Institutional narcissism

“It has been suggested by Border Patrol leadership that they are the Marine Corps of the U.S. law enforcement community,” Tomsheck said. “The Border Patrol has a self-identity of a paramilitary border security force and not that of a law enforcement organization.”

James F. Tomsheck, former head of internal affairs for the Border Patrol turned “whistle-blower”, is leveling charges that to those who have lived on the border, and those who read sites like this one should be of no surprise. Besides the “institutional narcissism” Tomsheck sees in Border Patrol’s cover-ups and denials of any wrong-doing, there is rampant corruption and a lot of agents who never should have been hired:

A former U.S. Secret Service agent for 23 years, Tomsheck said he believed that between 5 and 10 percent of border agents and officers are actively corrupt or were at some point in their career. Those crimes include stealing government property, leaking sensitive information and taking bribes to look the other way when smugglers bring drugs or people into the country.

“To a large degree, it (corruption) was an undetected problem and far more severe than the actual number of arrests,” he said.

Other high-ranking officials have backed up Tomsheck’s accusations.

Sombrero tip to Latino Rebels. Full article at cironline.org (Center for Investigative Reporting).