{
  "id": "RL32670",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL32670",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 305590,
      "date": "2005-01-27",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T19:55:14.443029",
      "title": "Guarding America: Security Guards and U.S. Critical Infrastructure Protection",
      "summary": "The Bush Administration's 2003  National Strategy for the Physical Protection of Critical\nInfrastructures and Key Assets  indicates that security guards are \"an important source of\nprotection\nfor critical facilities.\" In 2003, approximately one million security guards (including airport\nscreeners) were employed in the United States. Of these guards, analysis indicates that up to 5%\nprotected what have been defined as \"critical\" infrastructure and assets.\n  The effectiveness of critical infrastructure guards in countering a terrorist attack depends on the\nnumber of guards on duty, their qualifications, pay and training. Security guard employment may\nhave increased in certain critical infrastructure sectors since September 11, 2001, although overall\nemployment of U.S. security guards has declined in the last five years. Contract guard salaries\naveraged $19,400 per year in 2003, less than half of the average salary for police and well below the\naverage U.S. salary for all occupations. There are no U.S. federal requirements for training of\ncritical infrastructure guards other than airport screeners and nuclear guards. Twenty-two states do\nrequire basic training for licensed security guards, but few specifically require counter-terrorism\ntraining. State regulations regarding criminal background checks for security guards vary. Sixteen\nstates have no background check regulations.\n  \n  The federal government's role in protecting U.S. critical infrastructure has been a concern of\nCongress since 9/11. Part of this concern involves the possible imposition of federal security\nrequirements, including guard requirements, on infrastructure which is largely private. The Private\nSecurity Officer Employment Authorization Act of 2004 ( P.L. 108-458 , Sec. 6402) facilitates\nemployer access to FBI criminal records to conduct background checks of security guard employees. \nOther legislation proposed in the 108th Congress would have  required  private security\nguard\ncompanies to perform criminal background checks, would have prohibited the hiring of guards who\nfailed background checks, or would have directed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to\nconduct security guard emergency training, including training for \"acts of terrorism.\" The DHS\ncurrently does not have counter-terrorism training programs specifically for private security guards.\n  There appears to be no federal or state policy that explicitly addresses critical infrastructure\nguards as a distinctive group. If homeland security policy evolves towards special treatment of\ncritical infrastructure guards, responsible agencies may face a challenge identifying those guards\nbecause of uncertainties in identifying critical assets. Federal counter-terrorism funding for critical\ninfrastructure guards may also present a policy challenge, since 87% of these guards are in the\nprivate sector. It is an open question whether private operators of critical infrastructure have hired,\ntrained, and otherwise supported security guards to the degree warranted by the social value of the\nfacilities they protect. As Congress continues its oversight of homeland security, funding for private\nguards may emerge as a security consideration where public benefits and private resources may not\nalign. This report will not be updated.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
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      "topics": []
    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs5801/",
      "id": "RL32670 2004-11-12",
      "date": "2004-11-12",
      "retrieved": "2005-06-11T01:42:10",
      "title": "Guarding America: Security Guards and U.S. Critical Infrastructure Protection",
      "summary": null,
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
      "formats": [
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          "format": "HTML",
          "filename": "files/20041112_RL32670_282f4a96aba079a26badfe3ba39b09f8b4a1d610.html"
        }
      ],
      "topics": [
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Criminal justice",
          "name": "Criminal justice"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Infrastructure (Economics) - Security measures",
          "name": "Infrastructure (Economics) - Security measures"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Private police",
          "name": "Private police"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Infrastructure",
          "name": "Infrastructure"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Foreign Affairs",
    "Intelligence and National Security"
  ]
}