The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Monday announced significant changes in oversight procedures following the Homeland Security Department watchdog’s release of a report regarding allegations of sexual misconduct by a former agency official.
“These allegations are deeply disturbing and harassment of any kind will not be tolerated at FEMA,” FEMA Administrator Brock Long said in a statement.
House Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy called the revelations “deeply alarming” especially in light of the official’s placement overseeing personnel issues.
“Any agency employee, much less the top human resources official, engaging in pervasive harassment, bullying, and gross misconduct is disturbing and enraging. It is equally concerning this behavior was allowed to continue for so long,” said Gowdy, R-S.C.
Long said the result of the investigation gave him “no choice but to take decisive action to address lapses in professional responsibility.”
The former official who was the subject of the probe was Corey Coleman, whose identity was confirmed by a FEMA spokesperson to Government Executive. Coleman, who led the personnel department since 2011, resigned on June 18. According to an executive summary of the report, Coleman faces claims of hiring women as potential sex partners for male employees, along with allegations of harassment.
The FEMA chief told the DHS inspector general to continue looking into this specific issue. He also created an Office of Professional Responsibility, which he said would “ensure expeditious, fair, and objective follow-up and resolution of allegations of employee misconduct.”
An outside group will look at the agency’s approach to “intake, management, and resolution of employee misconduct allegations, especially sexual harassment allegations.”
In addition, FEMA will receive counseling and health advisers to give “support” to personnel who did not receive it under the former human resources official. Employees who previously made their complaints and felt they were not adequately addressed will also have the chance to re-open those cases by a group of newly contracted staff.
All personnel will also be required to go through a third-party, in-person training on how to spot, report, and prevent sexual misconduct.
