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{{main article|Omar Mateen}}
{{main article|Omar Mateen}}


In 2007, G4S employed Mateen, who executed the [[2016 Orlando nightclub shooting|2016 Orlando nightclub terrorist attack]] during which he killed 49 people. Before being hired by G4S, American-born Omar Mateen had been terminated as a trainee by the [[Florida Department of Corrections]] after his remarks following another terrorist attack drew attention to him. He was fired in early 2007 after repeatedly skipping and falling asleep in classes, and jokingly wondering if a classmate would report it if he brought a gun to school. The comment was made just two days after a gunman at [[Virginia Tech shooting|Virginia Tech]] killed 32 people. “In light of recent tragic events at Virginia Tech officer Mateen's inquiry about bringing a weapon to class is at best extremely disturbing,” the Florida state prison warden wrote in a memo at the time. Mateen told G4S that he was dismissed for missing work because of a fever. The prison only verified to G4S that Mateen had worked there.<ref>[http://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article85868712.html Orlando shooting sharpens scrutiny on screening of security guards], ''[[Miami Herald]]'', David Ovalle, June 15, 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2016.</ref>
In 2007, G4S employed Mateen, who executed the [[2016 Orlando nightclub shooting|2016 Orlando nightclub terrorist attack]] during which he killed 49 people. Before being hired by G4S, American-born Omar Mateen had been terminated as a trainee by the [[Florida Department of Corrections]] after his remarks following another terrorist attack drew attention to him. He was fired in early 2007 after repeatedly skipping and falling asleep in classes, and jokingly wondering if a classmate would report it if he brought a gun to school. The comment was made just two days after a gunman at [[Virginia Tech shooting|Virginia Tech]] killed 32 people. “In light of recent tragic events at Virginia Tech officer Mateen's inquiry about bringing a weapon to class is at best extremely disturbing,” the Florida state prison warden wrote in a memo at the time. It did not include references to an incident at a barbecue. A trainee said Mateen threatened to kill everyone after his hamburger touched a piece of pork. Shortly afterward, according to another student, officials swarmed Mateen in his car, escorting him from the property.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Berzon |first1=Alexandra | last2=Emshwiller |first2=John R. |title=Orlando Shooter Was Dismissed From Academy Over Gun Inquiry, State Says |url=http://www.wsj.com/articles/orlando-shooter-was-dismissed-from-academy-over-gun-inquiry-state-says-1466213001 |accessdate=June 27, 2016 |work=The Wall Street Journal |subscription=y |quote=Susanne Coburn Laforest, a 61-year-old retired corrections officer and former classmate of Mateen, said he threatened to shoot his classmates at a cookout—which she said was held on a gun range—after his hamburger touched pork, in violation of Muslim laws.}}</ref> Mateen told G4S that he was dismissed for missing work because of a fever. The prison only verified to G4S that Mateen had worked there.<ref>[http://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article85868712.html Orlando shooting sharpens scrutiny on screening of security guards], ''[[Miami Herald]]'', David Ovalle, June 15, 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2016.</ref>


After the shooting, the psychologist who was said to have evaluated and cleared Mateen for his firearms license in 2007, according to G4S records, denied she had ever met him and said she was no longer living in Florida at the time he was supposed to have been screened. She said she had stopped working for the company in 2005. G4S claimed Mateen's screening form had a "clerical error", and insisted he was cleared by another psychologist, who worked for the firm which bought the wrongly-named doctor's practice. This new doctor had not actually interviewed Mateen, but rather evaluated the results of a standard screening test Mateen had taken before being hired by G4S.
After the shooting, the psychologist who was said to have evaluated and cleared Mateen for his firearms license in 2007, according to G4S records, denied she had ever met him and said she was no longer living in Florida at the time he was supposed to have been screened. She said she had stopped working for the company in 2005. G4S claimed Mateen's screening form had a "clerical error", and insisted he was cleared by another psychologist, who worked for the firm which bought the wrongly-named doctor's practice. This new doctor had not actually interviewed Mateen, but rather evaluated the results of a standard screening test Mateen had taken before being hired by G4S.

Revision as of 08:40, 27 June 2016

For the prison company formerly known as Wackenhut Corrections Corporation, see GEO Group.
G4S Secure Solutions (USA)
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustrySecurity
Founded1954 (Coral Gables, Florida)
HeadquartersJupiter, Florida, United States
Key people
George Wackenhut (Founder)
ParentG4S
Websitewww.g4s.com/us

G4S Secure Solutions (USA) is an American security services company, and a wholly owned subsidiary of G4S plc. It was founded as The Wackenhut Corporation in 1954, in Coral Gables, Florida, by George Wackenhut and three partners (all are former FBI agents). In 2002, the company was acquired for $570 million by Danish corporation Group 4 Falck (itself then merged to form British company G4S in 2004).[1] In 2010, G4S Wackenhut changed its name to G4S Secure Solutions (USA) to reflect the new business model.[2][3] The G4S Americas Region headquarters is in Jupiter, Florida.[4][5]

Background

After early struggles (including a fistfight between George Wackenhut and one of his partners), Wackenhut took sole control of his company in 1958, then naming it after himself. Working throughout the day in his office, he sometimes continued nightly as a security guard. By 1964, he had contracts to guard the Kennedy Space Center and the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission's nuclear test site in Nevada. The following year, he took his company public.

In the mid-60s, Florida Governor Claude Kirk commissioned the Wackenhut Corporation to help fight a "war on organized crime", awarding the company a $500,000 contract. The commission lasted about a year but led to more than 80 criminal indictments, including many for local politicians and government employees.[6] Following the murder of a British tourist at a rest stop in 1993, Florida contracted with Wackenhut to provide security at all state rest stops.

Security services

Services by security companies typically include: permanent guarding service, security officers, manned security, disaster response, emergency services, control room monitoring, armed security, unarmed security, special event security, security patrols, reception/concierge service, access control, emergency medical technicians (EMT) service, ambassador service.

Like other security companies, G4S targets sectors: energy, utilities, and chemical/petrochemical, financial institutions, government, hospitals and healthcare facilities, major corporates, industrials and construction, ports and airports, residential communities, retail and commercial real estate, transit systems

Clients include: GSK[7] and U.S. Customs and Border Protection[8]

G4S acquisitions in the U.S.

AMAG Technology, Touchcom Inc., Adesta, and Nuclear Security Services Corp. (NSSC)[2]

Wackenhut Corrections becomes GEO Group (2003)

Having expanded into providing food services for U.S. prisons in the 1960s, Wackenhut in 1984 launched a subsidiary to design and manage jails and detention centers for the burgeoning private prison market. Wackenhut then became the nation's second largest for-profit prison operator.

In April 1999, the state of Louisiana took over the running of Wackenhut's 15-month-old juvenile prison after the U.S. Justice Department accused Wackenhut of subjecting its young inmates to "excessive abuse and neglect."[9] U.S. journalist Gregory Palast commented on the case: "New Mexico's privately operated prisons are filled with America's impoverished, violent outcasts — and those are the guards."[10] He catalogued lax background checks before hiring guards, which led to several alleged cases of guards physically and sexually abusing inmates. In the U.S., Wackenhut has appeared in the federal courts 62 times since 1999,[as of?] largely resulting from prisoners' claims of human rights abuses.[10] The company has been accused of trying to maximise profits in its private prisons at the expense of drug rehabilitation, counselling and literacy programs. In 1995 Wackenhut was investigated for diverting $700,000 intended for drug treatment programs at a Texas prison.

The GEO Group, Inc. now runs former Wackenhut facilities in 14 states, as well as in South Africa and Australia. Some facilities, such as the Wackenhut Corrections Centers in New York, retain the Wackenhut name despite no longer having any open connection with the company.

In 2003, GEO Group changed from a corporate subsidy (WCC) into a fully independent company from Wackenhut.[11]

Nuclear services at Peach Bottom (2008)

The Wackenhut Corporation provided armed security services for many nuclear power plants. In September 2007, its employees Kerry Beal and Paul A. Kennedy videotaped fellow security guards at the Peach Bottom Nuclear Generating Station sleeping while on duty. Beal had previously tried to notify supervisors at Wackenhut and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Wackenhut was fired from its role guarding Peach Bottom and nine other nuclear plants.[12]

Wackenhut and Miami-Dade

A dispute between Wackenhut and Miami-Dade Transit arose from allegations made by a former employee, who claimed that G4S Wackenhut over-billed Miami-Dade County for work not performed. As a result of the allegations of that lawsuit, the County ordered an audit of the contract in 2005. That audit was completed in 2009 and came up with an amount of estimated overbillings. In response, G4S Wackenhut filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging, among other things, that the audit’s findings were erroneous.[13]

In February 2010, the issue was resolved and Miami-Dade County commissioners approved a $7.5 million settlement agreement with Wackenhut Corp. to resolve the dispute. As part of the deal, Wackenhut can bid on future contracts and the county won’t use this case against it when considering Wackenhut’s bids.[14]

Anti-nuclear protests

Fingers were pointed at Wackenhut when it was revealed that anti-nuclear protesters, including an 82-year-old nun, had managed to cut through fences of one of the United States’ most protected nuclear facilities at Oak Ridge in Tennessee in July 2012.[15] Three activists broke into the US Government’s only weapons grade storage facility to paint graffiti and throw what they claimed was human blood on the walls.[15] The breach and lack of security at the site at the time was blamed upon the absence of key Wackenhut personnel in the previous few weeks; the plant manager and chief operating officer had retired 12 days prior to the incident.[16]

Omar Mateen

Main article: Omar Mateen

In 2007, G4S employed Mateen, who executed the 2016 Orlando nightclub terrorist attack during which he killed 49 people. Before being hired by G4S, American-born Omar Mateen had been terminated as a trainee by the Florida Department of Corrections after his remarks following another terrorist attack drew attention to him. He was fired in early 2007 after repeatedly skipping and falling asleep in classes, and jokingly wondering if a classmate would report it if he brought a gun to school. The comment was made just two days after a gunman at Virginia Tech killed 32 people. “In light of recent tragic events at Virginia Tech officer Mateen's inquiry about bringing a weapon to class is at best extremely disturbing,” the Florida state prison warden wrote in a memo at the time. It did not include references to an incident at a barbecue. A trainee said Mateen threatened to kill everyone after his hamburger touched a piece of pork. Shortly afterward, according to another student, officials swarmed Mateen in his car, escorting him from the property.[17] Mateen told G4S that he was dismissed for missing work because of a fever. The prison only verified to G4S that Mateen had worked there.[18]

After the shooting, the psychologist who was said to have evaluated and cleared Mateen for his firearms license in 2007, according to G4S records, denied she had ever met him and said she was no longer living in Florida at the time he was supposed to have been screened. She said she had stopped working for the company in 2005. G4S claimed Mateen's screening form had a "clerical error", and insisted he was cleared by another psychologist, who worked for the firm which bought the wrongly-named doctor's practice. This new doctor had not actually interviewed Mateen, but rather evaluated the results of a standard screening test Mateen had taken before being hired by G4S.

One former co-worker said that he had complained to G4S superiors about Mateen’s frequent violent, racist and homophobic tirades. He alleged that G4S had ignored him. G4S denied having a record of those complaints.[19]

In 2013, the FBI investigated Mateen after receiving reports that he had made "inflammatory" comments to his G4S coworkers about having family connections to al-Qaeda and being a member of the radical Islamist group, Hezbollah. This investigation resulted in G4S removing Mateen "from his security post at the St. Lucie County Courthouse", reported the New York Times, but the company kept Mateen as an employee, moving him to a kiosk at a gated community in Palm Beach County.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Danish Firm Agrees To Buy Wackenhut: $570m Deal Ends S. Florida Family's Control". Sun Sentinel. 2002-03-09. Retrieved 2010-04-20.
  2. ^ a b Chunovic, Louis (2010-04-07). "G4S Wackenhut rebrands as G4S". Government Security News. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
  3. ^ "G4S Wackenhut President Drew Levine Explains Rebrand and Company Strategy". Government Security News. 2010-01-18. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
  4. ^ Contact Us." Wackenhut. Retrieved on July 6, 2010.
  5. ^ "Wackenhut planning new corporate headquarters in Jupiter". Palm Beach Post. 2009-10-15. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
  6. ^ Fisk, Kiesling, Herbert Kiesling, and Thomas Muller (1978). "Private Provision of Public Services: An Overview". Urban Institute: 34. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "G4S wins £85m multinational security contract". The Financial Times. 2010-03-29. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
  8. ^ "CBP Renews Southwest Border Transportation Contract". CBP.gov. 2007-10-04. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
  9. ^ DOJ (1998-11-06). "RESPONSE OF THE UNITED STATES TO THE COURT'S ORDER OF NOVEMBER 6, 1998". Retrieved 2010-04-02.
  10. ^ a b Greg Palast (1999-09-26). "Wackenhut's Free Market in Human Misery". Retrieved 2009-03-10.
  11. ^ "Officially changes name to The GEO Group, Inc". GEO Group. 2003-01-04. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
  12. ^ Mufson, Steven (2008-01-04). "Video of Sleeping Guards Shakes Nuclear Industry". Washington Post. pp. A01. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
  13. ^ "Wackenhut Stands up to Miami-Dade: Security firm denies ripping off the county and fires back with a $20 million lawsuit". Miami New Times. 2010-05-07. Retrieved 2010-04-20.
  14. ^ "Wackenhut, Miami-Dade settle legal battle". South Florida Business Journal. 2010-02-18. Retrieved 2010-04-20.
  15. ^ a b Kate Brannen (13 September 2012). "Hill flummoxed over anti-nuke nun". Politico.
  16. ^ Paul C. Barton (12 September 2012). "Rep. Blackburn says Y-12 incident shows lack of Energy Dept. accountability". The Tennessean.
  17. ^ Berzon, Alexandra; Emshwiller, John R. "Orlando Shooter Was Dismissed From Academy Over Gun Inquiry, State Says". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 27, 2016. Susanne Coburn Laforest, a 61-year-old retired corrections officer and former classmate of Mateen, said he threatened to shoot his classmates at a cookout—which she said was held on a gun range—after his hamburger touched pork, in violation of Muslim laws. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Orlando shooting sharpens scrutiny on screening of security guards, Miami Herald, David Ovalle, June 15, 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  19. ^ ‘Clerical error’ on Orlando killer’s psychological eval named wrong doctor,Miami Herald, David Ovalle, June 17, 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  20. ^ BARRY, Dan; KOVALESKI,, SERGE F.; BLINDER, ALAN (18 June 2016). "'Always Agitated. Always Mad': Omar Mateen, According to Those Who Knew Him". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 June 2016. In 2013, G4S removed Mr. Mateen from his security post at the St. Lucie County Courthouse after he had made "inflammatory comments" about being involved somehow in terrorism.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)

Further reading

External links

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