1801 vs. 1811

For John, BLUF:  The Border Patrol was underfunded for too long and then free too fast.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Yes, the title of this blog post is a little obscure, but the author of the linked article thinks it is important.  In the Federal Job Classifications a GS-1801 can arrest you, but a GS-1811 can both arrest and investigate you.  As the article makes clear, the Border Patrol is all street cops and no detectives.  And that is a problem.

The article, "The Green Monster:  How the Border Patrol became America’s most out-of-control law enforcement agency", comes to us via Politico, authored by Garrett M Graff.  It starts and ends discussing the new permanent head of Customs and Border Protection, Mr Gil Kerlikowske  It has taken long time to get a permanent head appointed and confirmed by the US Senate.

Here is an interesting passage about how the current organization and bureaucratic lash up came about, as a result of 9/11.

But the death warrant for INS came soon enough, when word got out that the slow-moving bureaucracy had approved long-delayed visas for two of the 9/11 hijackers, Mohamed Atta and Marwan al-Shehhi. No one evidently involved in the process noticed who the now-dead men were. Reading news of the visa approval over breakfast one day, Bush sputtered with rage. “I could barely get my coffee down,” he said. It was stunningly bad mismanagement. INS was done. The government’s entire homeland security apparatus, Bush decided, needed to be shaken up. “Maybe we should stop getting pecked to death like this,” Bush reportedly told Card, months after initially resisting such a major government reorganization. “Maybe it’s time to think big.”

Yes, I can see how President Bush could wish to shake things up and make them more effective, but I believe he was wrong to agree to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.  I believe it created more bureaucracy, but gave us less performance.  It was an expensive "feel good" action, and when President Bush turned to it he made a wrong turn.  I would like this to be an issue in 2016.

Aside from the abolition of the Department of Homeland Security I draw two conclusions from the linked article:

1. All police shootings should be treated the way we treat aircraft Class A Mishaps.  There needs to be a board of investigation, without manning from outside the Department with the Police Officer.  For example, for a Police shooting in Lowell with loss of life, we invite in as Chairman of the Board someone from Springfield or Manchester, NH.
2. We count on the Political Appointees to keep an eye on the Bureaucracy, but it takes strong leadership on the part of the Political Appointees..

Hat tip to Memeorandum.

Regards  —  Cliff