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CEO Of Metro Security Contractor Steps Down

Resignation Comes After Channel 4 Investigation Into Commission Break-In

POSTED: 8:48 am CST January 9, 2008
UPDATED: 9:05 am CST January 9, 2008

There's a shakeup at the nationwide security company under fire in Nashville for a costly computer theft.

According to Channel 4’s NBC sister station in Miami, Wackenhut Security CEO Gary Sanders is stepping down.

The move comes the same day Metro Nashville’s government acknowledged that Channel 4's analysis of problem billing was correct.

Wackenhut did not release any details about Sanders’ departure.

Wackenhut is the company that holds the contract for security at some of Metro’s buildings including the Metro Election Commission, parts of the Criminal Justice Center and Metro schools.

Specialized Security Services in Wilson County, which is a sub-contractor of Wackenhut, was the company responsible for security at the Election Commission. The break-in led to the theft of laptop computers containing Social Security numbers and the personal information of Davidson County voters.

On Tuesday night, the Metro Council learned that Wackenhut may have been billing the government for work that wasn't done at the Election Commission. Councilman Rip Ryman said he is worried about the security of all Metro buildings.

“I think the administration needs to look at that, and I know that the council has some concerns about that,” Ryman said.

Wackenhut has provided Metro security since last spring, and many of those buildings house sensitive information.

“It’s worth taking a second look, a third look or whatever we need to do,” Ryman said.

On Tuesday, Mayor Karl Dean confirmed the accusations that Wackenhut may have been billing Metro for security work that wasn't done that the Channel 4 I-Team brought to him on Monday.

“What we need to do now is make sure that we review where we are in terms of security, where we are in terms of securing confidential information and make any corrections that we need to make and then go from there,” he said.

The Metro Law Department has sent a letter to Wackenhut asking for a review of the records.

“Hopefully happen quickly is what I expect,” Dean said.

Wackenhut is also facing scrutiny in other states. The company's operation in Miami is now the target of a federal probe over its billing. Federal investigators are also looking at the company after videotapes showed its guards sleeping on the job at a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania.

Channel 4 News contacted Wackenhut, but we were told the company could not respond to the Metro issue at the time.


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