Posted on 04/12/2006 5:53:27 AM PDT by Calpernia
A Port Authority police officer arrested a federal airport screener following a shouting match at Newark Liberty International Airport.
It happened at a Terminal C checkpoint after Port Authority Police Officer Steve Castro escorted an off-duty New York City police officer to the gate to see off a family member.
Allen Abbott is charged with disorderly conduct.
The Port Authority says Abbott became verbally abusive.
But the acting federal security director at the airport says Abbott was assisting another screener who believed security had been circumvented.
Anyone hear what happened?
I don't think off duty policemen have any special privileges as far as going to the gate to see anyone off. I think this one might backfire on the cops.
How does an off duty Port Security Officer have authority over on duty Airport Screener?
I always used to take my son to the gate. And, met my aunt who was uncomfortable flying. Took her to the gate when she left too.To put it mildly, I was not asked much more than who I was and to show my ID. The security measures were a laugh. If I had wanted to go to a gate on another day without getting clearance, I knew how. Would never have done so.
This is not a good sign nor a good precedent.
Reports of stolen uniforms suggest that someone who isn't really a cop could circumvent security with impunity. And this story suggests that the screener who interferes may lose his job. -spit-
If Cynthia McKinney is required to follow Federal security regulations,so is this cop.
From the looks of this story,the Federal screener was in the right...not the cop.
Excerpt:
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1144821571259650.xml&coll=1
"Mr. Abbott became verbally abusive with our PAPD officer, cursing and waving his arms and making a general ruckus," said Marc La Vorgna, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport.
Port Authority officers can escort unticketed individuals to the gate areas as long as they go through the proper security screening, which did occur in this case, La Vorgna said.
Typically, however, TSA policy is that escorts be given for official puposes.
La Vorgna said a non-audio video camera captured Abbott "waving his arms and acting in a menacing manner" toward the officer during the altercation, which occurred at about 11 a.m.
"The PAPD officer decided he had tolerated more than enough, walked back to the ... checkpoint and placed Mr. Abbott under ar rest," La Vorgna said.
But Mark Hatfield, the acting federal security director at Newark Airport, said Abbott should not have been arrested.
"Abbott has a good record and I believe he was acting in good faith to assist another TSA officer," Hat field said. "Both felt that security had been possibly circumvented and were acting to correct it. ... The Port Authority Police officer appears to have overreacted by ar resting Mr. Abbott."
There has been a lot of local gossip about turf wars concerning security.
::adds to your spit::
It sounds like the Fed guy might be the one in the right.
More at the link in post 8 if you are interested.
They were both on duty. The cop being escorted was off duty.
Shades of Cynthia McKinney.
Other than, do you know who I am?
Nice. Persons charged with our security fighting among themselves in public. The higher levels do the same in private. Sometimes I think it is only by the Grace of God that we have not been attacked since 9/11.
You said it all. It is a miracle.
Since 9/11, I have gone to gates without a ticket close to a dozen times. Never had a problem except when my shoes set off the metal detector. lol I am not saying how, but I now know how to get to a gate without a legit reason.
Cynthia McKinney?
As long as various LEO's aligned with various agencies insist on harassing each other, the rest of us ordinary citizens will be experiencing a little more personal freedom.
Works for me. Carry on.
I think the problem extends to the fact that we have too many agencies. Coleus posted on another thread a list of all the different agencies we have in NJ. Then, private security firms are hired on top of that.
I think we need to CUT the agencies, merge the personnel to the agencies that we keep and invest that money into building them.
I think that would promote more of a team player sense.
JMT
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