The Federal Protective Service has made some improvements in its management of its vehicle fleet but still has much left to do, the DHS IG has said in a House hearing focusing on a string of reports from that office.
IG John Roth credited the agency with, for example, issuing clear guidance regarding acceptable use of the vehicles for transportation between home and work and for using a system to update and analyze asset management data.
However, he cited a recent report concluding that the FPS has more vehicles than it has officers; that it pays too much for the vehicles; and that officers in the Washington, D.C. area are continuing to use them for commuting without proper justification.
The DHS fleet management office has not provided enough oversight to ensure compliance with departmental and government-wide requirements, he said, partly because it does not have enforcement authority to influence purchase decisions by components—which make independent decisions about the amount and type of vehicles they want.
That has resulted in purchases of vehicles that are larger, and with more options, than necessary, he said, with some optional equipment increasing the cost of a vehicle by as much as $20,000.
In addition, half of leased vehicles logged fewer than 12,000 miles in 2014, not meeting the department’s minimum standard.
