DHS should broaden its policies regarding off-duty conduct to specifically address conduct in foreign areas, including regarding activities that are legal there but not in the U.S., the department’s IG has said.
Auditors reviewed the policies of the six DHS components that account for nearly all of the 1,500 departmental employees permanently stationed in some 80 countries or sent on temporary duty abroad. “DHS has some limited, department-wide policies for off-duty conduct in general, but they do not specifically address employee conduct abroad; the six components’ policies do not cover some aspects of conduct,” the report said.
Nor do the six components train employees stationed or assigned abroad regarding off-duty conduct except for Customs and Immigration Services, which provides training for temporary assignments, it said.
“Fully training longer term travelers and those working outside the United States in off-duty conduct helps instill a sense of responsibility for personal behavior in general and when abroad . . . Because they represent the U.S. government, DHS employees who engage in off-duty misconduct while abroad can present unique concerns. Moreover, off-duty misconduct abroad can have an especially damaging effect on the U.S. government’s reputation,” the report said.
It recommended that DHS develop and disseminate a comprehensive department-wide policy on off-duty conduct while abroad and ensure that all employees traveling or working abroad receive and understand it. DHS said it is working on such a policy and expects to have it complete before next June.
