Oversight challenges persist with the Federal Protective Service’s contract guard program, GAO has said in calling for additional management controls.
GAO found that X-ray and magnetometer equipment training for FPS armed-guards remains a problem, noting that officials from one of FPS’s contract guard companies stated that 133 of about 350 guards have never received this training.
Officials at five guard companies indicated that some of their contract guards (GSA uses about 13,500 of them to provide security for GSA controlled facilities) have not received training on how to respond during incidents involving an active shooter, according to GAO-13-694.
It also said that while contract guard industry guidance states that all training should be done with a certified instructor, that FPS does not require guard instructors to be certified to provide basic and refresher training, which represents the majority of guards’ training.
Twenty-three percent of contract guard files GAO reviewed did not have required training and certification documentation, said GAO.
It said FPS continues to lack effective management controls to ensure its guards have met its training and certification requirements and also lacks sufficient management controls to ensure consistency in its monthly guard file review process.
DHS agreed to direct FPS to take immediate steps to determine which guards have not had screener or active-shooter scenario training and provide it to them, require that guard instructors be certified to teach basic and refresher training, and develop and implement guidance for selecting guard files and verifying the results.
