Coordinates | 52°21′″N14°50′″N |
---|---|
agencyname | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives |
abbreviation | ATF |
logo | US-AlcoholTobaccoFirearmsAndExplosives-Seal.svg |
logocaption | ATF Seal |
badge | USA - ATF Badge.png |
formedyear | 1972 |
formedmonthday | July 1 |
preceding1 | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms |
employees | 4,559 (2006) |
budget | US$1.12 billion |
country | United States |
federal | Yes |
headquarters | |
chief1name | Kenneth E. Melson |
chief1position | Acting Director |
chief2name | William J. Hoover |
chief2position | Acting Deputy Director |
parentagency | Department of Justice |
website | atf.gov |
reference | }} |
The agency is led by Kenneth E. Melson, Acting Director and William J. Hoover, Acting Deputy Director. ATF has nearly 5,000 employees and an annual budget of $1.12 billion (2010).
When the Volstead Act was repealed in December 1933, the Unit was transferred from the Department of Justice back to the Department of the Treasury where it became the Alcohol Tax Unit of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Special Agent Eliot Ness and several members of The "Untouchables", who had worked for the Prohibition Bureau while the Volstead Act was still in force, were transferred to the ATU. In 1942, responsibility for enforcing federal firearms laws was given to the ATU.
In the early 1950s, the Bureau of Internal Revenue was renamed "Internal Revenue Service" (IRS), and the ATU was given the additional responsibility of enforcing federal tobacco tax laws. At this time, the name of the ATU was changed to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Division (ATTD).
In 1968, with the passage of the Gun Control Act, the agency changed its name again, this time to the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Division of the IRS and first began to be referred to by the initials "ATF". In Title XI of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, Congress enacted the Explosives Control Act, 18 U.S.C.A. Chapter 40, which provided for close regulation of the explosives industry and designated certain arsons and bombings as federal crimes. The Secretary of the Treasury was made responsible for administering the regulatory aspects of the new law, and was given jurisdiction over criminal violations relating to the regulatory controls. These responsibilities were delegated to the ATF division of the IRS. The Secretary and the Attorney General were given concurrent jurisdiction over arson and bombing offenses. Pub.L. 91-452, 84 Stat. 922 October 15, 1970.
In 1972 ATF was established as a separate Bureau within the Treasury Department when Treasury Department Order 221, effective July 1, 1972 transferred the responsibilities of the ATF division of the IRS to the new Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Rex D. Davis oversaw the transition, becoming the bureau's first director, having headed the division since 1970. During his tenure, Davis shepherded the organization into a new era where federal firearms and explosives laws addressing violent crime became the primary mission of the agency. However, taxation and other alcohol issues remained priorities as ATF collected billions of dollars in alcohol and tobacco taxes, and undertook major revisions of the Federal wine labeling regulations relating to use of appellations of origin and varietal designations on wine labels.
In the wake of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush signed into law the Homeland Security Act of 2002. In addition to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the law shifted ATF from the Department of the Treasury to the Department of Justice. The agency's name was changed to Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. However, the agency still was referred to as the "ATF" for all purposes. Additionally, the task of collection of federal tax revenue derived from the production of tobacco and alcohol products and the regulatory function related to protecting the public in issues related to the production of alcohol, previously handled by the Bureau of Internal Revenue as well as by ATF, was transferred to the newly established Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), which remained within the Treasury Department. These changes took effect January 24, 2003.
Generally, about 90% of the cases referred by ATF for prosecution each year are for firearms, violent crime, and narcotics offenses. With regards to DOJ agencies, ATF outperforms all other peer agencies with regards to effectiveness and efficiency. Through the first half of 2011, ATF (with fewer than 2,000 active Special Agents) had recommended 5,203 cases for prosecution. This yields an average of 2.5 cases per agent recommended during a six month period, and an average of roughly 5.0 per year. For comparison, the FBI (with slightly more than 13,000 active Special Agents) had recommended 8,819 cases for prosecution, for an average of .6 cases referred per agent over six months and about 1.2 cases referred per agent in a given year. ATF also leads all federal agencies in the average sentence of defendant/case they do refer.
ATF Investigators (formerly Regulatory Inspectors and not to be confused with Special Agents) are charged with regulating the gun and explosive industry. These men and women are not armed law enforcement officers but have administrative authority to search and conduct inspections, as well as to recommend revocation and/or non-renewal of Federal Firearms Licenses to licensees who are in violation of Federal firearms laws and regulations.
The remainder of the Bureau is personnel in various staff roles from office administrative assistants to intelligence analysts and electronic specialists. Additionally, ATF relies heavily on state and local task force officers to supplement the Special Agents and who are not officially part of the ATF roster.
ATF Special Agents must complete a 27 week training program at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia. It is one of the longest training programs in the United States, far longer than any other training program of Justice Department Special Agents (FBI, DEA, USMS). This training program currently consists of a one week pre-Basic, the twelve week basic Criminal Investigator Training Program, and a fourteen week Special Agent Basic Training Course. Only then are Special Agents released to a field office to begin a three year probationary tour.
ATF also enforces provisions of the Safe Explosives Act, passed after 9/11 to restrict the use/possession of explosives without a Federal license to use them. ATF is considered to be the leading federal agency in most bombings that occur within the U.S., with exception to bombings related to international terrorism (investigated by the FBI).
ATF currently trains the U.S. Military in evidence recovery procedures after a bombing. All ATF Agents are trained in post-blast investigation, however ATF maintains a cadre of approximately 150 highly trained explosive experts known as Certified Explosives Specialists (CES). ATF/CES Agents are trained as experts regarding Improvised Explosive Devices (IED's), as well as commercial explosives. ATF Agents work closely with State and Local Bomb Disposal Units within the United States.
2011, January. William (Bill) Newell, Special Agent in charge of the Phoenix ATF Office was quoted by ABC News in May 2008 "When 90 percent-plus of the firearms recovered from these violent drug cartels are from a U.S. source (a false statement according to the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General), we have a responsibility to do everything we can to stem the illegal flow of these firearms to these thugs." Nevertheless, under Operations "Fast and Furious", "Too Hot to Handle", and "Wide Receiver", indictments filed in federal court show that the Phoenix ATF Office, over protests from the gun dealers and some ATF agents involved, and without notifying Mexican authorities, allowed and facilitated the sale of over 2,500 firearms (AK-47 rifles, FN 5.7mm pistols, AK-47 pistols, and .50 caliber rifles) to traffickers destined for Mexico. Many of these same guns are being recovered from crime scenes in Arizona and throughout Mexico, which is artificially inflating ATF's eTrace statistics of U.S. origin guns seized in Mexico. One specific gun is alleged to be the weapon used by a Mexican national to murder Customs and Border Protection Agent Brian Terry on December 14, 2010. ATF and DOJ denied all allegations. After appearing at a Congressional Hearing, three supervisors of 'Fast and Furious' (William G. McMahon, William D. Newell and David Voth) were reported by the LA Times as being transferred and promoted by ATF. ATF denied the transfers were promotions.
2010, October. Nine-year veteran ATF Agent William Clark, was charged with second-degree murder and tried in a 2008 killing of his neighbor Marcus Sukow in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Clark previously intervened in arguments between the couple, but this time, Clark utilized deadly force on Sukow, shooting him once in the back and four times in the chest. Multiple eyewitnesses to the event stated that Clark only engaged Sukow after Sukow threatened his girlfriend and Clark with a fourteen inch metal flashlight, striking the vehicle and attempting to strike the occupants through the window.[29] Sukow had a long history of domestic violence and was found to have a blood alcohol content of over .29. Additionally the autopsy found that Sukow had morphine and several barbituates in his system at the time of the event -(http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/10/25/virgin.islands.atf.agent.case/index.html?hpt=T1).ATF investigators and Department of Justice Professional Responsibility Investigators found that Clark violated no criminal or administrative laws or policy guidelines in taking action in this event, and subsequently cleared Clark of all wrongdoing.[citation needed]A resolution was introduced in the United States Congress praising Clark for "exemplary service" and hailing him "a hero" for his actions http://www.fleoa.org/legislative/45-fleoa-calls-for-congress-to-support-rep-lees-resolution-72110.html. The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association and National Police Defense Association passed resolutions or issued statements praising Clark for his actions http://blog.gfbcproductions.biz/2010/10/23/local-rally-supports-atf-agent-facing-murder-trial-in-caribbean/ http://www.npdf.org/ Attempts were made to quash the state case presented by the Court of the Virgin Islands by moving the case to the United States District Court of the Virgin Islands, a request which was denied by the Virgin Islands in violation of the Supremecy Clause of the United States Constitution. Subsequently, the United States government pulled all Special Agents for all Departments from the Islands and withheld millions of dollars in federal support.[30] Defense lawyers made a motion to dismiss the charges on a technicality that the proper procedure was not followed in identifying the body of the shooting victim. The judge dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning he cannot be tried again.[31] The original judge on the case, Brenda Hollar, voluntarily recused herself after the defense produced an anonymous allegation that an inappropriate ex parte conversation took place.[32]
2008. Over a 59 month audit period (between 2002 and 2007), in a report dated September, 2008, the Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, determined that 76 firearms and 418 laptop computers were lost, stolen or missing from ATF.
2006. ATF mismanagement and Misconduct by Carl J. Truscott, Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. An investigation by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), Oversight and Review Division, revealed that Carl J. Truscott, Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), mismanaged government funds, committed travel abuse, engaged in improper hiring practices, and created a hostile work environment. Truscott, who had been a Secret Service executive before being named ATF Director, was reported to OIG for investigation by an anonymous letter.
2004–05, May 2004–August 2005. ATF Agents, in conjunction with Virgina State and local police, conducted an operation at some eight gun shows in Virginia. With special attention to female purchasers, many gun show attendees were stopped by agents as they returned home, then detained while being interrogated, and many had their purchases confiscated by ATF agents. The purchasers were compelled by an ATF letter to appear at ATF offices to explain and justify their purchases. ATF stated this was a "Pilot Program" that ATF was planning to apply throughout the country. In addition, in Pittsburgh, Pa., ATF agents showed up at gun show customers’ homes a week after a show, demanding to see the buyers’ guns or sale paperwork and arresting those who could not—or would not—comply. This ATF operation was the subject of a Congressional hearing where witnesses testified of harassment, intimidation and verbal abuse by ATF Agents, and ATF Agents actively dissuaded customers from purchasing firearms.
1990. The Ruby Ridge Siege began in June 1990. Randy Weaver was pressured by Kenneth Fadeley, an ATF informant, to shorten the barrels on two shotguns and sell these to Fadeley. Weaver maintained the barrels were a legal length, but after Fadeley took possession, the shotguns were later found to be shorter than allowed by federal law, requiring registration as a short-barreled shotgun and payment of a $200 tax. ATF filed firearms charges against Weaver, but offered to drop the charges if he would become an informant. After Weaver refused to cooperate, ATF passed on false information about Weaver to other agencies that became part of a misleading file that profiled Weaver as having explosive booby traps, tunnels and bunkers at his home; growing marijuana; having felony convictions; and being a bank robber. (At his later trial, the gun charges were determined to be entrapment and Weaver was acquitted.) However, Weaver missed a February 20, 1991 court date because U.S. Probation Officer Richins mistakenly told Weaver that the trial date was March 20, and the US Marshals Service (USMS) was charged with bringing Weaver in. Weaver remained with his family in their mountain top cabin. On August 21, 1992 a USMS surveillance team was involved in a shootout that left US Marshal Bill Degan, Samuel Weaver (14), and his pet dog dead. FBI HRT laid siege to the cabin; the next day, Lon Horiuchi, an FBI HRT sniper, opened fire on the Weavers, killing Weaver's wife, Vicki, and wounding Weaver and a family friend. A subsequent Department of Justice review and a Congressional hearing raised several questions about the actions of ATF, USMS, USAO and FBI HRT and the mishandling of intelligence at the USMS and FBI headquarters. The Ruby Ridge incident has become a lightning rod for legal activists within the gun rights community.
1993. The second incident was the Waco Siege of the Branch Davidian religious sect near Waco, Texas on February 28, 1993 when ATF agents, accompanied by the press, conducted a raid to execute a federal search warrant on the sect's compound, known as Mt. Carmel. The Branch Davidians were alerted to the upcoming warrant execution but ATF raid leaders pressed on, despite knowing the advantage of surprise was lost. (ATF Director Steve Higgins had promised Treasury Under-Secretary Ron Noble that the Waco raid would be canceled if the ATF undercover agent Robert Rodriguez reported that the element of surprise had been lost.) The resulting exchange of gunfire left six Davidians and four ATF agents dead. FBI HRT later took over the scene and a 51-day stand-off ensued, ending on April 19, 1993, after the complex caught fire, possibly as a result of the HRT's introduction of flammable tear gas into the compound. The followup investigation revealed the bodies of seventy-six people including twenty children inside the compound. Although a grand jury found that the deaths were suicides or otherwise caused by people inside the building, accusations of excessive force by law enforcement persist. Shortly after the raid, the bureau's director, Stephen E. Higgins, retired early from his position.
Timothy McVeigh cited these incidents as his motivation for the Oklahoma City Bombing, which took place on April 19, 1995, exactly two years after the end of the Waco Siege.
1994. Two ATF supervisory agents, Phillip J. Chojnacki and Charles D. Sarabyn, who were suspended for their roles in leading the botched raid and despite a Treasury Department report of gross negligence, were reinstated in December, 1994 with full back pay and benefits (with a demotion), and had the incident removed from their personnel files.
The Subcommittee received evidence that ATF primarily devoted its firearms enforcement efforts to the apprehension, upon technical malum prohibitum charges, of individuals who lack all criminal intent and knowledge. Evidence received demonstrated that ATF agents tended to concentrate upon collector's items rather than "criminal street guns".
Category:Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Category:Government agencies established in 1972
cs:Úřad pro alkohol, tabák, zbraně a výbušniny da:ATF de:Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives et:BATF es:Agencia de Alcohol, Tabaco, Armas de Fuego y Explosivos fr:Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ko:주류·담배·화기 단속국 id:Biro Alkohol, Tembakau, Senjata Api dan Bahan Peledak it:Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives he:הרשות לאכיפת נושאי האלכוהול, הטבק, הנשק, וחומרי הנפץ hu:ATF ja:アルコール・タバコ・火器及び爆発物取締局 no:Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives pl:Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sv:ATF tr:Alkol, Tütün, Ateşli Silahlar ve Patlayıcılar Bürosu (ABD) zh:美國菸酒槍炮及爆裂物管理局This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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