Government Data Systems for DHS Lag

The creation of the Department of Homeland Security, and other post 9/11/2001 initiatives, resulted in many changes in federal agency alignments. See TRAC's report on DHS.

Many federal government database systems, however, have not kept up with these changes and are still recording activities under former agency categories. Thus, for example, Department of Justice's database systems utilized for the agency breakdowns for criminal and civil enforcement activities on TRAC's public web site as well as on TRACFED still reflect pre-2003 agency alignments. In addition to not reflecting the creation of DHS, the Transportation Security Administration enforcement activity is grouped within "Other" Transportation Department units. The transfer of most of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms from the Treasury Department to the Department of Justice and the change of its name to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is also not yet reflected. Until the underlying federal data systems are revised to record sufficient information to reflect these changes, civil and criminal enforcement activities reported by TRAC will of necessity follow the old agency categories.