The Wall Street Journal-20080111-Wackenhut CEO Leaves
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Wackenhut CEO Leaves
The chief executive of Wackenhut Corp., which recently lost its job protecting 10 nuclear power plants after guards at one plant were caught napping, left the company.
The Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.-based security provider, a subsidiary of G4S PLC of Britain, thanked Gary A. Sanders for his service, but didn't say why he left. Grahame Gibson, a board member and G4S's chief operating officer, now has responsibility for the company's North American operations.
After guards at one plant were found to be sleeping on the job last year, Chicago-based utility Exelon Corp. last month said that by July it will replace Wackenhut with an in-house security force at its 10 nuclear power plants.
Wackenhut officials have said the apparent lapses in attentiveness at the Peach Bottom plant in Pennsylvania were "an anomaly." Exelon said it took action even though a review of security at its other plants found "no significant deficiencies."
Since a videotape arose that showed a guard at the Peach Bottom plant nodding off, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has asked commercial nuclear power plant operators to provide new information about their security practices. The agency in October confirmed guards had been sleeping on the job at the plant.
Wackenhut also provides security, fire and other services to Department of Defense locations in Iraq.
