Federal Report: Bag With Bomb Was at Detroit Building Guard Desk for Weeks

US News • August 2012 • Views: 1,258

us.cnn.com

federal review cites poor judgment by a security guard who found a bag outside a government building in Detroit last year and stashed it under a desk where it remained for weeks — with neither the guard nor anyone else in the building aware that it contained a bomb.

The report by the Homeland Security Department’s office of inspector general released on Wednesday also said the guard’s employer, a contractor, and the federal agency that oversees security at the Patrick V. McNamara Federal Building shared some responsibility as well for the bomb going undetected.

At some point we’ll learn that using the bottom level of our work force to provide security is really gonna bite us in the ass one day.

Recent Pages by Locker:
Religious People Are Less Intelligent Than Atheists Watch This Little Girl Become What She Is Told Every Day How to Be Outraged on the Internet How California's Gun Laws Have Worked Arkansas Attorney General Blocks Plan to Arm Teachers

Jump to bottom

10 comments

researchok Thu, Aug 9, 2012 1:29:41am

At some point we’ll learn that using the bottom level of our work force to provide security is really gonna bite us in the ass one day.

No truer words

Vicious Babushka Thu, Aug 9, 2012 4:07:23am

WTF

CuriousLurker Thu, Aug 9, 2012 7:17:34am

From the article:

During that time, at least two employees X-rayed it in an unsuccessful attempt to determine its contents. One guard shook it in another failed attempt to learn more, and a federal inspector conducted four routine checks of the guard post without discovering that the bag contained an explosive device, according to the report by the inspector general, an independent watchdog.

Yeah, because that's the first thing you want to do if something might contain explosives—shake it. *headdesk*

Destro Thu, Aug 9, 2012 7:41:01am

re: #3 CuriousLurker

From the article:

Yeah, because that's the first thing you want to do if something might contain explosives—shake it. *headdesk*

How would they know? Some of the most important jobs in America are given to people with low skill sets and low pay. And in reality it seems that such private security jobs are actually there just for appearances sake for tenets to feel safe rather than be safe.

They are just doormen with quasi-military uniforms. If you look at security guards for govt buildings, those people actually are professionals on par with police forces.

CuriousLurker Thu, Aug 9, 2012 8:03:26am

re: #4 Destro

How would they know? Some of the most important jobs in America are given to people with low skill sets and low pay.

Oh, I don't know—maybe when they hired him part of your job description was to check for suspicious, possibly dangerous packages? Unless his name was Wile E. Coyote, in which case it would be expected that he'd do something stupid.

Political Atheist Thu, Aug 9, 2012 8:48:02am

re: #5 CuriousLurker

On the Los Angeles Red Line are late teen and twenty something security guards/fare inspectors. Not well paid. They have a protocol of how to evaluate a suspicious package. First they try to find the person the package belongs to in the immediate area. If they can't find the owner they get the real police. Who have bomb dogs. If the dogs react, everyone will be late getting home. If not, the bag is removed.

None of this is harder to learn than bagging groceries or making a burger on a grill at McD's. Bottom line is that security is not taken seriously until something awful happens.

CuriousLurker Thu, Aug 9, 2012 8:53:53am

re: #6 Daniel Ballard

This. It makes sense. It's not rocket science.

Shiplord Kirel Fri, Aug 10, 2012 5:02:24pm

This happened at a government building, Destro. Current GSA rules require the contractors to pay at least $21 an hour. Whatever the problem is with this bunch, low pay is not it. Two companies dominate that business, the Sikh-owned Coastal Interstate Security and an organization called the Diamond Group. In Texas, private guards are screened, trained, and licensed by the state police. Paul Blatt, Mall Cop is a work of fiction, in many more ways than one. The guards who work outside our one and only abortion clinic are a lot more typical.

Low pay is one problem with private security in some areas, the rabid hate campaign waged against these working class people by Hollywood and thoughtless conformists is another. No matter what somebody's qualifications, dedication, or pay rate for that matter, he is still a low wage doofus in the eyes of the public. Well, that is what everyone says, and that is obviously an infallible test of truth. People who might really be competent are likely to leave the business simply because they can't abide the constant barrage of unwarranted hate and contempt.

Shiplord Kirel Fri, Aug 10, 2012 5:55:32pm

The only thing that will stop the pop-culture hate campaign is a nation wide strike by ALL private contract security guards, including those on government service. They have the right.
If the coke-head Hollywood writers had to fend off their own car burglars and purse snatchers, or wait several minutes for the "real" cops, they might learn that hate is not humor and the vilification of working people is not an affirmation of social status. Some of the rest of you might learn not to generalize incidents like this screw-up or the sleeping bridge guard in NYC to a million or more people.
Of course it is impossible for the guards to strike, for that reason or any other, because only 4% of them belong to unions. In Europe, private security guards all belong to unions, and they are generally held in high esteem. That is not coincidence.
I'm not exaggerating about a hate campaign.
I hate security guards at Facebook

Shiplord Kirel Fri, Aug 10, 2012 6:36:47pm

For that matter, vilification of, and contempt for, working people in general is a major problem in this country.
I think everyone in this country who makes less than, say, $12.50 an hour, should go on strike for 3 days; not for higher pay or more benefits (though that would help) but for a little respect from a status-seeking middle class culture that has been brainwashed to vilify and despise them at every turn.

It would be a joy to see.

Auto

This page has been archived.
Comments are closed.

Jump to top

Create a PageThis is the LGF Pages posting bookmarklet. To use it, drag this button to your browser's bookmark bar, and title it 'LGF Pages' (or whatever you like). Then browse to a site you want to post, select some text on the page to use for a quote, click the bookmarklet, and the Pages posting window will appear with the title, text, and any embedded video or audio files already filled in, ready to go.
Or... you can just click this button to open the Pages posting window right away.
Last updated: 2023-04-04 11:11 am PDT LGF User's Guide RSS Feeds

Help support Little Green Footballs!