Federal Daily - March 31, 2008
Group Says Contractors Unfairly Blamed in Passport Flap
The Professional Services Council (PSC), which represents companies that provide contract services
to the federal government, said private contactors have been unfairly singled-out in the flap over
workers at the State Department peeking into passport applications of the well-to-do. Earlier this
month, officials admitted that presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton, John McCain and Barack
Obama had been victims of improper snooping. And, according to published accounts, workers also looked
into the files of other high-profile Americans, including the late Playboy model Anna Nicole
Smith. In a March 26 statement, PSC noted it was unfair to link the breakdown in privacy at the State
Department with the use of contractors. The group noted that contract employees are subject to virtually
the same background screening as federal employees and that the violations appear to have been committed
by both State Department and contract employees. The Office of Passport Services had about 1,800 federal
employees and about 2,600 contract employees as of March. To see more, go to: www.pscouncil.org/programs/pressreleases/Passports.asp.
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Federal Prison Guard Charged in Inmate’s Death
A federal grand jury on March 27 indicted a Bureau of Prisons corrections officer on charges related
to a 2005 fatal assault on an inmate at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Coleman, Fla. Erin
Sharma was charged with two counts of civil rights violations in the March 4, 2005, fatal attack on
inmate Richard Delano, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement. The grand jury charged
that on Feb. 28, 2005, Sharma and an unnamed co-conspirator agreed to move Delano into the cell of
another inmate who was likely to attack Delano. The move was in retaliation for a prior altercation
between Delano and Sharma, according to the indictment, which noted that Sharma also encouraged the
unnamed cellmate to assault Delano. Delano was moved on March 1 and was attacked three days later.
Delano subsequently died from injuries he suffered during the assault, DOJ said. If he is convicted,
each count against Sharma carries a sentence of up to life imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. A trial
date has not yet been scheduled. To see more, go to: www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2008/March/08_crt_247.html.
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FLETA Board Accredits Five Programs
The Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation (FLETA) Board on March 26 announced it had granted
accreditation to five federal employee training programs. To achieve accreditation, an agency must
undergo a voluntary assessment of their academy or program to ensure compliance with FLETA Standards,
submit annual reports to the FLETA Board, and seek re-accreditation every three years. Those accredited
include the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center’s (FLETC) Firearms Instructor Training Program
and the FLETC Uniformed Police Training Program; the Naval Criminal Investigative Services’ (NCIS)
Protective Service Operations Training Program and the NCIS Special Agent Basic Training Program; and
the Coast Guard’s Radiation Detection Level II Operator’s Course. “The accreditation
process promotes credibility in law enforcement training and encourages agencies to work together in
sharing their best practices,” said FLETC Director Connie Patrick. To see more, go to: www.fletc.gov/news/press-releases/fleta-board-awards-five-accreditations-in-march.html.
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