The Drug Enforcement Administration employed dozens of brokers and analysts suspected of mendacity throughout their pre-employment polygraph take a look at, the Justice Department’s watchdog stated in a report launched Wednesday.

The Justice Department Office of Inspector General discovered at the very least 77 workers, together with 66 particular brokers and 11 intelligence analysis specialists, had been employed by the company regardless of receiving a “significant response” on their lie detector take a look at.

A “significant response” means the applicant indicated deception whereas answering the identical query a number of occasions. Applicants are requested a spread of questions associated to previous drug use, severe legal exercise, truthfulness on pre-employment documentation, and nationwide safety points. The polygraph outcomes are used to judge a candidate’s character and potential nationwide safety threat.

Under DEA coverage, an applicant who exhibits a “significant response” is robotically disqualified from the job and every other place throughout the company for 3 years.

“The DEA unnecessarily assumes the risk that inevitably comes with law enforcement officers potentially unsuitable for this important role, which could include the potential for intentional and unintentional compromise of sensitive DEA operations and jeopardize the public’s trust,” the Inspector General report stated.

Concerns over DEA agent suitability come at a tough time for the company, which is making an attempt to fight the document stage of medicine, together with meth and fentanyl, flooding the nation, largely by means of the southern border. This yr the DEA has seized 46.4 million fentanyl-laced tablets and is on tempo to interrupt final yr’s document of 58.3 million such tablets.

The spike in medicine has prompted the DEA to rent 1000's of particular brokers for positions internationally. Now the polygraph outcomes increase severe questions.

In March 2018, a candidate’s polygraph examination indicated deception to questions on offering categorised info to unauthorized people and being concerned in terrorist actions.

The deception precipitated the polygraph examiner to cease the take a look at earlier than asking suitability questions. However, the DEA mistakenly marked the examination as full. The candidate was employed and is employed as a particular agent.

In November 2020, a polygraph take a look at indicated {that a} particular agent candidate confirmed deception in response to questions on mishandling and compromising categorised info, in line with the report. Again, the examiner stopped the polygraph earlier than asking suitability questions. The applicant was employed and is now a DEA particular agent.

A December 2017 polygraph take a look at revealed a candidate lied on his software about not committing a severe crime. The software admitted throughout the take a look at to “engaging in inappropriate behavior while a juvenile with a younger juvenile.” The examiners stopped the take a look at earlier than asking nationwide safety questions. Yet the DEA‘s hiring panel was instructed the applicant handed the take a look at with “no significant response” and the person works as a DEA particular agent.

Some of the brokers assigned to DEA activity forces had been allowed to stay with their items, even after the Inspector General introduced the polygraph points to officers’ consideration.

“We continue to have concerns with the DEA‘s efforts to efficiently and effectively ensure applications have completed a full-scope polygraph as required by DEA policy,” the report stated.

In a response accompanying the Inspector General report, the DEA disputed that its polygraph data had been inaccurate or incomplete. The company stated it may possibly “quickly query an applicant’s name and read the full details of their polygraph examination.”

However, Michael Ciminelli, the DEA‘s acting chief compliance officer, acknowledged in his response that the agency must do more to ensure it’s now not hiring candidates who haven't totally or efficiently accomplished the polygraph take a look at. He stated the company has adopted new procedures to forestall inappropriate affect or errors influencing the polygraph exams.

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