker passed the polygraph test and it showed that she concealed information about bribetaking as 112.ua reported citing lawmaker Ivan Voytovych. "Our criminal legislation provides responsibility not only for the commitment of some actions, which are the crimes but also provides responsibility for concealing such crimes. That is why, according to my conviction, the information announced by the polygraphologist provides the grounds to tell that there are signs of crime in the actions of the MP, particularly, the concealing a fact of the serious or particularly serious crime. It provides the responsibility even the imprisonment for three years," the lawyer said. "Since this information was provided in fact in the mass media means then I believe that the law enforcement bodies have all grounds for putting proper information to the register of the pretrial investigation and hold the proper check on fact whether such actions of the MP as the concealing of the crime took place. And on the results of this check and holding of the pretrial investigation it will be able to establish whether the promises of the unlawful benefit or whether the facts of bribetaking took place by questioning of the witnesses and MP," Voytovych said. On October 18, the Tax Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine failed to support the bill #2047-d on the cancelation of the corruption schemes. Later the mass media reported that the Office of the President demands the polygraph testing of the members of the financial committee due to this voting. The Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) opened the criminal proceeding to check the information published by the mass media. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky expressed conviction that all members of the Verkhovna Rada on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy should pass the polygraph test. Earlier the regulatory committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine recommended to the parliament to create the temporary investigation committee (TIC) for investigation of the facts toward the meeting the requirements during the change of the owners of 112 Ukraine, NewsOne, ZIK TV Channels. On October 17, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has approved as a whole the draft resolution, which provides for the investigation of the activities of three TV channels - NewsOne, 112 Ukraine and ZIK. 278 MPs voted in favor of the decision.  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Criminal arrests of border agents have surged amid aggressive hiring practices - Shareblue Media Posted: 24 Oct 2019 03:30 PM PDT  At least 268 CBP agents arrested during fiscal year 2018. Criminal activity among Customs and Border Protection agents has spiked by in recent years according to an internal government document obtained by Quartz. The level of criminality reached a five-year high, the outlet noted. There were 268 CBP agents arrested during fiscal year 2018, which ended on Sept. 30, according to the CBP's discipline analysis report. However, some employees were arrested multiple times, including one Border Patrol agent who racked up two DUIs in a single week, and another employee who was arrested five times over the course of the year. Drug and alcohol-related misconduct topped the list of offenses, with 129 arrests, which included 94 alcohol-related driving arrests. The 57 arrests for domestic violence marked a 10.5% increase from the previous year, and 15 arrests for "crimes involving children" included six arrests related to child pornography. Overall, the number of arrests of CBP employees rose by 11% between 2017 and 2018. "[A]n unacceptable number of CBP employees are arrested each year for violating federal, state, or local law," the report stated. The rate of arrests of CBP employees was five times as high as other law enforcement agencies, according to data from the Henry A. Wallace Police Crime Database. Further, some experts suggest the number of arrests don't accurately reflect the actual level of criminal activity within the agency. "Obviously if it's a major crime, those aren't things you can sweep under the rug," Christopher Herrmann, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and former police officer, told Quartz. "But even lower felony stuff might get overlooked. There's so much passing over of bad things when cops do it." The spike in criminal behavior may be related to an order by Donald Trump, who demanded the agency hire thousands more border patrol agents in January 2017. James Tomsheck, CBP's chief of internal affairs from 2006-2014, told Quartz there was a "clear relationship" between criminal activity and a rush to hire more agents. Similar spikes in wrongdoing happened when George W. Bush demanded an 8,000-person increase in border agents in 2006. At that time, CBP reduced training for new agents and at times didn't bother to perform background checks. This time around, CBP insists it is doing things differently. "All successful applicants must still pass a polygraph examination, strenuous vetting checks, and the highest level of background investigation available, in addition to still undergoing basic training at our academies," CBP said in a statement. "We are confident that our recruiting and hiring processes are exceptionally strong." Increased criminal activity is only the latest scandal plaguing CBP. Mark Morgan, the head of CBP testified to Congress in July that agents were feeling demoralized by the numerous media reports detailing horrific conditions at detention facilities run by his agency. Morgan said the reports "deteriorate the public's understanding and perception" of the situation. Morgan was referring to reports from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, which detailed the appalling conditions some children faced inside border holding facilities. One doctor compared the buildings to "torture facilities," stating that the children were subject to "extreme cold temperatures, lights on 24 hours a day, no adequate access to medical care, basic sanitation, water, or adequate food." CBP also faced criticism earlier this year when news reports revealed thousands of border patrol agents were members of a secret Facebook group that shared vulgar and sexist memes, and comments about immigrants and Democratic members of Congress. Published with permission of The American Independent.  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 24 Oct 2019 02:10 AM PDT  The screening process for Russian cosmonauts could benefit from using lie detectors, an industry publication argues. It would help ensure that recruits have no secret addictions, criminal ties, or foreign allegiances. A polygraph test could be a useful tool in ensuring that applicants for Russia's space squad are truthful when filling out their bios, a magazine of the Russian space training center said in its latest issue. "Instrumental detection of hidden information with the help of a polygraph is one possible way to make recruitment of cosmonauts more efficient," the article in the quarterly 'Manned Spaceflight' said. The kind of things that applicants could potentially lie about includes drug addiction, mental problems, connections to criminal circles, or certain ulterior motives. Of course, polygraph tests can be beaten, so nobody is recommending this as a primary screening method, but it could complement other ways of checking out potential space travelers, the publication said. The suggestion seems to reflect the recent relaxing of requirements for space recruits in Russia. For decades, they had been selected from a small pool of military service members who had spent years proving they could work in stressful positions while leading highly regulated lives. But times have changed, and since 2012, the Russian space agency has accepted civilian candidates. An applicant today has to be a healthy Russian citizen under 35, have higher education and experience in fields such as engineering and biomedicine, as well as having a body that can fit into a space capsule seat. This is great when it comes to attracting more talent, but it does risk allowing a few bad apples to slip through. Mandatory lie detector tests are rare in Russia. FSB agents have to pass one before getting hired, and there is a draft law in the Russian parliament that would implement the same practice for the National Guard. Also on rt.com Russian cosmonauts perform space surgery to take samples from mysterious Soyuz hole (VIDEO)In some public offices and large companies, employees can be asked to volunteer to take a polygraph test before being promoted to a sensitive job. The tests can also be accepted in a court of law as evidence, but defendants cannot be forced to take one. If you like this story, share it with a friend!  |
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