Is the Department of Homeland Security setting up Plausible Deniability?

Is the Department of Homeland Security setting up a Plausible Deniability defense for a media/Congressional inquiry? I wonder, and submit the following to maybe make you think about it.


CBP (Customs and Border Protection) and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) have quite an inventory of well…lost inventory. Some of these have been discussed on ATS lately, and like a lot of ATS threads these made me think.

I wondered how, I mean really, how could so many incompetent people be employed by DHS? It takes a raft full of dummies to just plain miss-place this kind of stuff.

Note: All links below will take you off ATS to news souces.


Lost Weapons


Lost Computers


Lo st Night Vision Scopes


Lost FLIR


Personal Radiation Detectors, Vehicles, Radios/Radio Repeaters, Blackberrys and other assorted questionable items also appear on the lists contained on this page from The Independence Institute.


The Big Lists


While the monetary loss is large, and I suppose there are that many dummies in DHS, I tend to look beyond that for an explanation.

If I thought I was going to need plausible deniability for the stupid actions of my staff at a future date, or I thought I was going to need it to cover me for covert illegally ordered acts, this is just the kind of stuff I would start loosing.

And then I would make sure that it would be really easy to impersonate one or more of my agents by having the ability to claim, “They must have compromised the plant where our uniforms were made.”


CBP Uniforms Made in Mexico


I am so convinced that there is something to this, that I fully expect the next thing we will hear about being lost is some form of identification.

edited to shorten headline


[edit on 3/2/2010 by rotorwing]

I am curious.. How does one lose a few SUV's?

Isnt that almost impossible to do? Really an SUV?? Come on.....


[edit on 3/2/2010 by ThichHeaded]

reply to post by ThichHeaded


I am utterly amazed! This lost "stuff" is the equipment that I would need to do my job if I was employed by the DHS. So...if I lost my SUV, do I what...walk the border for the rest of my shift?

And a lost weapon. I know, I'll throw rocks at the bad guys.

'Course if I hadn't lost my computer last week, I could just hole up for my work week and surf the net...

I like how the word "LOST" is over used in all these articles.

I wonder how many of these items were stolen by actual DHS agents

and were sold to whomever or kept the stuff! I bet a lot of these guys run into

the perfect type of criminals to pawn off these hard to get items everyday.

As far as I concerned, the government can start their Gun Control here, and leave the

responsible owners alone!

Originally posted by TwoTechnics
I bet a lot of these guys run into the perfect type of criminals to pawn off these hard to get items everyday.

And just to agree with you in spades, I would add, that the people who need to lay their hands on "personal radiation detectors" are probably not up to much good.

Only the federal government could spawn such incompetence and corruption. Anyone losing their weapon should be terminated. Period. As for your thinking that this might be a prelude for something I'm not so sure. This is business as usual for the Feds, especially any new agency.
Maybe Santa will bring me some night vision goggles and a flir camera too. Oh, and throw in that M4 if youre not gonna use it.

These items are not "lost". It takes planed cooperation to take things like this. Someone turns their head, multiple people take things and all keep their mouth shut, etc. etc...

These are items that are already accounted for so they were not taken from the scene and put into the trunk right away and taken home ( which most likely happens also). Who knows, maybe the Government commandeers these items for the benefit of the country and we don't have the "need to know".

Interesting information.

I am seriously concerned about the lost vehicles. I just did a quick search in the documents scribed in the 5th link provided.

The 2nd item on the first list is a Chevy Tahoe. My concerns with this vehicle being 'lost' is that it is equipped with OnStar. OnStar contains a GPS device which can be used to locate the vehicle at any time.

Did they not think of calling GM and asking them to locate the vehicle? Was it stolen and parted out immediately? Does GM store any location records, which could be looked at to find it's last known broadcast point?

How long was it missing before the appropriate CBP official knew about it?


I could go on, but I will not.


I went and re read the tahoe listing and it is listed as 'stolen.'


ETA: After I posted, I thought to myself, 'I wonder how many GPS units they lost?'

Well, they lost 10 units, listed here.

151-3OB-XXX XL-DC GPS RECEIVER $5,040.00 'lost'
GPS $169,97 1 OFCBORPATR 'lost'
GPS $169.98 1 OFCBORPATR 'stolen'
GPS $170,00 1 OFCBORPATR 'stolen'
GPS $173,78 1 OFCBORPATR 'lost'
GPS $219.00 1 OFCBORPATR 'lost'
GPS $219.00 1 OFCBORPATR 'lost'
GPS 1HANDHELD1GARMIN ETREXVISTA $169.97 1 OFCBORPATR 'stolen'
GPS Device $362.96 1 OFCTRAININ 'lost'
GARMIN GPS 1ETREX-LEGENO $1,000,00 1 OFCBORPATR 'lost'

'Insert Picard facepalm picture here'

[edit on 2-3-2010 by sporkmonster]

Let me say, I love this kind of discussion! I come to ATS so that I'm inspired to think.

First, to sporkmonster...what an insight! I own a Suburban, and look at that On Star button daily. I totally missed that line of thought! Thanks!

Asktheanimals...Your sense of humor is right up my alley. You should come to my risk management meeting at the bar tonight... But back on topic. I love gadgets, and yes some of those things I would like to have. Yhat said, it's not just a few, and it just seems way to too easy to connect these dots.

I am ex-military, and I learned how to play CYA just in case there wasn't a door gunner or a Marine to cover my "6". This just looks too convenient to me.

reply to post by rotorwing


Factory installed GPS was the first thing I thought of when I read about the missing SUV's. I also noticed that there was a Chevrolet Chevette listed in the ICE report. (from the 5th link again) I don't know why they would have a Chevette in the first place.

Originally posted by sporkmonster
I also noticed that there was a Chevrolet Chevette listed in the ICE report. (from the 5th link again)

I don't know why they would have a Chevette in the first place.

The only thing I can think of is target practice. Had a friend that owned one of those...I think we shot at it on a regular basis.

Perhaps it's one of those things they used to 'blend in" with. Sure would hate to have to sit for too long in it though.