Auditors found that seized drugs were stored in evidence vaults that lacked proper ventilation in 20 of 23 buildings with such vaults. Image: felipe caparros/Shutterstock.com
The GSA “is not evaluating, assessing, and mitigating” risks to employees and others in buildings under its control arising from activities by federal law enforcement agencies in those buildings, an inspector general report has said.
The report, said the issues are even broader than those raised in a 2022 report finding that the GSA’s Public Buildings Service had not set consistent expectations for federal law enforcement agencies in space it owns or leases regarding the transportation of detainees and the storage of seized illegal drugs, firearms and ammunition.
In an assessment of 25 buildings for the follow-up report, auditors found that detainees were transported through unsecure public areas in 14, including four federal courthouses. In one, “the secure elevators used to transport detainees have been inoperable for 5 years.”
Auditors also found that seized drugs were stored in evidence vaults that lacked proper ventilation in 20 of 23 buildings with such vaults. “Because exposure to even trace amounts of some of these drugs—particularly fentanyl—can cause significant health risks or death through inhalation of the airborne powder, it is imperative that the drugs are stored with proper ventilation,” the report said.
Further, fire and safety risks from the storage of ammunition in law enforcement armories were not mitigated, in part because PBS building managers did not even know the location of 18 of the 32 armories in the buildings—three of which lacked fire sprinkler systems.
“It is critical that first responders know where all hazardous materials are stored so they can take proper safety precautions in the event of a fire emergency,” the report said, adding that the PBS “has not established clear lines of responsibility for notifying first responders of the location of armories during fire emergencies.”
GSA agreed with recommendations regarding transportation of prisoners, storage of drugs, responsibility for notifying emergency responders and conducting safety and security risk assessments. However, it disagreed with a recommendation to incorporate such policies into a building policy directive, saying that is not the appropriate place for them.
The IG reaffirmed that recommendation, saying “the transportation of detainees, storage of seized drugs, and storage of ammunition are each inherently high-risk activities.”
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