Recruits Who Failed Checks Were Hired by Capitol Police

The U.S. Capitol Police have dismissed about one-quarter of their latest group of recruits after discovering the individuals had been hired despite failing criminal background checks, psychological exams and other employment criteria, officials said yesterday.

The 15 recruits, who were about halfway through a 12-week training course in Georgia, were recalled to Washington over the weekend and told yesterday to resign within five days or be fired, according to several officials.

Some of the recruits had criminal records, said two Capitol Police sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss personnel matters. The sources would not specify how many had committed offenses or what types of violations were involved.

The Capitol Police force's human resources director was put on administrative leave in recent weeks because of the irregularities, according to several police and congressional sources.

The turmoil marks the latest embarrassment for the Capitol Police, who have been criticized for security lapses even as their budget has tripled to about $280 million since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In 2006, a drug-addled man armed with a loaded pistol got past security and raced through the Capitol before he was caught by a civilian employee. Earlier this year, the force reassigned three officers after they didn't notice an improvised bomb in a truck they were searching near the Capitol. The device was recovered three weeks later; no one was injured.

Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, Capitol Police spokeswoman, declined to comment on the recruit problems, saying in an e-mail, "We don't discuss personnel matters."

Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Terrance W. Gainer also said he couldn't comment on individual cases. However, referring to the moves by Capitol Police Chief Phillip D. Morse, he said, "The chief took swift but painful action."

"We've disrupted some people's lives, but we have to maintain very high standards," Gainer said.

Rep. Daniel E. Lungren of California, the senior Republican on the House subcommittee on Capitol security, confirmed that the human resources director, Jennifer McCarthy, had been placed on leave because of "an issue of performance." He would not provide further details.

Lungren said he hoped that the hiring problem is a one-time lapse and not a sign of deeper difficulties. "I remain concerned there was what appears to be a slip-up in recruiting, either in practices or procedures," he said.

The Capitol Police have rechecked officers hired during the year-long period that McCarthy headed the human resources office and determined that the rest of the current employees passed the hiring tests, according to one of the Capitol Police sources familiar with the matter.

An employee in McCarthy's former office said that she was not available yesterday and that she had been placed on administrative leave. McCarthy did not return a message left at her home phone number. Her replacement was first reported earlier this month by the Hill newspaper, which also flagged problems involving background checks.