DHS’ Management of BioWatch Program 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 

Office of Inspector General 

OIG-07-22 January 2007
Office of Inspector General 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security 

Washington, DC 20528

January 11, 2007 

Preface 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) was established by 

the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-296) by amendment to the Inspector General 

Act of 1978. This is one of a series of audit, inspection, and special reports prepared as part of our 

oversight responsibilities to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness within the department. 

This report addresses DHS’ management of the BioWatch program. It is based on interviews with 

employees and officials of relevant agencies and institutions, direct observations, and a review of 

applicable documents. 

The recommendations herein have been developed to the best knowledge available to our office, and 

have been discussed in draft with those responsible for implementation. It is our hope that this report 

will result in more effective, efficient, and economical operations. We express our appreciation to all 

of those who contributed to the preparation of this report. 

 

Richard L. Skinner 

Inspector General 
Table of Contents/Abbreviations 

DHS’ Management of BioWatch Program 

 

Executive Summary............................................................................................................................. 1 

Background.......................................................................................................................................... 2 

Results of Audit ................................................................................................................................... 4 

 DHS Follow-up on Previously Identified Issues ........................................................................... 4 

 DHS Enforcement of Federal Partners’ Reporting Requirements................................................. 6 

 Recommendations.......................................................................................................................... 8 

Management Comments and OIG Analysis .................................................................................. 8 

Appendices 

 Appendix A: Purpose, Scope, and Methodology ..................................................................... 10 

Appendix B: Management’s Response to the Draft Report..................................................... 11 

 Appendix C: Memorandum of Agreement .............................................................................. 17 

 Appendix D: Major Contributors to this Report ...................................................................... 25 

Appendix E: Report Distribution............................................................................................. 26 

Abbreviations 

 BWEEP BioWatch Exercise and Evaluation Program 

 BioWatch BioWatch Program 

CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

CoC Chain-of-Custody 

DGI Defense Group, Inc. 

DOE Department of Energy 

DHS Department of Homeland Security 

Economy Act Economy Act of 1932, as amended, 31 USC § 1535 

EPA Environmental Protection Agency 

GAO Government Accountability Office 

HHS Department of Health and Human Services 

LRN Laboratory Response Network 

MOA Memorandum of Agreement 

OIG Office of Inspector General 

S&T Science and Technology Directorate 

SETA Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance 

SMS Sample Management System 
























Appendix D 

Major Contributors to this Report 

DHS’ Management of BioWatch Program 

Page 25

Boston Field Office

Maureen Duddy, Audit Manager 

Edward Jeye, Auditor-in-Charge 

Brian Lynch, Auditor 

David DeHaven, Auditor 
Appendix E 

Report Distribution 

DHS’ Management of BioWatch Program 

Page 26

Department of Homeland Security

Secretary 

Deputy Secretary 

Chief of Staff 

Deputy Chief of Staff 

General Counsel 

Executive Secretary 

Under Secretary, Science and Technology 

Assistant Secretary for Policy 

Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs 

Assistant Secretary for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs 

Chief Privacy Officer 

Chief Security Officer 

Science and Technology Audit Liaison 

DHS GAO/OIG Audit Liaison 

Office of Management and Budget

Chief, Homeland Security Branch 

DHS OIG Budget Examiner 

Congress

 Congressional Oversight and Appropriations Committees, as appropriate
Additional Information and Copies 

To obtain additional copies of this report, call the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at 

(202) 254-4100, fax your request to (202) 254-4285, or visit the OIG web site at 

www.dhs.gov/oig. 

OIG Hotline 

To report alleged fraud, waste, abuse, or mismanagement, or any other kind of 

criminal or noncriminal misconduct relative to department programs or operations, 

call the OIG Hotline at 1-800-323-8603; write to DHS Office of Inspector 

General/MAIL STOP 2600, Attention: Office of Investigations – Hotline, 245 

Murray Drive, SW, Building 410, Washington, DC, 20528; fax the complaint to 

(202) 254-4292; or email DHSOIGHOTLINE@dhs.gov. The OIG seeks to protect the 

identity of each writer and caller.