Hundreds of exuberant Justice Department employees on Wednesday flocked to DAR Constitution Hall in Washington to pick up the DOJ’s highest honors. But members of some DOJ branches had little to celebrate at the department’s premier awards ceremony.
Members of five DOJ components that won awards at the Attorney General Awards Ceremony last year did not receive honors at Wednesday’s event. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, one of the DOJ’s most well-known components, was one of the branches snubbed this week, after receiving four awards last year.
The DOJ’s other law enforcement agencies picked up several awards this year and last. The FBI raked in the most honors in both 2009 and 2010, going home with about 55 awards each of the last two years.
Michael Bouchard, president of the ATF Association, which includes former and current ATF agents, told Main Justice that it was “odd” that the agency did not receive any awards this year.
“People in the ATF do some of the finest work in law enforcement and always have,” said Bouchard, former ATF Assistant Director for Field Operations.
A DOJ spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment.
The ATF and Drug Enforcement Administration, which received 14 awards this year, have complained that they often play second fiddle to the FBI.
DEA agents expressed annoyance earlier this month when President Barack Obama only mentioned the FBI when he spoke at an MTV town hall about federal efforts to fight the drug war. The DEA leads federal government work to stop illegal drugs.
The DOJ took efforts earlier this year to decrease some of the tension between the ATF and FBI. Acting Deputy Attorney General Gary Grindler drew the jurisdictional boundaries between the agencies on explosives cases after a battle over who gets to do what in the investigations.
But irritation at the ATF persists over immense pressure from the gun lobby and members of Congress that has limited its growth and authority.
“We were always given just enough food and water to survive,” Bouchard told The Washington Post. “We could barely just keep going. The ATF could never get that strong, because the gun lobby would get too concerned.”
Charts ranking the DOJ components and U.S. Attorney’s office by the number of awards they won in 2010 and 2009 are below.
Data Compiled by Andrew Ramonas, Main Justice
Data compiled by Andrew Ramonas, Main Justice
