The IRS Criminal Investigation Division needs to ensure that its special agents are taking and passing required firearms training, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration has said.
It said CI’s firearms training and qualification requirements generally met or exceeded those of other federal law enforcement agencies but that some CI special agents did not meet all requirements.
CI field office management did not always take consistent and appropriate actions when a special agent failed to meet the requirements because the guidance was vague, and CI has no national-level review of firearms training records to ensure that all special agents meet the qualification requirements, according to TIGTA.
It also said firearm-discharge incidents were not always properly reported and that remedial training was not always required after accidental discharges
IRS management agreed to clarify firearm requirements and discharge procedures, as well as to either enforce a requirement that special agents who do not meet training requirements surrender their firearm, or modify the manual to reflect revised consequences of not meeting training requirements. It also agreed to establish a process for CI headquarters to monitor and periodically review special agent firearms training and qualification records.
