Hundreds of DHS Employee IDs & Guns Stolen

With the possibilities of a major security breach running high, it’s no wonder that DHS is scrambling to cover their butts. If just one of these missing ID’s, cell phones or God forbid, guns winds up at the scene of a terrorist attack in the possession of some extremist, then lots of heads will roll at the department.

The missing badges and guns suggest a shocking lack of security from federal law enforcement officers and represent a significant security risk, experts say.

‘It’s scary that you’d have that number of credentials out there that someone could manipulate,’ Tim Miller, a retired Secret Service special agent, told FoxNews.com.

While Miller said the phones are likely to have enough protocols in place to prevent them from being used for nefarious purposes, the badges and credentials are an entirely different matter and could allow access to sensitive areas such as cargo.

‘The thing that’s particularly concerning is that if you get real credentials, it’s very easy to manipulate them, and you’ve got someone else’s picture on what law enforcement would see as valid,’ Miller said. ‘Then you factor in terrorism, it’s a significant concern that people would run around with authentic credentials and be able to access areas they wouldn’t otherwise be able to access.’

When reached for comment, DHS did not dispute the inventory report data — which Complete Colorado, a Colorado-based online news site, had obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request. The reporter who obtained the data also works with Denver-based free-market think tank the Independence Institute.

In a statement to FoxNews.com, a DHS spokesman said they strive to be ‘good stewards of government resources’ and have improved oversight and reduced the number of lost or stolen items over the past few years.

‘If a credential holder loses or has their credentials stolen, the holder must report the incident to their supervisor and credential issuance office immediately,’ spokesman Justin Greenberg said. ‘Once the incident has been reported, this information is entered into appropriate DHS and law enforcement databases, which disables use of the lost or stolen item.'”

Source: Fox News