FBI guns and laptops go missing
Department of Justice building in Washington
Record-keeping was poor, the Justice Department found	
Tuesday, 6 August, 2002, 15:05 GMT 16:05 UK
By Steve Kingstone

An embarrassed US Justice Department is reviewing its security procedures 
after admitting that more than 700 weapons and over 400 laptop computers had 
gone missing in the past three years.

Most of the laptops belonged to the FBI - many containing classified 
information.

Two of the guns were subsequently used in armed robberies, a third apparently 
became a murder weapon after being stolen from the home of an FBI agent in New 
Orleans.

Officials say the problem is the result of faulty paperwork.

Unreturned loans
Some of the guns were apparently loaned out to other government departments 
and were not returned.

Laptop computers
The contents of some missing laptops had not been recorded

According to the Washington Post, the Justice Department Inspector General's 
Office's audit found that FBI records were so incomplete officials could not 
say what information was contained on some of the missing computers.

The FBI is promising a prompt and robust review of its security procedures.

Amid a national debate about the bureau's future direction, this is one 
investigation it could have done without.

In July last year, the FBI carried out an exhaustive inventory of equipment 
and found 184 computers were missing, including 13 that were believed to have 
been stolen.

An inventory of pistols, handguns, rifles, shotguns and sub-machine guns 
found 184 had been stolen and 265 lost.