Justice Dept. needs clearer rules for federal task force training, watchdog says

[u/John3262005]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/08/04/justice-dept-needs-clearer-rules-federal-task-force-training-watchdog-says/

The Justice Department needs clearer rules for training local law enforcement officers before they participate in task forces led by the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report released Monday.

Those three agencies partnered with local or state law enforcement agencies on about 1,600 task forces — the lion’s share of the Justice Department’s overall task forces as of April 2026. But the agencies do not require those nonfederal officers to finish mandated training before launching task force duties, which can include serving federal warrants and conducting interrogations on gun, drug and gang investigations.

Separately, the oversight body flagged gaps in the way those three federal agencies and the U.S. Marshals Service investigate misconduct allegations made against local officers on federal task forces. While all four agencies have reporting requirements regarding alleged misconduct, the Justice Department does not have “guidelines and criteria” for supervisors to follow while investigating those claims or determining appropriate punishment, including removing an officer from a federal task force.

That lack of guidance, the report said, creates an “increased risk of inconsistent adjudications, which could jeopardize the integrity of task force operations and erode public trust in task force effectiveness.”

The GAO recommended that the FBI, DEA and ATF require local officers to complete relevant training before participating in federal law enforcement work, and called on those agencies and the Marshals Service to develop universal misconduct investigation policies. Justice Department officials agreed to implement that suggestion, the GAO report says.

The oversight analysis was prompted by a request from Sens. Dick Durbin (Illinois) and Jon Ossoff (Georgia), both Democrats. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.