In what has got to be some kind of milestone in the privatization of government security functions, an Ohio firm has turned to online classifieds service Craigslist to recruit guards for the U.S. embassy in Brazil.
An ad from the Whitestone Group, of Columbus, OH, was posted on Craigslist in Miami under the “security jobs” category. Candidates must have not only “experience managing people,” but also “Secret Clearance with ability to obtain Top Secret Clearance.”
The two positions advertised are a site supervisor and assistant site supervisor at the U.S. embassy in BrasÃlia.
The company, which is a member of the Private Security Company Association of Iraq and last year won a contract to provide security at the Hoover Dam, describes itself as a “Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business firm providing full-spectrum security and investigative services.”
Whitestone reportedly works for the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Federal Aviation Administration.
A gallery of images on its Web site features guards in a wide range of maneuvers, as well as four pictures of company chief John Clark with George W. Bush.
The Whitestone Group did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment about its recruiting practices.
(Special thanks to TPM Reader JH)