By Steve NeavlingLocal and state police officers often begin working on federal task forces before completing required training, creating potential risks in investigations involving guns, drugs and gangs, according to a federal watchdog report released Monday, The Washington Post reports. The U.S. Government Accountability Office found that the FBI, DEA and ATF worked with local agencies on about 1,600 task forces as of April 2026. Marshals Service handle misconduct allegations against local officers assigned to federal task forces. That absence of uniform standards creates an “increased risk of inconsistent adjudications, which could jeopardize the integrity of task force operations and erode public trust in task force effectiveness,” the report said. The GAO recommended requiring officers to complete relevant training before beginning federal task force work and creating consistent misconduct policies across the agencies.