DHS Watch : Watch List Consolidation Not Complete
Posted Sep 12, 2003

DHS Deputy Secretary Gordon England has indicated that the consolidation of a dozen government watch lists is still incomplete. These watch lists have been stored on computers and in programs that were not designed for the networking of information. This has made it difficult to merge the data. This information was released in a GovExec.com article published in late August 2003.

Such problems do not mean that security checks are incomplete. What it means is that security checks are slow, as multiple databases are involved. The lack of a comprehensive watch list may mean that security checks will continue to be slow until the consolidation has been accomplished. DHS continues to make progress on the consolidation plan. It is unclear, however, whether Mr. England will still be with DHS when the project has concluded. President Bush has nominated Mr. England to return to his position as the Secretary of the Navy, a position he held for two years prior to moving to DHS in early 2003. Mr. England is not expected to leave his current position until a replacement is selected and installed.