	Background

U. S. Attorneys serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction  of the Attorney General. EOUSA provides each U.S. Attorney and  the 94 U.S. DOJ Guidelines Covering U.S. Attorneys’ Grant Activities

Guidelines first established by the Attorney General in 1994 stated that  U.S. Attorneys and their staff may be involved in their community’s crime  prevention and control efforts—including efforts to secure DOJ grant  funds and work with grantees—as long as they subscribe to legal and  ethical considerations. Attorneys to Be Active in Community Based Programs Involving DOJ Grants

U.S. According  to guidelines established by the Attorney General in 1994 and revised in  January 2001, U.S. However, U.S. Attorneys’ names  are not to appear on grant applications unless required by law, and U.S. Attorneys and their offices  in carrying out their grant-related responsibilities. Similarly, federal regulations and  procedures call for systematic financial disclosure reporting to, among  other things, facilitate the review of possible conflicts of interest to  guarantee the efficient and honest operation of the government. Attorneys Offices that work with  grantees and potential grantees and nonfederal appointees to PSN grant  selection committees—to provide management assurance that these  individuals are free from actual or apparent conflicts of interest. EOUSA has an  evaluation program to assess and oversee the overall operations of each  U.S. However, the evaluations are not designed to assess  compliance with the Weed and Seed and PSN guidance related to ethical  concerns that EOUSA recently issued. In some of these districts, U.S. Attorneys are not required to screen the selection  committee members they appoint for actual or apparent conflicts of  interests, nor are committee members asked to self-identify any actual or  apparent conflicts of interest. Without a mechanism for monitoring U.S. Attorneys Offices’  compliance with available guidance, DOJ does not have reasonable  assurance that its steps taken to date—such as the issuance of guidance,  ethics training, and video presentations—are adequately understood and  have reached all those who are covered by this guidance. On May 19, 2003, Department of Justice officials  informed us that they had no comments on the report. Attorneys and their staff during calendar year  2002 regarding their role in working with grants and grantees awarded  under the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and Weed and Seed  Programs. PSN Grants

During 2002, DOJ issued two sets of guidelines for U.S. Attorneys and their staff may, among other  things    serve as that chair or co-chair of the Weed and Seed Steering    certify to the Executive Office for Weed and Seed (EOWS) via a “letter  of intent” that a potential Weed and Seed site can receive “official  recognition;” that is the site has developed a strategy sufficient to make  them eligible to apply for a Weed and Seed grant; review Official Recognition applications and prepare a cover letter for  submission to EOWS supporting the site and its strategy;  review funding applications to ensure technical accuracy and  consistency with the Weed and Seed strategy;   sign a statement of support for the Weed and Seed strategy; and    supervise the site, as chair or co-chair of the steering committee,  throughout the life of the initiative.
Why GAO Did This Study

Ninety-three U.S. Attorneys serve 94 judicial districts (the same U.S. Attorney serves the District of Guam and the District of the Northern Mariana Islands) under the direction of the Attorney General. Among other things, the Attorney General expects U.S. Attorneys to lead or be involved with the community in preventing and controlling crime including efforts to secure Department of Justice (DOJ) grant funds and work with grantees. This report provides information about the guidance U.S. Attorneys are given in carrying out their responsibilities with regard to DOJ grants. It makes recommendations to assess compliance with guidance and to reduce the potential for conflicts of interest.

What GAO Found

U.S. Attorneys' grant activities are guided by legal and ethical considerations. General guidelines established by the Attorney General in 1994 and revised in 2001 outline how U.S. Attorneys and their staff can be involved in their community's crime prevention and control efforts, including DOJ grant activities. Last year, DOJ issued guidance in response to U.S. Attorneys' questions about their role in relation to two DOJ grant programs--Project Safe Neighborhoods and Weed and Seed. In addition, through its Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA), DOJ provided training on ethical considerations in dealing with grant applicants and grantees under both grant programs. Although EOUSA has an evaluation program to assess and oversee the overall operations of each U.S. Attorney's Office, the evaluations are not designed to assess whether U.S. Attorneys and their staffs are following the recently established guidelines. Without a mechanism to make this assessment, EOUSA does not have assurance that DOJ guidance is adequately understood, has reached all those who are covered by it, and is correctly applied. In addition, federal regulations and procedures call for systematic financial disclosure reporting to facilitate the review of possible conflicts of interest and ensure the efficient and honest operation of the government. However, while GAO did not identify any incidences of conflicts of interest, certain individuals--staff in U.S. Attorneys Offices that work with grantees and nonfederal members of committees that are appointed by each U.S. Attorney to, among other things, assess the merits of grant proposals--are not required to disclose whether they are free from actual or apparent conflicts of interest. Based on the merits of GAO's work, DOJ officials stated that they would issue a directive to require members of these committees to sign a self-certified conflict of interest statement that is to be held on file subject to DOJ grant monitoring.