US Marshals lack resources to keep judges safe: Inspector general repo

The U.S. Marshals Service, one of the nation's oldest law enforcement agencies, lacks the resources needed to ensure the safety and security of federal judges and other people it's meant to protect, the Department of Justice's Office of Inspector General found.

“The USMS does not have adequate proactive threat detection capabilities to monitor the current threat landscape, including in online   and social media settings,” the inspector general report, slot released on Wednesday, said. “Resource limitations and competing agency budget and staffing priorities have impeded the USMS's ability to provide the level of protective services that it has determined is required given the increasing number of threats directed at the judiciary.”

The U.S. Marshals Service is the primary security agency for the more than 800 federal judges in the United States.

“This is particularly concerning given that from FY 2016 to FY 2019, the USMS experienced an 89% increase in security incidents involving, and inappropriate communications and threats made to, USMS-protected officials,” the report said.

In July 2020, U.S. District Judge Esther Salas and her family were targeted at her home.