Reporting from Washington — In what a Senate committee chairman called "the broadest indictment of a federal agency that I've heard," testimony before Congress today revealed widespread security failures in the nation's federal facilities -- including an inability to detect materials used in explosive devices.
The Federal Protective Service, whose 1,236 employees and more than 15,000 contracted security guards serve nearly 9,000 federal facilities throughout the country, came under fire after the release of preliminary findings of a Government Accountability Office study.
The full GAO report is not expected until September, but testimony highlighted systemic problems in the FPS contract guard program and the security vulnerabilities these allow.
Most notable was that GAO investigators carrying liquid bomb-making materials passed undetected through security checkpoints monitored by FPS guards. Investigators then assembled bomb components in restrooms, though in low concentrations so they would not explode, and walked freely around the facilities while carrying the devices in briefcases.
In some cases, bathrooms were locked, but building employees allowed the investigators to enter.
These tests were carried out at 10 high-level security facilities, eight of which were government-owned. These included the offices of a U.S. senator and a U.S. representative, as well as agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security, of which the FPS is a part, and the State and Justice departments. The GAO would not identify the buildings or their locations publicly.
The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, chaired by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) called the hearing after learning of the GAO's initial findings, which included the following:
* In one region, the FPS has not provided the required eight hours of X-ray or magnetometer training to its 1,500 guards since 2004.
* In another region, 62% of contract guards had expired certifications for at least one of the following: weapons, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, first aid and baton training.
* At one high-security facility, an armed guard was found asleep at his post after taking the painkiller Percocet.
* In one major city, an improperly trained guard sent an infant in a carrier through an X-ray machine, a practice that is considered hazardous.
