In a memorandum dated March 23, 2007, the Office of the Deputy Attorney General responded to the report’s four recommendations on behalf of the Department of Justice (Department). As a result of that response, Recommendations 2 and 3 are resolved and remain open. Based on actions taken and reported by the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, Recommendations 1 and 4 are closed.

Recommendation 1. Require that the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the components’ task force managers in each jurisdiction with multiple violent crime task forces implement guidance for coordinating task force operations.

Status. Resolved - closed.

Summary of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General Response. The Office of the Deputy Attorney General concurred with this recommendation and stated that it has asked the Violent Crime Subcommittee of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee to review a draft Office of the Deputy Attorney General directive to all U.S. Attorneys that will require that they periodically assess the cooperation and coordination of violent crime task forces working in their districts. The draft directive would also require U.S. Attorneys to report to the Department on violent crime task force coordination efforts, the nature of any coordination problems identified, and the guidance or policies adopted or revised to address those problems.

OIG Analysis. The Office of the Deputy Attorney General agreed that the U.S. Attorney in each district can assess and, if necessary, correct problems arising from the operation of more than one Department-led violent crime task force in the same district. Subsequent to the March 23, 2007, response from the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the committee completed its review of the draft directive, and the directive was issued on May 11, 2007. The actions taken by the Office of the Deputy Attorney General are responsive to our recommendation. Recommendation 1 is closed.

Recommendation 2. Require each component to use national and local information-sharing and deconfliction systems to coordinate investigations and protect officer safety.

Status. Resolved - open.

Summary of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General Response. The Office of the Deputy Attorney General concurred with this recommendation and provided a memorandum from the Deputy Attorney General, dated March 23, 2007, directing the components to adopt a policy requiring the use of information-sharing and deconfliction measures to coordinate investigations in geographical areas where more than one Department-led violent crime task force operates. The Deputy Attorney General required each component to certify by June 1, 2007, that it has policies and procedures in effect that mandate coordination with other violent crime task forces, including the use of information-sharing and deconfliction measures.

OIG Analysis. The new Department policy issued by the Deputy Attorney General requires that each component certify by June 1, 2007, that it has policies and procedures in effect that mandate coordination with other Department-led violent crime task forces, including the use of national and local information-sharing and deconfliction measures. The actions taken and planned by the Office of the Deputy Attorney General are responsive to our recommendation. So that we may close this recommendation, please provide the OIG with a copy of each component’s certification by June 15, 2007.

Recommendation 3. Require the components to submit all proposed violent crime or fugitive task forces to an assessment and approval process similar to that used by the Anti-Gang Coordination Committee.

Status. Resolved - open.

Summary of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General Response. The Office of the Deputy Attorney General concurred with this recommendation and directed the Attorney General’s Anti-Gang Coordination Committee to develop recommendations for an assessment and approval process for violent crime and fugitive task forces by September 1, 2007. The response of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General noted that some Department task forces are mandated by Congress and that some task forces established by local law enforcement include federal law enforcement officers. Such congressionally mandated or local task forces are not fully within the purview of a Departmental approval process. Accordingly, the Office of the Deputy Attorney General directed the Committee to “propose parameters” to establish which task forces should be subject to the Department’s assessment and approval process.

OIG Analysis. The actions planned and taken by the Office of the Deputy Attorney General are responsive to our recommendation. The OIG agrees that the assessment process created in response to this recommendation must recognize that Congress mandates some Department-led task forces and that the Department’s Special Agents and Deputy Marshals sometimes participate on local law enforcement task forces. So that we may assess the Department’s progress in implementing this recommendation, please provide the OIG with documentation of the assessment and approval process for violent crime and fugitive task forces by October 1, 2007.

Recommendation 4. Require each component to examine compliance with Department and component policies on task force coordination during periodic internal management reviews.

Status. Resolved - closed.

Summary of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General Response. The Office of the Deputy Attorney General concurred with this recommendation. The March 23, 2007, Office of the Deputy Attorney General memorandum responding to a draft of this report directed the components to expand their periodic internal management reviews to include evaluating compliance with policies concerning task force coordination, information sharing, and deconfliction.

OIG Analysis. The actions taken by the Office of the Deputy Attorney General are responsive to our recommendation. Recommendation 4 is closed.