Security In Federal Buildings

The security of federal government buildings and facilities affects not only the daily operations of the federal government but also the health, well-being, and safety of federal employees and the public. Federal building and facility security is decentralized and disparate in approach, as numerous federal entities are involved and some buildings or facilities are occupied by multiple federal agencies. The federal government is tasked with securing over 446,000 buildings or facilities daily. The September 2001 terrorist attacks, the September 2013 Washington Navy Yard shootings, and the April 2014 Fort Hood shootings have refocused the federal government's attention on building security activities. There has been an increase in the security operations at federal facilities and more intense scrutiny of how the federal government secures and protects federal facilities, employees, and the visiting public. This renewed attention has generated a number of frequently asked questions. This report answers several common questions regarding federal building and facility security, including: What is federal facility security?; Who is responsible for federal facility security?; Is there a national standard for federal facility security?; What are the types of threats to federal facilities, employees, and the visiting public?; How is threat information communicated among federal facility security stakeholders?; and, What are the potential congressional issues associated with federal facility security?

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.

The security of federal government buildings and facilities affects not only the daily operations of the federal government but also the health, well-being, and safety of federal employees and the public. For the purposes of this report, federal facilities include any building leased or owned by the General Services Administration. Security of federal facilities includes physical security assets such as closed-circuit television cameras, barrier material, and security guards (both federally employed and contracted). Federal facility security practices have been subject to criticism by government auditors and security experts. Elements that have received criticism include the use of private security guards, the management and security practices of the Federal Protective Service, and the coordination of federal facility security.

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.

There is ongoing concern about the security of federal buildings and their occupants. The Federal Protective Service (FPS) within the Dept. of Homeland Security is responsible for providing law enforcement and related security services for nearly 9,000 federal buildings under the control and custody of the General Services Admin. (GSA). In 2004, a set of key protection practices from the collective practices of federal agencies and the private sector was identified that included: allocating resources using risk management, leveraging technology, and information sharing and coordination. This report determined whether FPS's security efforts for GSA buildings reflected key practices. Includes recommendations. Illustrations.

In November 1999, GSA and the U.S. Department of State convened a symposium to discuss the apparently conflicting objectives of security from terrorist attack and the design of public buildings in an open society. The symposium sponsors rejected the notion of rigid, prescriptive design approaches. The symposium concluded with a challenge to the design and security professions to craft aesthetically appealing architectural solutions that achieve balanced, performance-based approaches to both openness and security. In response to a request from the Office of the Chief Architect of the Public Buildings Service, the National Research Council (NRC) assembled a panel of independent experts, the Committee to Review the Security Design Criteria of the Interagency Security Committee. This committee was tasked to evaluate the ISC Security Design Criteria to determine whether particular provisions might be too prescriptive to allow a design professional "reasonable flexibility" in achieving desired security and physical protection objectives.