WATCH

OPR 1980 vs OPR 1996
by Edward E. Magnuson

The Annual Report to the Attorney General by DOJ's Office of Professional Responsibility concluded that"DEA's integrity program is seriously deficient and needs to be restructured."

There are several possible causes for the breakdown of DEA's program. One possibility, which we were at first reluctant to accept, is that"DEA uses its integrity program less to identify and respond to misconduct within the agency, than as a management tool to protect those in favor or to discipline those in disfavor." The report further stated that DOJ'S OPR attorneys had interviewed numerous DEA employees who spoke out only under the condition of confidentiality due to their fear of "reprisal from DEA management."

Although many will agree that the report accurately reflects the current state of affairs within DEA, the report was written some sixteen years ago in 1980. The report provoked reform and the malignancy went into temporary remission. However, Administrator Constantine's "meaningful integrity program" has brought about a resurgence of both unfair and selective persecutions, the cancer now having spread to almost fatal proportions, eating away at the moral fiber and morale of the agency.

On March 19,1996, DOJ OPR Assistant Counsel Robert Lyon Jr. forwarded to both the Office of the Inspector General and DEA's OPR my letter which alleged misconduct on the part of DEA employees, particularly former Deputy Administrator Stephen Greene. In order to avoid any confusion or misinterpretation of what was being said, I forwarded a follow-up letter to Administrator Constantine explaining that the information in the letter was just the tip of the iceberg and that, if contacted, I would be more than willing to cooperate with the agency.

The Office of the Inspector General adopted for investigation the allegation of untrue testimony while under oath (perjury), advising that the other allegations made, although serious, fell under the internal control of DEA. Since the allegations were not frivolous and were fully supported by documentation and sworn witness testimony, and since I was a recently retired DEA Supervisory Special Agent with 23 years of unblemished service, I naturally believed that Administrator Constantine's 'no-nonsense integrity program' covered the entire agency spectrum, including its Deputy Administrator. However, DEA saw fit to ignore my letters and their provable allegations No one contacted me. Nothing was done concerning the serious allegations pertaining to its second highest official.

Now that Mr. Greene has unexpectedly retired from the agency, I'm sure that Administrator Constantine considers the matter to be a dead issue... favorably resolved in his mind by non-action. But in ignoring high-level travesties Constantine sent a terrible message to DEA's loyal and devoted employees:

In Administrator Constantine's "meaningful integrity program," the punitive pendulum of justice swings only one way.

WATCH

DEA Watch and DEA
by Edward E. Magnuson

It's known in DEA offices around the world that DEA Administrator Thomas Constantine is not a fan of DEA WATCH. In fact, it's been said that he considers the forum detrimental to the good order and discipline of the agency.

A possible explanation for his cynicism is that he neither fully understands nor appreciates DEA Watch's contribution to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Before DEA WATCH the Regime saw to it that everyone was afraid to tell the emperor that he wasn't wearing any clothes. But DEA WATCH has changed that. Contrary to what Administrator Constantine would like people to believe, DEA WATCH is not the hysterical rantings of its editorial staff and a few recalcitrant agents. The opinions and positions put forth by DEA WATCH are the beliefs and perceptions of many agents not only in the field but also in Mr. Constantine's own headquarters. And as such, they should be respected and not maligned.

What Administrator Constantine fails to realize is that for the first time in DEA's history, its employees have a mechanism to express their TRUE thoughts. Although the articles and stories portray a certain negativism towards DEA senior management, they are in all reality a positive contribution... it's called "constructive criticism". How else can DEA's loyal workforce express their fears and valid concerns without the reality or perception of reprisal?

Although Administrator Constantine is not in agreement with much that has been reported in DEA WATCH, he has equal opportunity to express his side of the many controversies addressed. Such response would be both enlightening and healthy. For sure, DEA WATCH's many readers and supporters would more than welcome any comments by Administrator Constantine and his staff.

If DEA WATCH and its supporters did not hold the Drug Enforcement Administration close to their heart and believe that its agents were the finest on the face of the earth, there would be no DEA WATCH!

WATCH

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