... The OIG conducts criminal investigations of fraud, bribery, embezzlement, and other criminal activity involving the Department of Education.

Before we execute a search warrant, OIG always assesses the risk involved so that we can ensure the safety of the officers involved, the occupants of the property, and the general public. We look at a number of factors, such as the persons known to occupy or frequent the location and whether they have any criminal or violent histories."

I'm glad they cleared that up for us.  So there weren't actually any "SWAT officers;" they were "Special Agents."  Well that makes me feel a whole lot better.  How about you?

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Columnist Jeff Knox discussed the emergence of these "shadow agents" over a year ago when he detailed the shifting dynamics of post 9-11 agency powers:

"In the wake of the 9-11 attacks, the law dealing with arrest powers for IG offices was amended to give the Attorney General the authority to authorize presidentially appointed IG’s to have full law enforcement powers.

This law only applies to the 30 agencies with presidentially appointed Inspectors General.  Of those 30 agencies only the IG’s for the Department of Agriculture, the CIA, the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Defense Department, and the Treasury IG for Tax Administration are left to prove their need before the AG can authorize them to have police powers.  All of the rest, the departments of Commerce, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs along with the Agency for International Development, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, General Services Administration, NASA, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Personnel Management, the Railroad Retirement Board, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the Tennessee Valley Authority, IGs got their police powers without having to prove need or ability."

I don't know about you, but the thought of "Special Agents" from the Department of Education, Railroad Retirement Board, Small Business Administration, or Tennessee Valley Authority breaking down my door in the early morning, handcuffing and detaining me and my children (when none of us is guilty of anything at all) is just a little bit unsettling to me.