Hearing Of The House Committee On Homeland Security- "Federal Protective Service: Will Continuing Challenges Weaken Transition And Impede Progress?"

Statement

"We are here today to discuss the continuing challenges faced by the Federal Protective Service
and how those challenges may affect its future.
The Federal Protective Service (FPS) is responsible for protecting federal government property,
personnel, visitors, and customers by providing law enforcement and related security services for
about 9,000 buildings that are under the control and custody of the General Services
Administration (GSA).
FPS responds to incidents, conducts risk assessments, participates in security meetings with
GSA property managers and tenant agencies, and determines whether GSA buildings meet
security standards established by the Interagency Security Committee.
To carry out this mission, FPS currently employs about 1,200 Federal employees. About one-half
of the FPS workforce are Federal Law Enforcement Security Officers (LESO). But those officers
are not responsible for providing a law enforcement presence at federal facilities. On the
contrary, these employees are dedicated to overseeing the 15,000 members of a contract guard
workforce.
For most people, the contract guards are the face of the Federal Protective Service.
FPS officers, formerly major actors in federal law enforcement, have become primarily
responsible for administration and management of a large and growing network of private guards.
And this trend is likely to continue. While Congress has mandated that FPS maintain staffing
levels of at least 1200, GAO has found that the agency continues to have a high attrition rate.
And like most other federal agencies, FPS must address the impending retirements of the Baby-
Boom generation. About 30 percent of FPS employees will be eligible to retire in the next 5 years.
These impending retirements combined with a high attrition rate indicate that FPS must
implement a strategic human capital plan. Yet GAO has found that FPS does not have a strategic
human capital plan.
The lack of a human capital plan could be mitigated by stellar oversight of its force of contract
guards. But GAO has found that FPS does not effectively oversee training and performance of
these guards. In fact, in one region, FPS failed to provide x-ray or magnetometer training to 1,500
guards since 2004. Nonetheless, these guards were assigned to posts at federal facilities.
In addition to training and oversight challenges, GAO has identified substantial security
vulnerabilities in the FPS guard program. GAO investigators were able to successfully carry the
IED components through security checkpoints monitored by contract guards in 10 out of 10
federal facilities it tested.
Failures in the guard program could be mitigated by accurate FPS assessments of risk and the
implementation of countermeasures by GSA and its tenant agencies. However, GAO has found
that FPS's has only limited influence over the allocation of resources because resource allocation
decisions are the responsibility of GSA and tenant agencies.
I think it is fair to say that the current state of FPS is bleak.
However, the Department has put forward a transition plan to move FPS and implement changes
throughout the agency. We cannot assume that relocation alone will resolve FPS' problems.
The multi-dimensional and complex challenges faced by this agency have been in the making for
years. The solution to these problems will require resources, planning and commitment.
This plan is the first step. But it cannot be the only step taken."

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