USAG DETROIT ARSENAL, Mich. - The U.S. Army Garrison Detroit Arsenal is the first Army installation to completely convert contractor access-control-point security guard positions to federal employees.
"We began working on this conversion before the directive came out," said Brenda Lee McCullough, garrison manager. "We anticipated the change and began putting measures in place to ensure the conversion would go as smoothly as possible."
Planning for the conversion here began in mid-2009, with federal guards officially assuming security operations Aug. 15.
"Making the conversion a success was a team effort that involved many different organizations," said Arthur Young, Director of Garrison Emergency Services. "We met regularly with the Civilian Personnel Advisory Council, garrison human resources staff, (medical officials), and garrison leadership to keep communication open and eliminate obstacles."
Young said the change "has had no negative impact on the service provided to our customers."
"Many of the security guards working for our previous contractor were able to convert to federal positions," he noted, "which meant we didn't lose our knowledge base. Those new officers who have come on board have spun up quickly and are doing a wonderful job."
Another part of making the conversion a success was the cooperation and communication with the contractor providing the service at the time.
"We were up front with Coastal International Security (previous contractor) from the very beginning," said Young. "They have been amazing throughout this process and their employees provided top notch service until their last day on the job."
The conversion is being made due to congressional mandates and the expected loss of a waiver established after 9/11 that allowed the Department of Defense to contact security guard services at stateside military installations, said Craig Shriener, branch chief of physical security for Installation Management Command.
The Army is in the second phase of converting roughly 3,000 installation guard positions from contractor to federal employee status at 46 locations in the continental United States, Hawaii and Alaska. The first phase, which will be completed by Sept. 30, has seen 1,702 job announcements being advertised at 28 garrisons. The second phase, which will be completed by July 26, 2011, will consist of the remaining 18 garrisons and 1,397 positions.
Once job announcements are made, all qualified applicants - including contractors currently holding such positions - are encouraged to compete for the openings, Shreiner said.
"Plus veterans' hiring preferences are in place," added Shreiner, "and previous experience with military security work is something we value."
For more information, visit the Army's Civilian Personnel On-Line site - http://www.cpol.army.mil/ - or USA Jobs - http://usajobs.opm.gov/ - and use the key words "security guard."
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