Building Security Interagency Security Committee Has Had Limited Success In Fulfilling Its Responsibilites

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent agency that works for Congress. The GAO watches over Congress, and investigates how the federal government spends taxpayers dollars. The Comptroller General of the United States is the leader of the GAO, and is appointed to a 15-year term by the U.S. President. The GAO wants to support Congress, while at the same time doing right by the citizens of the United States. They audit, investigate, perform analyses, issue legal decisions and report anything that the government is doing. This is one of their reports.

The war on terrorism has made physical security for federal facilities a governmentwide concern. The Interagency Security Committee (ISC), which is chaired by the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS), is tasked with coordinating federal agencies' facility protection efforts, developing protection standards, & overseeing implementation. This report: (1) assesses ISC's progress in fulfilling its responsibilities & (2) identifies key practices in protecting federal facilities & any related implementation obstacles. Includes recommendations. Charts & tables.

In the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, this report discusses the respon. of 22 Fed. agencies for the protection of the Fed. bldgs. they own &/or occupy. It determines: the roles and responsibilities that Fed. departments and agencies have in providing security for office space they occupy; whether security assessments of facilities had been completed; the types of security forces and technologies used to secure and protect Fed. bldgs; funding for security oper.; the coordination of security efforts within and among agencies to improve or enhance bldg. security; and impediments that make it difficult to tighten security at Fed. bldgs. Also provides the types and sources of security-related guidance that are available for agencies to use in addressing bldg. security vulnerabilities.

This is a review of governmentwide changes and challenges prevalent in the missions and activities of agencies involved in homeland security, including the coordination and collaboration required to meet overall goals and needs, and government's efforts in planning and implementing strategic, transitional, and human capital activities designed to reorganize and strengthen homeland security. The federal government's response on homeland security issues is still evolving. The federal government's efforts to improve homeland security will require a results-oriented approach to ensure mission accountability and sustainability over time. Charts and tables.

In FY 2007, the fed. government¿s real property portfolio comprised 446,000 buildings with an area of 3.3 billion square feet and a replacement value of $772.8 billion. Contents of this report: (1) Fed. Facility Security Levels; (2) Interagency Security Committee; (3) Exec. Branch Facility Security: Fed. Protective Service (FPS): Historical Overview and Current FPS Authority; FPS¿s Use of Contract Security Guards; (4) Fed. Court Facility Security; (5) Supreme Court; (6) Coordination of Fed. Building Security; (7) Fed. Building Security Issues: FPS¿s Operations, Use and concerns of Contract Security Guards: FPS¿s Oper.; Coord. and Sharing of Fed. Building Security Info.; Facility Security Committees; Appropriations and Resources.