Three security guards who brought portable video games to work at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn., last month have been suspended without pay, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported yesterday (see GSN, Jan. 17, 2008).
"The individuals in question violated both site policy" and that of security contractor Wackenhut Services Inc. "in bringing the electronic game devices into the Y-12 protected area," Wackenhut spokeswoman Courtney Henry told the newspaper by e-mail.
The area conducts classified operations involving production, disassembly and recycling of nuclear-warhead components, making it off-limits to electronic devices that are capable of transmitting information and images. A PlayStation Portable gaming system brought into the site had such a capability. The others did not, but video games are forbidden under Y-12 policy.
"While this is an isolated incident, we consider this a serious matter because security police officers have a special trust and an absolute responsibility to obey and enforce all of the site rules," Henry stated.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing, she said: "I won't speculate on what will happen following the investigation or how we will move forward." Past incidents in which employees brought banned items such as cellular telephones into the protected area have led to firings.
Henry also could not offer a schedule for completion of the inquiry. "I know it's in process and we're taking care of it as quickly as we can," she stated.
The contractor has now banned its guards from bringing personal bags or containers into the protected area (Frank Munger, Knoxville News Sentinel, July 15).