DOD knew of crime report lapses

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department has about failures to give military criminal history information to the FBI since at least 1997, including the type the Air Force didn’t report about the accused Texas church killer Devin P. Kelley who assaulted his then-wife and stepson while serving as an airman. The AF’s lapse in the Kelley case, which is under review by DOD’s inspector general, made it possible for Kelley to buy guns before the Nov. 5 attack that killed 26 in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, was appalled at the mistake and unsatisfied by the AF’s plans to investigate, and fears the failure to report domestic violence convictions may be more widespread. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has directed the Pentagon IG to review circumstances of the Kelley case. At its core, the problem is that military criminal investigative organizations have frequently, and for a long time, failed to comply with rules for reporting service members’ criminal history data to the FBI. A February 1997 report by the IG found widespread lapses. Fingerprint cards were not submitted to the FBI criminal history files in more than 80 percent of cases in the Army and Navy, and 38 percent in the AF. In February 2017, the IG’s office launched a new review to assess compliance, which remains ongoing. (Source: The Associated Press 11/07/17)