Private security guards are a key component of protecting critical infrastructure in the United States, with such individuals providing security for some of the country’s vital assets to include water reservoirs, oil refineries, national laboratories, ports, mass transit terminals, as well as nuclear and chemical plants. As these individuals play such a vital role in protecting the US homeland, there are numerous concerns regarding the potential threat stemming from private guards, who are in many circumstances regarded as the first line of response to a terrorist attack.
According to statistics provided in a 2004 Congressional Research Service report, there were approximately one million security guards working in the US in 2003, with at least five percent of these individuals protecting “critical infrastructure.” Of those guarding key assets to the US, approximately 87 percent were private sector guards.
Minimal Pay and Inadequate Training
Numerous reports over the past several years have indicated that these guards receive minimal wages, to include a recent survey by the Department of Labor stating that the medium average salary in 2006 was US$23,620. Many officials have expressed concern that these low level wages are too little and do not offer enough benefits to attract and sustain an adequate and qualified work force. These minimal wages are often a result of competition among private security firms attempting to provide the lowest bid to win a contract. However, this competition often results in lower profits for the companies, and thereby reduced funds for wages as well as for training the guards. Low wages are also often the result of the minimal qualifications designated by these firms, with many companies having no specific education requirements for potential employees.
Furthermore, many of these private guards receive little or no training in anti-terrorism. While officials have made some improvements in this area in recent years, there are still many guards who are unable to identify signs of a potential attack and also remain unprepared to respond in the event of a terrorist strike.
Criminal Background Checks
Additional concern stems from state variation in requirements for federal background checks. While some mandate that these procedures are carried out for all guards, others do not. In such states, requirements for licensing, training and background checks are left to local governments. Several states, such as Georgia, carry out checks on only a small number of private security guards, leaving the rest up to individual companies.
Furthermore, in many cases, checks are run against a state database, so crimes committed in another state by a potential employee would not appear in a search. Several reports have indicated that numerous individuals with criminal backgrounds have been able to obtain jobs as private security guards. A 2006 report by congressional investigators indicated that 89 private guards from two US military bases were found to have criminal histories, to include assault, larceny, and drug related charges.
However, federal background checks do have limitations, specifically regarding terrorists who seek to infiltrate into the private guard industry. Terrorist groups have previously recruited individuals with no criminal records in order to circumvent such checks. Additionally, three of the individuals arrested in June 2006 as part of a Miami-based cell plotting to attack the Chicago Sears Tower, FBI buildings around the country, and federal buildings in Miami-Dade County had obtained private security guard licenses in Florida despite strict laws requiring background checks, indicating the potential for extremists to use this avenue to carry out attacks against the US.
Strike at Nuclear Facility Raises Concerns
A recent six-week strike by security officers at the Pantex Plant, a primary nuclear weapons assembly facility located in Amarillo, Texas highlights the potential threat posed to critical infrastructure in the event of a prolonged strike by contracted security guards. During the strike by 524 nuclear weapons guards, officials were forced to reassign officers from other US nuclear plants to the facility. However there were only 210 replacement guards, a number significantly lower than during normal operations. The plant was also forced to temporarily cut vacations, training, and low-priority duties. Security concerns were raised as the replacement guards were working 14-hour shifts and were not properly trained for the stringent security measures and protocols used at the site. While the strike ended in late May, it indicated the potential for a prolonged strike to decrease overall security not only at the original plant but at other nuclear sites as well, due to reduced levels of personnel. The incident prompted calls from several Congressional representatives to federalize the forces protecting the country’s nuclear materials.
The Challenges Ahead
The failure to protect critical infrastructure from a terrorist attack would result in devastating consequences, and thus indicates the need for officials to address the numerous concerns posed by private security guards protecting facilities around the country. As these workers play a vital role to US security, it is necessary for guards to undergo additional training, specifically in counterterrorism tactics. Numerous challenges remain, due largely to the various security needs for different critical infrastructures in the US.
