http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=4116960&nav=9qrx

Report faults Border Patrol's management of San Diego vehicles

SAN DIEGO The Department of Homeland Security's internal watchdog is giving the Border Patrol poor marks for managing its vehicle fleet in San Diego.

In a report out today, the department's inspector general says the San Diego sector spent 750 thousand dollars on expensive repairs for its aging fleet of Ford Broncos. The agency then sold many vehicles that were fixed and kept the lesser-maintained ones.

The inspector general says the Border Patrol scrapped vehicles that could have been salvaged. The report also faults officials for failing to keep records on useable parts that were removed before they were junked.

The 35-page report was done at the request of Congressman Bob Filner after a constituent blew the whistle.

According to the report, the Homeland Security Department agrees that the vehicle fleet was not well managed under the former Immigration and Naturalization Service. The I-N-S was dissolved in 2003, and the Border Patrol is now part of Homeland Security. The department says oversight has since improved.