* In one region, the agency 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 in at least one of the following areas: weapons, CPR, first aid and baton use.
* 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 guard who was supposed to be standing watch was caught using government computers to further his for-profit adult website.
* A guard failed to recognize or did not properly X-ray a box containing handguns at the loading dock of a facility.
Gary Schenkel, director of the Federal Protective Service, accepted responsibility for the findings but noted challenges his agency had experienced since he arrived in 2007, including budget constraints.
He said the agency needed to be "much more involved" in standardizing its training procedures in all 50 states.
--
ksherry@tribune.com
