Report Contents
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) received a referral that the Office of the Chief of Protocol (S/CPR) was missing items of a significant value from its gift vault. 1 The missing items were either gifts from, or were to be given as gifts to, foreign governments and dignitaries. In the course of investigating this referral, OIG identified that the lack of accurate recordkeeping and appropriate physical security controls contributed to the loss of the gifts.
Report Terms
Report Recommendations
The Office of the Chief of Protocol should institute a stronger property management system for items contained in the gift vault similar to the requirements of 14 FAM 421.1, such as regular inventories and reconciliations.
The Bureau of Diplomatic Security should work with the Office of the Chief of Protocol to strengthen the physical security of the gift vault, including an evaluation as to whether security cameras would be appropriate for use to protect the vault.