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GAO: Homeland Security agencies undercounted times violence was used

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has a field office in Phoenix, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection is assigned to southern Arizona.

Congress’ watchdog wants the Homeland Security secretary to create ways for submitting and analyzing data on when agents working for those agencies use violence against people.

Homeland Security started collecting use-of-force data about a year ago from its law enforcement agencies such as ICE and CBP. 

But a new report from the Government Accountability Office says the info undercounts how often agents use different types of deadly and less-lethal force, such as pepper spray.

Investigators found that agents sometimes put multiple uses of force into one report. Plus agencies combine multiple reports into one incident.

The audit also found that Homeland Security hasn’t told its agencies how to submit data on scenarios when force was used more than once.

Matthew Casey has won Edward R. Murrow awards for hard news and sports reporting since he joined KJZZ as a senior field correspondent in 2015.