United States Marshals Service - Criticism

Criticism

An audit by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) (November 2010) of the Justice Department found "weaknesses in the USMS's efforts to secure federal court facilities in the six USMS district offices we visited".

The report found, among other things, that the USMS Judicial Security Division had contracted private security firms to provide CSOs (Court Security Officers) without having completed background checks. Another incident involved the USMS awarding a $300 million contract to a firm that had a known history of numerous criminal activities leading to convictions for mail fraud and bank fraud and false insurance claims in addition to a civil judgment against its Chief Financial Officer.

Technical problems included CSOs not being properly trained on security screening equipment, which also meant equipment not being used. The OIG noted that in February 2009, several courthouses failed to detect mock explosives sent by USMS HQ in order to test security procedures. They also found that eighteen percent of CSOs had outdated firearms qualifications.

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