Posted on 01/01/2010 7:00:08 AM PST by mylife
DFW Security Checkpoint Left Unattended for 90 Minutes Agency suspends 3 agents, calls incident "serious and unacceptable" By GRANT STINCHFIELD Updated 8:05 PM CST, Thu, Dec 31, 2009
The Transportation Security Administration has launched an internal investigation after a security checkpoint at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport was left unattended and unsecured for 90 minutes earlier this month.
Three agents have been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.
The agency said the agents left the checkpoint at Gate E8 from 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Dec. 16. Personnel from the airport's Department of Public Safety discovered the gate was not secure during a routine patrol, the TSA said.
TSA spokeswoman Andrea McCauley called it a "serious and unacceptable security failure."
"An immediate review of closed-circuit television tapes verified that no passengers or items entered the sterile area while the gate was unsecure," the TSA said in a statement.
But Dallas-based aviation security expert Denny Kelly said an hour and a half is too long. It could have put thousands of travelers at risk, he said.
"When you leave a gate like that open, they can go anywhere they want all over the world and never have to be checked again," he said.
Denny said the airport should have been emptied and rescreened passengers.
"They want to talk about our security, how good it is, but it's not good," Kelly said.
McCauley said the TSA is focused ensuring the lapse in security never happens again.
The TSA's complete statement on the incident:
On Wednesday, December 16, 2009, at the conclusion of screening operations at DFW, the "E8" checkpoint gate was not appropriately secured. Personnel from the DFW Department of Public Safety (DPS) discovered the unsecured gate during a routine patrol of the area. DPS promptly contacted TSA, at which time officers responded and properly secured the gate. An immediate review of closed circuit television tapes verified that no passengers or items entered the sterile area while the gate was unsecure.
TSA finds this unacceptable and has moved swiftly to conduct a complete investigation and take all appropriate corrective action.
First Published: Dec 31, 2009 4:53 PM CST
Yes, by all means, let’s unionize these retards! /s
That guy will be searched, he did not remove his shoes! /s
B-Chan, that comment brought a smile ;)
There are plenty of professionals in my age group that are working for lower pay than we ever expected. I accepted the offer they gave me, primarily because I was looking to get my foot in the door.
Give me steady work over drawing unemployment any day of the week.
Don’t ya know, they gotsta watch their Oprah hour , it’s right there in the Union contract.... SARCASM
I have plenty of high paid people who’ve worked for that were lazy.
The point is taken. Perhaps I should have commented on the high performers typically attracted to this type of govt job.
DFW DPS told TSA E8 = 0.
“Hey, man! I thought we’s sposed to have an hour n half break evry day!”
Probably not a full-time checkpoint. Terminal E is for the airlines that American hasn't completely squeezed out of DFW yet. Most of them just run a few flights a day into one of their hubs. (10 or so gates have been shut down completely, with the air bridges removed) No flights departing from that area, and the checkpoint may be shut down for a while. Delta, Airtran, Northwest and I think Alaska are in the middle. Continental is in that area, and United is next to them at the end. So if neither Continental nor United had anything going out for a while, it'd make sense to shut it down instead of paying folk to stand around and chat.
Is that the important rule book they seem to ignore?
Musta been happy hour for both sides.
My dear old Dad’s favorite interview question was along the lines of “You’ve got no work to do now, but you’re standing in a filthy room and there’s a broom leaning on the wall. What would you do?”
The answer is as obvious as the nose on your face, but it was remarkable how many people flubbed it because pitching in and pushing a broom was beneath them. Dad would pretty much end the interview on the spot if you answered wrong.
“An immediate review of closed-circuit television tapes verified that no passengers or items entered the sterile area while the gate was unsecure,”
But yet: “Denny said the airport should have been emptied and rescreened passengers.”
This doesn’t make any sense. Review of video confirms no breach but yet brain-dead dolts in charge want to shut-down the entire airport?!
You have got to be kidding me.
The country is in the best of hands.
I know people who are working 2 or 3 jobs in this time of high unemployment. How is it that some people can find 2 or 3 jobs and others can’t seem to find one? Because people with a good work ethic are always in high demand.
It costs a business more money to employ a lazy person with no initiative and an entitlement attitude than it does to leave the position unfilled.
Since these are government workers, I assume that this was Suspension WITH PAY.
If a few players mess up,replace the players;if all the players mess up, replace the coach.I think we need new coaches.
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