U. S. Department of Justice

Office of the Inspector General


 

April 30, 1996

Honorable Janet Reno
Department of Justice
Washington, D.C. 20530

Dear Madam Attorney General:

The six-month period ending March 31, 1996, has been an unusual, challenging and difficult one for the Office of Inspector General (OIG). The two furloughs in November and December 1995 hit the OIG very hard. Based on the application of Department-wide rules, most OIG employees were not permitted to work during the furloughs. In addition, Congressional action has substantially reduced the level at which the OIG has had to operate since the beginning of this fiscal year. The funding shortfall has meant that a variety of austerity measures, which include sharp curbs on travel and training, have had to continue for this entire period. Moreover, because of our budget situation, we have in most instances been unable to replace departing employees, which has meant additional workload burdens for our remaining personnel. Even now that Congress has passed and the President has signed a Fiscal Year 1996 budget, we face a continuing struggle for the remainder of this fiscal year. On behalf of the OIG, I want to express my sincere appreciation for your support during this period and your willingness to exercise your transfer authority to help ensure that the OIG does not have to engage in reductions in force.

I am proud to report that these difficult circumstances have not prevented the OIG from doing its important work in the Department. As you know, we completed a comprehensive report on the Good O' Boy Roundup that described the involvement of Justice Department personnel in an annual private gathering at which racial and various other kinds of misconduct took place over the course of 16 years. We continued our investigations into allegations of wrongdoing and irregularities in the FBI laboratory and allegations that the Congressional Task Force on Immigration Reform was misled by INS officials on its visit to Miami in June 1995. In addition, we continue to do a variety of significant audits and inspections on key programs throughout the Department, with continuing emphasis on the INS.

During this period, we worked closely with the FBI and the DEA to complete implementation of your November 1994 order on reporting allegations of misconduct within the Department. Beginning in January, both the FBI and DEA began reporting to the OIG allegations of misconduct made against FBI and DEA personnel. We appreciate the cooperation of FBI Director Freeh, DEA Administrator Constantine and the hard work of their staffs in ensuring that the OIG is provided with the information it needs to perform its important oversight functions over the law enforcement components of the Department.

We look forward to continuing to work with you, the Deputy Attorney General and your staffs in the coming months.

Very truly yours,

 

Michael R. Bromwich