caseproducer

Time for some answers to simple questions. I know that Mr. Melson reads this. My suggestion is that he prints a copy and takes it to an SLT meeting and gets some answers. Someone needs to be held accountable for the decision making questioned below:
1. Why all the tunnel vision toward the SW border. Is it because you asked for funding and now have to justify it? There are other enforcement priorities that need some attention.
2. Spanish E-Trace is not more important than fixing a broken N-Force. Does anyone know why an “upgrade” has rendered supervisory review of management logs impossible? Does anyone care? What about the new portal that is not user friendly at all?
3. Why is there no oversight of SOD? New weapons are being ordered that are not suitable for daily concealment by the majority of working agents. Once again an SOD decision that we will have to live with for the next ten years. We are not a one size fits all agency. The new guns are fine if you are in uniform, not street clothes. The new armor is arguably the best available for the military or SRT. Why did you allow one person in SOD to choose that equipment? Was it because he had similar equipment in the military and he forgot that we do something different? Did anyone ask the average agent? Have any of you put it on and attempted to get in or out of a passenger vehicle? Maybe that explains why our SRT rides the rails on the Bearcats, they can exit a vehicle safely either while wearing the armor.
4. Who authorized personnel assigned to HDQTS, yet working from home to receive DC locality pay?
5. Who has authorized the hours of training mandated by SOD. No one will argue that training is necessary and important. The proposed number of hours just in the firearms, tactical and arrest area is excessive. Cleverly, the proposals exempt senior leadership only seen by the field as a way to avoid oversight. Same with the exemption for senior leadership to carry a primary firearm.
6. Why do we have so many agents outside the country? How are they on “the frontline of violent crime”? Seven positions dedicated to Canada and Canada does not trace 100 percent of their crime guns. What do our people do there every day that could not be done electronically? Who is accountable?

SOD ordered all those new vests for the feild, without checking with anyone. Well guess what, they are too bulky and now the Bureau has to send all those Remington 870s back to get collapsable stocks, becuase Agents can't operate them properly when wearing those vests. What will the cost of those replacements be, app. $150 per weapon, Bureau wide. But yes we do look good in those vests, thanks SOD.

Predictions..............Mickey Leadingham, SAC CIMB, SOD....... although the job has not been announced yet.

Wasn't sure who you meant until I saw the announcement the other day. Well, I guess Durastanti is in the FOB, Chait and I Love Vidoli green-shirt club. So if you spent a big block of time as a non case producing DTA, go to HQ to get your 14 in juuuuust enough time for the grade 15 AC, then do about 10 months as a 14, you too can be "blind selected" to be a GS-15. No rules means nobody is wrong, huh? I am sure this guy will make somebody a fine ASAC when he shuffles out in a year or so, since he was never a field sup. The AC is corrupt and broken. Any agency that thinks its great to have people become 14s or 15s like this shouldn't be suprised when the 30 somethings get pushed from the nest to be failed SACs, who become inept DADs, Caddy driving ADs and corrupt DDs.

Those guys in SOD are out of control, take home GOVs, getting rid of UNITEC so that a golfing partner can get the new contract.......... Just goes on and on, and worst is that they walk around thinking they are above the law.

I see a lot of imploring/asking/ suggesting .... our current Acting Director to take notice and do something about the waste fraud and abuse of management. I have been told that the day the funeral of a DEA Agent killed in the line of duty was take place, our Acting Director chose to attend a briefing at a lab somewhere. Let there be no doubt in anybody's mind where he stands, as far as Agents. On the average, 1 out of every 10 agents in this agency will post a concern. Out of frustration with how management is deteriorating, to blatant waste fraud and abuse by the same. The rest, are to new to say something or really do not care. 2-6 of these agents per group, are the ones that will comment here and there, follow this opinion or that, saying enough to stir the pot, but not enough to get themselves in trouble. We all know who these agents, ussually the ones that use up more of their working day figuring out how to "pretend" to stay busy, than actually working. Ussualy these agents, are the marginal producers. I say this, because I believe it is time for each one of the individuals that actually have the guts to post here, to start holding everybody accountable, from the co-worker to the supervisor, to the supervisor's supervisor..... Simple, call-out those non-producing agents, call-out the supervisors with problems. Do it in a proffesional, and smart manner,.... know your orders inside and out. 2-3 agents per group start doing this, amazing what could happen in a few weeks. I feel compelled to write this, being that I still beleive in what ATF stands for. And NEVER forget the hard sweat, tears and blood of true AGENTS, who sacrificed everything because they beleived in what this agency stood for. I for one, refuse to accept that we have no dog in this fight. It is my agency. I will do my part.

Without getting into specific details as to this investigation, back in the fall of 09 DAD Torres intervened with an investigation of a violent offender in the North East, not allowing ATF to go after this individual. Subsequent to this interference, this individual went on to commit some other violent crime. Recently this investigation has come to an end and the field office requested SRT for a takedown. DAD Torres once again intervened and stated that there wasn’t enough information to prosecute this investigation, even though the US Attorney for that area wrote a statement stating otherwise. Come to find out this is not the first time she stops an investigation of a violent offender. A few years back while SAC of Miami, she told a case producer that even though he/she had obtained a valid warrant for a target, then SAC Torres felt there was not enough substance on the warrant application. This is after a Federal Magistrate signed it. Have we not learned anything from the “Blue Book” and having managers interfere with Commanders in the field?