Criminals guard US bases

The Virginian-Pilot informs us (via Raw Story) that the army is hiring convicts as security guards for its bases in the US.

The U.S. Army and private contractors employed convicted criminals as security guards across the country despite repeated warnings in the past three years of the "risky situations" that could present, according to a new federal report.

[snip]

The report by the Government Accountability Office, Congress' investigative arm, said this is the third time in three years that it has warned the Army that the lack of proper background checks could jeopardize security at some of the largest and most important installations, including Fort Bragg and West Point.

Following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Army began using outside security guards to man the front gates at 57 U.S. installations because of the number of forces sent overseas.

Sounds reasonable to me. I think it would be a good idea for Brinks and the banks to look into hiring these folks to protect the money as well.