CBP Accounted for Its Firearms but Did Not Always Account for Ammunition or Monitor Storage Facilities

Date Issued

Thursday, September 28, 2023

Submitting OIG

Department of Homeland Security OIG

Other Participating OIGs

Department of Homeland Security OIG

Agencies Reviewed/Investigated

Department of Homeland Security

Components

United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

Report Number

OIG-23-60

Report Description

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) accounted for its firearms but did not always maintain accurate records for firearm locations or quantities of ammunition, as required. During our physical inventory of firearms in storage at 12 sites, we identified 126 firearms not located at the address indicated in CBP’s system of record. CBP also did not ensure ammunition control, accountability, and loss reporting complied with policy requirements for sensitive assets.

Report Type

Audit

Agency Wide

Yes

Number of Recommendations

Questioned Costs

Funds for Better Use

Open Recommendations

This report has 2 open recommendations.

Recommendation Number	Significant Recommendation	Recommended Questioned Costs	Recommended Funds for Better Use
1	No	$0	$0
We recommend the Executive Director, Law Enforcement Safety and Compliance Directorate implement a process to ensure recordation, for each stored firearm, of the physical location, including street address, and specific location within the facility, in the Firearms, Armor, and Credentials Tracking System.
7	No	$0	$0
We recommend that the Commissioner of CBP develop and implement a corrective action plan to ensure firearms and ammunition video surveillance systems are installed in required areas, functioning, and correctly positioned at the 11 locations with issues identified in this report.