This is the type of stuff that scares me. I am not any type of LEO... I am just your average shooting enthusiast and the son of a 25 year plus FFL. The capriciousness of some members of the ATF doesn't exactly give me the warm fuzzies (and they are the ones in charge, no less...). It would seem that my father and I stand to lose quite a bit based solely on the whims of the agent who happens to be reviewing the books that day.

I have spent fifteen years of my life serving in the military for THIS?!?

Kudos to those agents trying to turn things around. You have the support of us folks on the "other side of the line." I know you are risking much and appreciate your integrity.

Wish I could do more to help...

SY

SY,

To clarify some things, the person in charge of the operation was a first line supervisor (a RAC - resident agent in charge) just as this guy Voth was a RAC at the heart of the Gunwalker fiasco in Tucson. A bad supervisor can do a lot of damage. The vast majority of ATF agents are hard working, honest and cherish the 2nd amendment. Many ATF agents served or still serve in the military, and most own their own firearms outside of what we carry. Because of this, it hurts ATF agents when stupid initiaitives (like what happened in Richmond and Tucson) damage our credibility and paint us as "gungrabbers" or ignorant about the impact of ill conceived "initiaitives". For the majority of the 5100 ATF employees, nothing is further from the truth. Look at the FBI, DEA, ICE or any large law enforcement agency - they all have a few bad apples and we are no different.

As to the "whims of some agent who happens to be reviewing the books," that would typically be our inspectors (now known as investigators or IOIs). These IOIs are the person that FFLs usually encounter. They are NOT law enforcement, carry no powers of arrest, search or seizure. When agents come knocking on a dealer's door, it is typically for another reason, like getting 4473s for criminal cases, conducting interviews (FFLs are our key partner in stopping straw purchases and firearms trafficking), etc.

To help out the majority in ATF, write to or call your Congressman or U.S. Senator and demand accountability for those at all levels of ATF who violate ATF and DOJ ethical rules, aided in the trafficking of guns to Mexico ("Gunwalker"), lied to or misrepresented facts to Congress, etc. Only when the likes of Melson, Hoover, Chait, McMahon, Newell, Needles, Gillett, Voth are gone from positions of authority can ATF begin to heal. Believe me when I say we want nothing more than to serve the public as the honored law enforcement officers, IOIs and support that 99% of us are.

Does anyone have information regarding ATF employees who received a Propsal To Remove Notice from the Proffessional Review Board (PRB) for Lack of Candor, or providiing false statement, falsifying documents and received a lesser punishment other than removal?

Part of the McLemore fiasco involved a street agent named Greg Cruise (sp?) in Atlanta. Earlier this year he was served with a proposed termination for lying to the OIG and IA in the - wait for it - Vanessa McLemore case. So basically a stone rascist and thug (McLemore) got a party, per diem and a paid move, and the agent got bent over. Word is the agent is now going to be allowed to retire instead of being fired. Maybe somebody on CUATF knows more details?

TO ALL ATF AGENTS AND EMPLOYEES WHO VIEW AND PARTICIPATE IN THIS SITE!

You will find a message on your work computers from the US Office of Personnel Management titled the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.

Take the survey!

Whether you agree or disagree with CleanUpATF. Whether you support ATF management or do not. Take the survey. Don't fluff it off. It takes all of 5 minutes to click through the questions. If you feel our management is doing a great job then say so, it is your right. If you feel that we are mismanaged, then say that.

Participate in change! Back the bosses or revolt but get involved!

Melson has stated in the past that the OPM surveys are not truely reflective of the agencies personnel because full participation had not been obtained. Take the survey! Participate! Give HQ an honest and accurate view of how you feel. Don't pull punches. Praise management or criticize them, this is your annonomous chance to be heard!

A recent comment I heard in Philadelphia is telling.

Comment: "These are the worst times ATF has ever seen."
Answer: "No. You are wrong. These are the best times because accountablity is finally on the way. This is what we have all wanted. A better ATF. Significant and meaningful changes are coming."

Jumper, I was going to blow the survey off but thought about it and decided to do it after all. My reasoning is this: ATF has slipped year after year in these surveys and Chait, Hoover, Melson, Carter, Ford, Carroll, Stinnett, Sullivan, Domenech and their crew have for years been able to explain it away or make excuses, even as we were in free fall. The timing of this is good because if the working agents vote as they should, I bet we will drop well below 50th or even 75th place, which would be some kind of record. This is the sort of slap in the face outsiders notice. It is like a vote of no confidence for the last few years. You are right - good things or bad things to say, if all you can do is talk smack in your cubes from the sidelines without taking action of some sort, then keep quiet. This is a good way (the survey) to make your voice heard. The time to act is now. Sorry for the rant - just one agent's opinion.

If Joe Riehl is in Israel after the OIG report was released, Mr. Melson and or Mr. Hoover should be called to testify before a house committee on waste fraud and abuse. That is as outrageous as is gets. He has totally mismanaged our entire arson and explosives program and they reward him? I guess Ms. Michalics doom and gloom budget webcast doesn't apply to SES bosses. Riehl is supposedly in line to run another program, instead he should be demoted for incompetence and arrogance. Mr. Melson OR Traver, ask ANY NRT member or EEO and they will tell you. Oh that's right, we are just dumb field agents.

According to a buddy in the JSOC, not only is Riehl is in Israel but so is Riehl's buddy Dave Shatzer. Can anyone verify this?

Doc

Heard from some buddies over the last couple days that we are now in big trouble in the explosives field. Here is the basic story I heard: The federal Office of Management and Budget filed a report looking to cut out our explosives work and claims we just duplicate what the FBI does except for our regulatory work, and also said we should have our money taken away for NIBIN, state and local training and PCS moves. I also heard Chait sent a memo to the SACs in the last few days saying we need to start cutting NRT, SRT, travel, conferences, office supplies, cars, hiring, the new Glocks, and all state and local training.

Allegedly our huge new explosives building in Alabama has no money to operate and no people to run it, so Melson and Hoover are quietly looking to deal it away to the FBI or Homeland Security before we get caught in a scandal by the OIG or the media. Long time boot licker and Friend of Billy, Joe Riehl, the guy who for years been the point man in gutting our explosives jurisdiction, has been given marching orders to help cover up things in Alabama, was made acting chief of the facility and as a reward, he has been promised the new senior executive job in Quantico at TEDAC, and he has been heard in the halls of HQ telling people ATF "owes him" for doing the bidding of Chait, Boxler, Martin, Carter, Domenech, Hoover and Melson for years on explosives.

Martin thinks he is a real funny guy telling people in HQ that we can pay for explosives by turning the Alabama center into a bed and breakfast, or selling pies. It would not be so funny if Martin didn't have a record for selling us out and taking care of his CI classmates like Riehl.


Can anyone out there confirm any or all of this?

Hey Noreaster, I don't know about all of what you wrote, but our division sent the Chait memo around so lots of people have it. In all my years, I have never seen the budget in such a sorry state. I don't know what we are going to be able to spend money on this year, but we are on a tuna fish diet for sure. If you ask me, HQ seems to be running scared, and I bet with good reason.

Did anyone see the message from ATF's CFO the other day about not talking about ATF budget documents? My guess is these are the ones from OMB which basically are where an agency gets a day or two to respond to a cut proposal and that OMB recommended cutting our nuts off on explosives, NIBIN, PCS and alot of the other stuff you mentioned and that other posters are talking about. It is never a good sign when the Crystal Palace spends more time trying to stop leaked doomsday budget reports then fighting for our jurisdiction, manning up, and making some damn decisions. Of course it is easier to blame the agents and inspectors instead of Melson, Hoover, Chait, Martin and Boxler holding themselves accountable for doing their job, and not through some BS course on professionalism so I know what ties to wear, if my heels are too high, or to preach about having sex in Las Vegas with some bar hottie. Maybe we can distract people with a TV show about an ATF "Lassie" or do a special about facial sketching to solve Jack the Ripper? Yeah, I bet that would get people thinking happy thoughts instead of wondering if we are going to get cut up like a skinny turkey.

The word from CES in the field and some in HQ is that NCETR Alabama is dead and the poor guys down there know it. Who knows what Boxler and Martin have been doing running off to private executive meetings with the FBI about explosives, NCETR, TEDAC and the USBDC. Don't forget Super Chief Joe Riehl takes a tour down to Alabama to smile and lie every once and a while, and he does a good job at that. He and his school mates from CI (Boxler and Martin) are protecting him big time. Please Joe, act very suprised when they hand you the TEDAC job in a few weeks or months. It won't make any difference ATF is violating OPM rules with more preselection, who applies or anything else, because it is all about Billy taking care of his hatchet man, even though he is a huge player in our explosives mission slipping away to the FBI and DHS. And didn't Joe look really good on the ATF website with SAC Stoop, Chait and the NRT touring a fire scene? Why were you there Joe? You aren't the acting SAC anymore, your division was chopped up and people wondering what the hell they are doing. Aren't you supposed to be the NCETR Chief of our new and expensive facility? This is all about image and trying hard to make Joe look like a senior executive, although Potter screwed him pretty good by not leaving Philly.

The time is close where the whole mess may come apart. Check out the website Sipsey Street Irregulars - don't care much for their politics but it's scary how much stuff is already out there on ATF, our internal politics, and if I were to place a bet I think that Senator Shelby, OIG or the press is going to light us up soon, and a bunch of people on the 5th floor are going to scramble like roaches from the lights. The only hope I have is that working agents and people with some integrity will be fine wherever we end up in a few years (or months).

8. TEDAC Deputy Director vacancy is due to be announced immediately replacing Bobby Browning who just made SAC. Word is this one was done for Joe Riehl, rushed in record time with a slot taken from some DAD job in HQ they are not gooing to fill. As the guy who has single handedly screwed up our explosives program for years, and a Friend of Billy/Friend Of Martin/Friend of Boxler this will help poor Joey Bag of Donuts avoid having to move for the SES job he has been promised. Great move Ken and Billy, we'll all be watching for the announcement.

No taxpayer cares that Zapor wants to go back to Az. Why would they break up continiuty of leadership, pay TWO moves when they could pay only one. Moving Chait to Chicago or Phillie and Billy to another field division? Under our current process, ATF had decided to pay 3-5 moves at $180000 per move per opening to get their friend to the exact field division he wants. Make SAC Stay a minimum stay for any senior boss so that the field agents have the same coach for 2 consecutive seasons. And use the other money to transfer agents where you need them. Every position vacated by a SES has to be backed filled or promoted. This is way to much money for bosses who only stay for a year and retire. Yep, waste fraud and abuse. Now the word is Herkins wants back east. Theres another two moves. UP or out should be the rule.

Doc, it is no secret that Herkins wants to move back to Philly pretty bad and he is actively working that angle. It seems like a waste of money that we keep shuffling people in SAC jobs. Andy Anderson, Greg Gant, Paul Vido and Andy Traver come to mind and that doesn't even count Crenshaw, OBrien, Webb, Domenech, Barrera and others. At so much money per move, is this really smart for us and the public? Hey guys, if you didn't want that fancy SES job where you got it, why did you apply for it? If you want to move after a year or two, then pay back the G for the move, otherwise, we can use the money for other things.

There are countless examples of pre selection tactics going on in headquarters. Just look at the bureau of SOD. The deputy chief job has been held open until the branch chief of the critical incident management branch put in barely enough time as a GS-14 and was able to get an asac score. Nothing personal but someone who has never been a RAC in the field should Not be eligable for a GS 15 position anywhere. Also the rumor is that the position was announced for minutes, just long enough for the pre selected individual to put in their application and then closed. That sure gave everyone the opportunity to apply and compete. Ya right.......i guess it works if you are the choosen one.

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.

Maybe Atlanta thought life was getting better with disgraced former SAC Vanessa McLemore gone, but word on the street is some are still getting “special” attention. It seems last week the Atlanta division had their “all hands” conference down in Savannah and word was quietly spread days before to many black agents and inspectors to wear dark suits to class for a special members only picture. After the all employee group photo was taken and people walked away, about a dozen of the division’s black employees gathered up and took their own private photo right in the hotel lobby in front of coworkers – but no white or Hispanic employees allowed. Where was SAC Gant in this? He was gone on photo day down to Louisiana at a different conference. Word is SAC Gant has been busy lately helping out a select group of employees with special access in the form of lunches, phone calls and private meetings. Atlanta is reportedly buzzing about the photo and the tension in the division