Orange County Corrections contractor failed to comply with staffing requirements for security guards, new audit reveals

A private security firm responsible for staffing security guards at Orange County Jail and the county's juvenile assessment center failed to meet minimum hiring and staffing requirements, a new audit by county staff reveals , potentially putting corrections staff, visitors, and children or adults held at these facilities at risk.

The new report, released by the Orange County Comptroller's Office on Wednesday, details discrepancies the county's audit team found in hiring and staffing practices, and security requirements, during an audit of private security firm Allied Universal’s contracted services for the county Corrections Department.

The county’s audit of the $7.14 million publicly funded contract was performed from Oct. 2021 through May 2022, with auditors identifying numerous problems that indicate Allied Universal failed to meet its contractual obligations.

Auditors found, for instance, that over a four-week period, at least one female guard was missing during multiple shifts at the juvenile center, despite the fact that continuous staffing of female guards is required under contract.

The juvenile assessment center, located just west of downtown Orlando, serves as a centralized processing center for youth taken into custody by law enforcement for “alleged delinquent act[s],” according to a county webpage. At the facility, youth may be screened for mental health, physical health, substance misuse and suicidal thoughts or intent, to determine appropriate placement. It functions separately from a juvenile detention facility off East Michigan Street.

Auditors also found that the security contractor had failed to provide annual “refresher” training for guards at the juvenile center on topics such as suicide prevention, child abuse reporting and emergency procedures — which their employer is contractually obligated to provide.

One guard hadn’t completed suicide awareness and prevention training since 2018, the report notes, while training for child abuse reporting was never completed by any of the four guards audited.

Numerous other red flags pertaining to compliance assessments and hiring requirements for guards — including background checks and psychological evaluations — were similarly identified both at Orange County Jail and the juvenile center, according to the report, which contains recommendations for both Allied Universal and the Corrections department to address safety concerns.

“Failure to complete required screenings before guards start working at their posts could risk the safety of hired guards, Corrections employees, inmates, and the general public,” the report reads.

According to County comptroller Phil Diamond, the audit was performed as a “risk assessment,” in part to follow up on issues flagged with the company years before.

“Thankfully this didn't come about because we were investigating the aftermath of a tragedy,” County comptroller Phil Diamond told Orlando Weekly in a phone interview Wednesday. “Hopefully we can avoid a tragedy.”

Allied Universal Services, also known as Universal Protection Service, is one of the largest private security firms in the world, and has a multi-year, $7.14 million contract with the county’s Corrections Department, awarded in 2018, that is set to expire later this year on Oct. 1.

Auditors found a plethora of issues with the contractor's practices during their investigation. Yet, this isn’t the first time Allied Universal or its affiliated firms have raised red flags for county work.

An audit performed by the Comptroller’s Office five years ago, looking into a separate contract the county had with an affiliated company, found similar but separate issues with Allied Universal’s security services at the Orange County Courthouse and administrative building.

Back then, the security firm was called G4S Solutions — the same security firm that employed Omar Mateen , the infamous gunman who murdered 49 people at Orlando’s Pulse Nightclub in 2016.

G4S Solutions was acquired by Allied Universal in 2021, five years after receiving a $151,000 fine from the Florida Department of Agriculture, in the wake of the Pulse tragedy, for listing false psychological testing information on forms that allowed security employees to carry guns.

Allied Universal and its affiliated businesses have, broadly speaking, been fined dozens of times over the last two decades for various offenses discovered across the country, including wage and hour violations, employment discrimination, health and safety violations, and employment screening violations among others, according to the watchdog group Good Jobs First. Some enforcement actions are recent, with fines levied by state and federal governments this year and last over wage theft and workplace safety violations .

When asked about this documented history of violations, Diamond told Orlando Weekly his office’s focus was primarily on the contract between the firm and Orange County Corrections. “We just focused on these issues,” he confirmed.

Based on their findings, Diamond's team recommended several changes be made to security guard services at the Corrections department, and the county’s contract with Allied Universal, should county leaders decide to renew the contract this fall.

Responsibility for the issues detected during the audit is attributed in part to Allied Universal, but also to the county Corrections Department, which findings indicate has been negligent in its oversight.

“Based on the results of our testing, Allied did not fully comply with the Contract requirements,” the report notes. “Corrections monitoring needs improvement to identify and correct Contract noncompliance promptly.”

County Corrections, in response to audit findings, said they had taken measures to address compliance issues, according to communications included in the final report.

“An unsatisfactory notice will be issued if the contractor continues to not meet the requirement,” the department stated, although Diamond conceded that his office will not verify the department's pledge to monitor compliance until they perform a follow-up audit. He said this will occur after they have given the department “ample” time to implement recommended changes.

An email included in the report from Robert Wood, President of Allied University Services’ Florida Region, to Diamond in late April similarly includes confirmation that recommendations from the county have, in most cases, “already been implemented or are in the process of implementation.”

Allied Universal did not respond to a request for comment from Orlando Weekly on the finalized audit.

“Hopefully we can avoid a tragedy,” said county comptroller Phil Diamond

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The firm, doing business as Universal Protection Service, has two other contracts with the Orange County government that are currently active. One, worth approximately $11 million , for security services in the Utilities Department is set to expire June 30.

Another contract, worth $8.9 million , is for security services at the Courthouse, county administration building, and other county facilities throughout Orange County, including a juvenile detention center and community centers.

That contract isn’t set to expire until March 31, 2025. Diamond’s audit team told Orlando Weekly that there are no current plans to audit the first, but they are currently working on a follow-up to the 2019 audit “to check on the implementation status” of their recommendations.

Audit findings were presented to county staff last week, said Diamond, and to Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and county commissioners Wednesday morning.

A more detailed look at problems identified

Auditors within the County Comptroller’s office analyzed various forms of documentation — including time sheets, invoices and compliance monitoring records — and used state firearm licensing databases to verify whether Allied Universal was in compliance with their contractual obligations at Orange County Correctional facilities.

During the audit period, a number of issues were flagged, primarily in concerns to hiring/screening processes, staffing requirements and training requirements.

According to assistant comptroller Wendy Kittleson, auditors communicated with Allied “continuously” during the audit period, notifying them of issues as they were identified.

Issues flagged include:

The report states that Corrections “did not ensure that security guards completed all new hire requirements before they were allowed to work at Corrections’ facilities,” with some hiring requirement forms either MIA or otherwise failing to indicate whether such requirements were adequately met.

Additionally, “numerous” requirements on the hiring forms provided were marked “pending” or the completion date field was left blank, and auditors found “issues” with verifying the completion of psych evaluations, driver's license checks, employment history checks and physical exams.

One guard hired to work at the juvenile center during the audit period did not complete their psych evaluation until 13 days after their starting date. Even then, the form indicated that “clinical review” was recommended for the new hire, yet Allied could not produce any evidence of this review ever occurring.

One guard at the Corrections Complex (the county jail) without an active Class “G” firearms license was billed by Allied as as armed guard, a position that's paid a higher rate.

Four guards audited by the Comptroller’s team did not complete certain trainings for work at the juvenile center on an annual basis, as they are required to under their contract with the county. This includes trainings on child abuse reporting, suicide awareness, emergency procedures, professionalism and ethics, and report writing.

Auditors found that, over a four-week auditing period, Allied Universal failed to adhere to staffing requirements they’re contractually obligated to meet, which include the number of guards required at each location, hours, and the armed/unarmed status of guards.

At least one female guard was missing during multiple shifts at the county’s juvenile assessment center, for instance, despite contractual staffing requirements. A copy of the contract, reviewed by Orlando Weekly , clearly states, “One female staff person, regardless of rank or position shall be assigned and available on all shifts.”

According to the report, there were zero female officers present at the facility for a total 80 hours over the four-week period.

Auditors also identified multiple instances where there were one or more guards missing for entire shifts, while noting that because multiple officers were sometimes assigned to one post, no post was left completely unguarded.

Corrections Department officials told auditors in response that their staffing requirements had changed over the course of their contract as a result of “staffing shortages.” However, this was reportedly only communicated to Allied Universal verbally, and not formally amended in any sort of writing.

Furthermore, auditors note that, based on data collected, it appears Allied Universal did not follow such staffing requirements verbally communicated to them by the Corrections Department either.

Although Corrections is required to review contract compliance annually, auditors found the department had no written procedures for conducting such a review. This, the report states, results in reviews that are “inconsistent” with some “higher-risk” requirements left unreviewed.

Auditors noted some inconsistency between contract language and current practices adopted by both the Corrections Department and Allied.

“Some Contract requirements are inconsistent with current practices that were verbally approved by Corrections personnel,” the report reads. “If the scope and nature of services required from Allied have changed, the Contract should be amended.”

According to the report, Allied also violated contractual obligations by failing to equip security guards at X-ray screening posts with a dosimeter (a small device that measures radiation levels) over the duration of their audit period.

The audit found that no guards were provided dosimeters during that time, meaning radiation levels — and dosimeters — were left unchecked. “Inadequate monitoring of radiation exposure levels could lead to untimely detection of abnormal radiation levels compromising the health and safety of contracted guards,” the report reads.

Wood, President of Allied’s Florida’s region, told auditors in April of this year that guards have been equipped with dosimeters since April 2022 — months after the audit began. They have also had an outside firm evaluate dosimeter readings monthly since Feb. 2023, he said, with no exposure to radiation so far “substantiated.”

Corrections told auditors the same in their response to the finding, while sharing that this monitoring requirement “will be removed” from the new contract that county commissioners are set to vote on this fall.

A key security provider in Central Florida

Allied Universal is one of the largest private security firms around, and as such, it’s not surprising that Orange County isn’t the only local government — or private entity — to contract them for their services.

Indeed, the firm has contracts with the city of Orlando, and provides security at Orlando’s Inter & Co Stadium, home to the Orlando City Major League Soccer team and Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League.

There are currently over 30 job listings from Allied in the Orlando area alone.

A takeaway of the audit, comptroller Diamond told our reporter, after a pause, is that “when government privatizes functions, [the] government needs to make sure that those functions are being handled well.” This new audit, he said simply, “is an example of that.”

Comptroller Diamond said his office “welcomes” any concerns or feedback that community members have about fraud, waste or abuse of county resources. “We welcome comments or concerns from the public,” said Diamond.

You can reach out to the county Comptroller’s Office with comments by contacting their Government Watchdog program, reachable by email at fraudhotline@occaudit.com or by phone at 407-836-5775.