Semiannual Report to Congress

October 1, 2009 – March 31, 2010
Office of the Inspector General


Message from the Inspector General

This semiannual report summarizes the work of the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) from October 1, 2009, through March 31, 2010. The audits, inspections, special reports, and investigations of Department of Justice (Department) programs and operations that the OIG conducted during the past six months have addressed a broad range of Department operations.

The OIG continues to focus significant attention on the Department’s national security responsibilities. For example, during this reporting period the OIG reviewed the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Foreign Language Translation Program and made recommendations to improve the FBI’s efforts to timely translate the large amount of foreign language materials it collects. In addition, we completed a report that provided significant new details about the FBI’s use of exigent letters and other informal requests to obtain telephone records without legal process. Our report contained recommendations for additional action to ensure that the FBI’s past use of exigent letters and other informal requests for telephone records does not recur.

Other OIG reports issued during this reporting period covered a wide range of management challenges faced by the Department. For example, we completed an evaluation of the coordination of explosives investigations between the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; a review of the Department’s anti-gang efforts; and a review of the Department’s efforts to protect members of the judiciary and employees of the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices. We continue to monitor the Department’s grant management efforts, both with regard to the Department’s regular grants as well as the increased grant funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

In addition, our Investigations Division continues to investigate significant allegations of criminal or administrative misconduct related to Department personnel or programs.

I would like to thank the Department and Congress for their continued support of our work. Most important, I would like to express my gratitude for the hard work of OIG employees who help improve the operations of the Department of Justice. They perform their duties with skill and dedication, and they deserve thanks for their outstanding work.

Glenn A. Fine
Inspector General
April 30, 2010

 


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