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Return to Article: Contract security guard program to see changes

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  I worked for a federal security company in Connecticut as a supervisior for several years. I can state here that the officers (including mine), had absolutely no job security. FPS created a horrible hostile working situation by threatening the contractor and staff with termination and harassment. Weak project managers, afraid of their positions being eleminated would fire an officer without due process or cause. The officers union was a joke, and did little for the line staff. Officers carry .40 auto handguns on most posts in Connecticut. With the turn over rate around 30% every few years, the situation was dangerous at times. The staff would not trust me because they knew I could not trust my management, and nobody trusts FPS!I can understand why people walked off their posts. I wont be surprised if there is violence someday as that was my chief worry. Solution? Hire, train and retain Federal Officers to guard Federal Facilities, and abolish FPS

  Former Security Supervisior Posted December 31, 2007 5:13 PM
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  I'm not gonna sit here and put any agency down for ant matter,that's management;s job to fix it,all I know is our society has changed allot from then until now.You go to government public services and you need security there,heck I see the people that go to these places and let me tell you,these people in our society are just straight crazy and display abnormal behavior with no respect towards the workers who try to help them.Without order it will be chaos!!People tend to just dont care no more going to these services and assume there at home and can do whatever they want,I feel safe with a S/O who is armed inside a government building or facility,at least I know no idiot is gonna go in there storming in like a cowboy movie.

  vick Posted September 3, 2007 5:56 PM
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  I am retired law enforcement officer working as a federal contract security officer since 09/11/01. I disagree with David Wright's commnents that maintaining federal police officers is the answer. I would agree the federal government has relied on private security far too long. 98% of the federal posts are currently manned by private contract security officers. Here in California I have gone weeks without seeing a federal police officer. Most contract security officers are doing an exemplary job of ACTUALLY MANNING THE POSTS! If a federal police officer would take a month vacation no one would notice. If a contract security officer left his post for one hour the building operation would shut down! My solution is to get rid of these parasitic private contractors and get these officers training, arrest powers and a living wage. This would probably never happen because their are too many hands being greased and the actual security officer and the host agencies are THE LOWEST PRIORITY!

  ron parvanian Posted July 19, 2007 8:48 PM
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  Mr. Wright's comments are well taken. Prior to Oklahoma city, the FPS was in the process of downsizing. Institutional rumor had it that the agency was on its way to being eliminated. As a result positions were slashed and protection was reduced. After the bombing of the Murrah Building, Congress expressed a great deal of concern about security, and held hearings as to how something like this could occur. It happened then, as now, with the drastic cuts in the FPS. I put it to the honorable members of Congress that this current trend is proof of the maxim "those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it."

  Concerned Citizen Posted July 19, 2007 7:35 AM
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  Why do we feel that it is necessary to tell EVERYONE what/where our vulnerabilites are? Do we need to know this? My thought is that, since we are "in business", we should do things like ENRON and keep our secrets secret. Personally, I don't like giving the enemy our game plan for anything that may place people in harms way. Webster's defines Security as "freedom from danger", "freedom from fear and anxiety". Stories like this don't make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Actually, I feel just the opposite.

  nolalive Posted July 17, 2007 9:14 AM
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  The Federal Government has relied on private industry security for too long. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes -Norton's ongong efforts to upgrade training and experience requirements are admirable and necessary. However, that remedy will entail a long process. In the meantime, DHS/ICE/FPS is slashing federal police officer positions at a time of increased intelligence indicating that Al -Quaeda is "franchising" and becoming more able to strike the Homeland. By October 1, 2007, FPS - the only Federal Agency solely responsible for protection of 8800 Federal properties will be slashed to levels below April 19, 1995 - the day of the Oklahoma City Bombing. The public appreciates the support of the Congressional members that have stood up and demanded accountability of DHS/ICE/FPS in this situation. However, the law enforcement manpower drain continues at FPS. DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff should be called to task for this gross mismanagement.

  David L. Wright Posted July 17, 2007 8:59 AM
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  This is not an isolated incident. Makes you wonder who's minding the store...every time you eliminate a civil service position and make it contract you are running a risk of this happening again. In 25 years of federal service no one has been able to prove to me that it's cheaper to eliminate a position and go with a contract.

  Mike Minick Posted July 17, 2007 8:34 AM
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  What does the government expect when they continue to outsource functions that "should" remain in-house. In a time of constant terrorist threats, the government "needs" to have a loyal/dedicated workforce. In stead, government expertise and experience continues to walk out the door. Plus, the continual increases in contract costs are not reported correctly to either the administration or the American Tax-payer. It cost more to outsource than to keep the function in-house. The 33% cost savings is a thing of the past and no longer achievable. They've outsourced the outsourced and now only the crooks remain. It's a political game.

  Cats Posted July 17, 2007 8:09 AM
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  Security for a facility should rest with that facility/agency, and not some remote agency that is short staffed and under funded. FPS is a dinosaur, GSA charges facilities hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for protective and security service, and often, as in my facilities case, provides absolutely nothing in return. Our nearest FPS is over a hundred miles away. We write and direct our own guard contract and administer our own security program.We're lucky to see a GSA/FPS rep every couple of years.

  Sydney P. Deane, CPP Posted July 17, 2007 7:14 AM