DATE=5/25/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=CONGRESS/SECURITY (L)
NUMBER=2-262821
BYLINE=PAULA WOLFSON
DATELINE=CAPITOL HILL
CONTENT=

VOICED AT: 


INTRO:  Congressional investigators have evidence of 
new security problems at key government offices and 
two busy American airports.  They include buildings 
housing the Departments of Justice, State, Energy and 
Defense, as well as the F-B-I and the Central 
Intelligence Agency.   V-O-A's Paula Wolfson has 
details.


TEXT:  Armed investigators posing as law enforcement 
officers were able to bypass security checkpoints.  
They carried fake credentials, and were simply waved 
in.

They easily entered secure areas without screening - - 
sometimes getting close to the offices of top 
government officials.

            ///Hast tease act////

      Our undercover agents were 100 percent 
      successful in penetrating 19 federal sites and 
      two commercial airports. (Reagan National and 
      Orlando Airport)


            ///end act////

Robert Hast is an official with the General Accounting 
Office, the investigatory arm of the U-S Congress.  He 
released the G-A-O's findings to members of the House 
Subcommittee on Crime.

            ///Hast act////

      At no time during the undercover visits were our 
      agents' identification challenged by anyone.


            ///end act ///


The subcommittee requested the probe.  The panel asked 
the General Accounting Office to focus on the security 
risk posed by fake law enforcement credentials.

Florida Republican Bill McCollum is the subcommittee 
chairman:

            ///McCollum act///

      I've been concerned with the fact that stolen 
      and counterfeit police badges are readily 
      available on the internet and from other 
      commercial sources and that they can be used by 
      criminals, terrorists and foreign intelligence 
      agents for illegal purposes.


            ///end act///

Mr. McCollum says the fake identification cards used 
in the investigation were created on a computer with a 
common graphics program.

            ///second McCollum act///

      They are not perfect counterfeits by any means.  
      They were not intended to be perfect copies of 
      the real thing.  That fact alone is very 
      disturbing. What these agents did, a lot of 
      people could do.


            ///end act////

Affected federal agencies were informed of the results 
of the General Accounting Office probe before they 
were made public.  The Justice Department immediately 
tightened building security.  The Department has 
always offered easy access to its headquarters as a 
courtesy to state and local law enforcement officers.  
Now, they too must go through a security screening 
before entering the building.  (Signed)



NEB/PW/ENE/PT




25-May-2000 17:11 PM EDT (25-May-2000 2111 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
.