Word: tsa
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...feds are having more problems with air-security personnel. At a hearing on Capitol Hill last week, aviation-security experts and Congressmen were surprised when it was disclosed that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the agency that protects the nation's air-traffic system, had to fire more than 1,200 airport screeners because security checks had turned up problems, including felony convictions, in their backgrounds. The TSA also admitted that it still has not completed background checks on 22,000 screeners, almost half the 52,000 screeners who are supposed to be helping guard the country's aviation system...
Even worse, sources tell TIME, the TSA has had to put scores of federal air marshals (FAMs) on leave for discrepancies in background checks. The large number of grounded FAMs--the armed men and women who fly undercover and are authorized to use deadly force--has industry veterans worried. "It raises concerns about the entire TSA vetting process," says Captain Bob Lambert, who flies for a major airline and is president of the Airline Pilots' Security Alliance. "FAMs are arguably the most important part of our security system, but now, after several months of them flying around with weapons...
...TSA SCREENERS...
...face of the usual law-enforcement practice of not separating man and gun--as well as a 22-year-old aviation-safety regulation that requires all weapons to be unloaded when put into the baggage compartment. Some baggage handlers are reportedly refusing to touch the gun boxes. Says TSA spokesman Robert Johnson: "It is safer to minimize handling the gun." If changes prove necessary, he adds, the TSA will make them. --By Sally B. Donnelly
...week the air had cleared somewhat; pilots said that TSA officials were listening to their complaints and promising to make some revisions. This group of pilots were "guinea pigs," said TSA spokesman Robert Johnson. "We'll see what changes need to be made." But how many more pilots will be going through the voluntary program remains undecided. This session cost $500,000, and it's unclear if there's money for any further training this fiscal year - TSA has requested $25 million for the program in 2004. It's also unclear how many flyers will sign up. Future sessions will...