Government Gone Militant: 70 Federal Agencies Have Armed Divisions Including The EPA
The recent uproar over armed EPA agents descending on a tiny Alaska miningĀ town is shedding light on the fact that 40 federal agencies ā including nearly aĀ dozen typically not associated with law enforcement — have armed divisions.
The agencies employ about 120,000 full-time officers authorized to carry gunsĀ and make arrests, according to a June 2012 JusticeĀ Department report.
Though most Americans know agents within the Drug Enforcement Agency and theĀ Federal Bureau of Prisons carry guns, agencies such as the Library of CongressĀ and Federal Reserve Board employing armed officers might come as a surprise.
The incidentĀ that sparked the renewed interest and concern occurred in late August when aĀ team of armed federal and state officials descended on the tiny Alaska goldĀ mining town of Chicken, Alaska.
The Environmental Protection Agency, whose armed agents in full body armorĀ participated, acknowledged taking part in the Alaska Environmental Crimes TaskĀ Force investigation, which it said was conducted to look for possible violationsĀ of the Clean Water Act.
However, EPA officials denied the operation was a āraidā and didn’t addressĀ speculation about whether it was connected to possible human and drugĀ trafficking.
āImagine coming up to your diggings, only to see agents swarming over it likeĀ ants, wearing full body armor, with jackets that say “POLICE” emblazoned onĀ them, and all packing side arms,ā gold miner C.R. Hammond told the AlaskaĀ Dispatch.
The other federal agencies participating in the operation were the FBI, theĀ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Coast Guard,Ā the National Oceanic and the Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. ParkĀ Service.
The FBI, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and ParkĀ Service are among 24 federal agencies employing more than 250 full-time armedĀ officers with arrest authority, according the federal report, which is based onĀ the 2008 Census of Federal Law Enforcement Officers.
The other 16 agencies have less than 250 officers and include NOAA as well asĀ the Library of Congress, the Federal Reserve Board and the National InstitutesĀ of Health.
The number of federal department with armed personnel climbs to 73 whenĀ adding in the 33 offices of inspector general, the government watchdogs forĀ agencies as large as the Postal Service to the Government Printing Office, whoseĀ IG has only five full-time officers.
The EPA defended its use of armed officers, after the Alaska incident.
“Environmental law enforcement, like other forms of law enforcement, alwaysĀ involves the potential for physical, even armed, confrontation,” the agencyĀ said.
But Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell has already ordered an investigation,Ā saying “This level of intrusion and intimidation of Alaskans is absolutelyĀ unacceptable.”
In addition, Alaska Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Republican, and Mark Begich,Ā Democrat, have inquired about the incident.
Murkowski said purported concerns about rampant drug and human trafficking inĀ the area sounded āwholly concoctedā to her.
āThis seems to have been a heavy-handed and heavy-armor approach. Why was itĀ so confrontational? The EPA really didnāt have any good answers for this,ā sheĀ told the newspaper.
This is not the first time armed EPA guards have been accused of intimidatingĀ behavior.
In May 2012, North Carolina resident Larry Keller was visited by armed EPAĀ agents after sending an email to Al Armendariz, the regional administrator whoĀ was video-taped saying his enforcement strategy was to “crucify” executives fromĀ big oil and gas companies.