Federal Agencies Seek to Overhaul Background Checks Policies Amidst Outbreak of Security Lapse Scandals

Federal Agencies Seek to Overhaul Background Checks Policies Amidst Outbreak of Security Lapse Scandals

"Federal background checks, one year after the Navy Yard shooting" by Josh Hicks
URL: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2014/09/17/federal-background-checks-one-year-after-the-navy-yard-shooting/

Following the tragic deaths of twelve at the hands of Navy / Marine Corp Subcontractor Aaron Alexis, legislators and federal agencies alike have increasingly recognized the need for change in how the U.S. government screens its employees and contractors. According to recent article "Federal background checks, one year after the Navy Yard shooting" published in the Washington Post, earlier this month, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) made the ground breaking decision to not renew its contact with USIS for background checks. As noted by the Post, USIS was formerly integrated within OPM and has handled as much as forty percent of federal background checks over the past several years - notably including Snowden and Alexis.

In addition to this critical change in how background checks are to be processed in the future, a special council appointed by President Obama made two significant recommendations: the need for more easily accessible files from state and local agencies and the need for a reduction in individuals granted security clearance. The latter seems rather non-contentious, given the extent of information the government possesses. The former is more interesting as Hicks notes in particular the problems associated with outdated data storage systems in use at the state and local levels. Although it is no revelation that state and local government often operate on outdated systems, it is interesting to see itaddressed as a potential contributing factor to issues such as murder.