We reviewed physical security features at the vehicle and pedestrian entrances of the Stuart Lee Udall Building, the Washington, DC, headquarters of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), to determine whether these features are properly controlling access to the building.
We found several issues related to accessing the Udall Building through its vehicle and pedestrian entrances:
1. The retractable vehicle-restraint bollards that protect the garage entrances have routinely malfunctioned since their installation.
2. When the bollards malfunction, the garages are often protected by only a single unarmed guard and plastic traffic cones.
3. DOI does not track the bollard malfunctions consistently, making it impossible to correctly budget for the repairs to the system when its warranty expires.
4. Because the bollards have never worked as intended, we questioned nearly $4.4 million in costs associated with the system's installation.
5. The guards at the Udall Building's two street-level pedestrian entrances were not consistently checking the identification of individuals entering the building, again leaving the building vulnerable to unauthorized entry.
Nearly 2,000 people, including DOI employees and contractors, employees of other Federal agencies, and members of the public, visit the Udall Building every day. The Secretary of the Interior, her staff, and DOI's bureau heads also maintain offices there. With the safety of so many at stake, DOI must ensure that its security features are sound.
We made recommendations to the relevant DOI offices to improve the overall security of the Udall Building and to protect its occupants and visitors. DOI has concurred with all of our recommendations and is working to implement or close them. OIG staff at the Udall Building have already noted some improvements, particularly with the guards' verification of credentials at the pedestrian entrances.