Lawmakers: Facilities shouldn’t set their own security standards

The Federal Protective Service and other security agencies should adopt a more uniform approach to safeguarding buildings, lawmakers said on Tuesday.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., expressed concern that, in many cases, the level of security is decided by officials at the tenant agencies, rather than through an overarching security strategy.

Even if "you're a very highly qualified employee within [the Health and Human Services Department], you don't know a hill of beans about security," Norton said.

Delegation of security planning to officials within each agency and each building "almost guarantees" a breach, she said during a House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia hearing.

Norton recommended the development of a minimal standard of security, which then could be fine-tuned, depending on buildings' particular needs.

Mark Goldstein, director of physical infrastructure at the Government Accountability Office, said FPS takes a "balkanized, fragmented approach to security management" and the agency's building-by-building strategy limits the ability to manage risk across federal facilities and implement countermeasures.

FPS is working to develop an overarching plan through its Risk Assessment and Management Program, according to Director Gary Schenkel.

"That gives us the chance to take a comprehensive approach on all 9,000 buildings across the board and compare those measures of effectiveness and countermeasures which may be able to facilitate more than one facility or location," he said.

The agency is considering developing security zoning to determine the appropriate level of security for various buildings, rather than addressing concerns on a case-by-case basis. Progress drawing up and implementing this comprehensive plan, however, is slow.

"We're really at the infantile stages of that," Schenkel said. "It's a very challenging concept, because every building wants to have their own control and we don't have the authorities yet so it's going to be awhile."

Goldstein said GAO is in the process of evaluating RAMP, along with other Federal Protective Service plans and actions to improve government security.

Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., indicated congressional oversight of federal building security also has been somewhat disjointed. While Goldstein testified that GAO recently received requests from other committees to look at security across the entire federal spectrum, Lynch asked to be informed if requests for audits were leaving oversight gaps. Norton suggested the oversight panel work with the House Homeland Security, Transportation and Infrastructure and other interested committees to address the long-standing security challenges.

"The time has come for the committees that have been concerned about this to mandate that security be enhanced," Norton said. "Maybe if we gang up on this problem we can get better security for federal employees."