Army Accused of Poorly Screening Hired Guards

The Army spent nearly $500 million on no-bid contracts for private security guards and also used contractors that hired people with criminal records, according to congressional investigators.

“The Army’s procedure for screening prospective contract guards is inadequate and puts the Army at risk of having ineligible guards protecting installation gates,” the Government Accountabilty Office said. The report said 89 guards were hired at two bases even though they had criminal records, which included assaults and other felonies.

In addition, the GAO found that the Army does not adequately confirm that guards have been trained and that in one case a contractor falsified training records.