Alarming Rate of Alcohol-Related Arrests Among Border Patrol Agents, Memo Says

Originally published 3:35 p.m. Nov. 16.

A problem with alcohol is out of hand among the 21,294 members of the U.S. Border Patrol with agents not only drinking and driving, but coming to work drunk, says a report from 10 News.

The news station's inside source told investigative reporter Mitch Blacher that San Diego-based agents are reporting for duty under the influence and still being assigned patrol vehicles and automatic weapons. 

And in an internal memo from the head of the Border Patrol, Chief Michael Fisher writes that the agency is averaging almost two alcohol-related arrests per week. 

Locally, San Diego Sector Border Patrol Chief Paul Beeson says he has not seen any reports that confirm his more than 2,600 agents are driving or carrying weapons while drunk.

"What I'm aware of is that if an instance like that were to occur, supervisors are not going to let them go out in the field," Beeson told 10 News. "Policy prohibits it."
According to Beeson, nine local agents have been arrested in 2013 for driving under the influence. As a deterrent, the chief says he has given his personal cell phone number to each agent to stop them from driving drunk. 

Starting next year, the Border Patrol is mandating alcohol-awareness classes under the Michael V. Gallagher project, named for an on-duty agent killed in 2010 by a drunk driver. 

"This continued level and rate of alcohol-related arrests within our agency is alarming and detrimental to the overall well-being of our workforce," Fisher writes in the memo. 

And while Beeson says the alcohol-related incidents represent a small minority of the entire federal police force, "... one arrest regardless of the reason is unacceptable."