Union: DHS not Counting Assaults at Border

Thursday April 6, 2006

WASHINGTON, April 6 (UPI) -- A labor union representing U.S. officials on duty at the border says that the Department of Homeland Security isn't properly reporting assaults against them.

The National Homeland Security Council of the American Federation of Government Employees said in a message to its members Wednesday that it had learned the department was not "adequately report(ing) on-duty injuries incurred by Customs and Border Protection officers to the Federal Bureau of Investigation."

The FBI routinely tracks assaults, injuries and fatalities suffered by law enforcement officers on duty.

The union says assaults and/or injuries to Customs and Border Protection personnel who had worked for the Immigration and Naturalization Service prior to the formation of the Department of Homeland Security were previously reported by the Justice Department, whereas Treasury reported data pertaining to those who had previously worked for U.S. Customs.

"Since the creation of (the department), however, (it) has failed to recognize, distinguish and report assaults and injuries suffered by (Customs and Border Protection) officers while on duty," says the statement.

Council President Charles Showalter told United Press International that while figures from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol were reported, there was no separate report for Customs and Border Protection officers -- who deal with goods and people arriving into the country at ports of entry.

There was no immediate response from the department.