	Background

To accomplish its mission of protecting federal facilities, FPS has become  increasingly reliant on its guard force. Before being assigned to a post or an area of responsibility at a  federal facility, FPS requires that all guards undergo background  suitability checks and complete approximately 128 hours of training  provided by the contractor or FPS, including 8 hours of x-ray and  magnetometer training. FPS  is also required to actively monitor and verify the contractors’  performance and ensure that the terms of the contract are met. Many FPS Guards Do Not Appear to Have the Training and Certifications Required to Stand Post at Federal Facilities in Some Regions

		FPS Is Not Providing Guards With All of the Required Training in Some Regions

FPS does not fully ensure that its guards have the training and  certifications required to be deployed to a federal facility. For example, in one region, FPS has not provided the  required 8 hours of x-ray or magnetometer training to its 1,500 guards  since 2004. Nonetheless, these guards continue to control access points at  federal facilities in this region. Lapses and weaknesses in FPS’s x-ray and magnetometer training have  contributed to several incidents at federal facilities in which the guards  were negligent in carrying out their responsibilities. For example, at a level  IV federal facility in a major metropolitan area, an infant in a carrier was  sent through the x-ray machine. This lack of training may have contributed to several  incidents where guards neglected their assigned responsibilities. We found that 62 percent, or 411 of the 663  guards who were deployed to a federal facility had at least one expired  certification, including for example, firearms qualification, background  investigation, domestic violence declaration, or CPR/First Aid training  certification. Moreover, five of the six regions we visited did not have current  information on guard training and certifications. FPS Has Limited Assurance that Guards Comply with Post Orders

		FPS Is Not Consistently Inspecting Guards Posts

FPS has limited assurance that its 13,000 guards are complying with post  orders. FPS does not have specific national guidance on when and how  guard inspections should be performed. FPS’s inspections of guard posts  at federal facilities are inconsistent and the quality and rigor of its  inspections varies across regions. We also found that in the 6 regions we visited that guard inspections are  typically completed by FPS during regular business hours and in cities  where FPS has a field office. For example, as shown in figure  2, at a level IV facility, an armed guard was found asleep at his post after  taking the pain killer prescription drug Percocet during the night shift. However, FPS has found  incidents at level IV facilities where guards were not in compliance with  post orders. A guard failed to recognize or did not properly x-ray a box containing  semi-automatic handguns at the loading dock at one federal facility we  visited. FPS only became aware of the situation because the handguns  were delivered to FPS. Covert Testing of FPS’s Guard Program Reveals Weaknesses

We identified substantial security vulnerabilities related to FPS’s guard  program. Each time they tried, in April and May 2009, our investigators  successfully passed undetected through security checkpoints monitored  by FPS’s guards, with the components for an IED concealed on their  persons at 10 level IV facilities in four cities in major metropolitan areas. Of the 10 level IV facilities we penetrated, 8 were government owned and 2  were leased facilities. The facilities included field offices of a U.S Senator  and U.S. Representative as well as agencies of the Departments of  Homeland Security, Transportation, Health and Human Services, Justice,  State and others. FPS’s Recent Actions to Improve Its Oversight of Guards May Be Challenging to Implement

Because of the sensitivity of our review, we have already briefed FPS and  GSA on the results of our covert testing at 10 level IV facilities and other  preliminary findings regarding the guard program.
Why GAO Did This Study

To accomplish its mission of protecting about 9,000 federal facilities, the Federal Protective Service (FPS) currently has a budget of about $1 billion, about 1,200 full time employees, and about 13,000 contract security guards. This testimony discusses GAO's preliminary findings on (1) the extent to which FPS ensures that its guards have the required training and certifications before being deployed to a federal facility, (2) the extent to which FPS ensures that its guards comply with their assigned responsibilities (post orders) once they are deployed at federal facilities, and (3) security vulnerabilities GAO recently identified related to FPS's guard program. To address these objectives, GAO conducted site visits at 6 of FPS's 11 regions, interviewed numerous FPS officials, guards, contractors, and analyzed FPS's policies and data. GAO also conducted covert testing at 10 judgmentally selected level IV facilities in four cities. A level IV facility has over 450 employees and a high volume of public contact.

What GAO Found

FPS does not fully ensure that its contract security guards have the training and certifications required to be deployed to a federal facility. FPS requires that all prospective guards complete about 128 hours of training including 8 hours of x-ray and magnetometer training. However, in one region, FPS has not provided the x-ray or magnetometer training to its 1,500 guards since 2004. Nonetheless, these guards are assigned to posts at federal facilities. X-ray training is critical because guards control access points at facilities. Insufficient x-ray and magnetometer training may have contributed to several incidents where guards were negligent in carrying out their responsibilities. For example, at a level IV facility, an infant in a carrier was sent through an x-ray machine due to a guard's negligence. Moreover, GAO found that FPS does not have a fully reliable system for monitoring and verifying guard training and certification requirements. GAO reviewed 663 randomly selected guard records and found that 62 percent of the guards had at least one expired certification including a declaration that guards have not been convicted of domestic violence, which make them ineligible to carry firearms. FPS has limited assurance that its guards are complying with post orders. FPS does not have specific national guidance on when and how guard inspections should be performed. FPS's inspections of guard posts at federal facilities are inconsistent and the quality varied in the six regions GAO visited. GAO also found that guard inspections are typically completed by FPS during regular business hours and in locations where FPS has a field office; and seldom on nights and on weekends. However, on an occasion when FPS did conduct a post inspection at night it found a guard asleep at his post after taking the pain killer prescription drug Percocet. FPS also found other incidents at level IV facilities where guards neglected or inadequately performed their assigned responsibilities. For example, a guard failed to recognize or did not properly x-ray a box containing handguns at the loading dock at a facility. FPS became aware of the situation because the handguns were delivered to FPS. GAO identified substantial security vulnerabilities related to FPS's guard program. GAO investigators carrying the components for an improvised explosive device successfully passed undetected through security checkpoints monitored by FPS's guards at each of the 10 level IV federal facilities where GAO conducted covert testing. Of the 10 level IV facilities GAO penetrated, 8 were government owned, 2 were leased, and included offices of a U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative, as well as agencies such as the Departments of Homeland Security, State, and Justice. Once GAO investigators passed the control access points, they assembled the explosive device and walked freely around several of floors of these level IV facilities with the device in a briefcase. In response to GAO's briefing on these findings, FPS has recently taken some actions including increasing the frequency of intrusion testing and guard inspections. However, implementing these changes may be challenging, according to FPS.