# So, do you feel safer now? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 20, 2004, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-feel-safer-now/275878 "2004-11-20T23:08:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-feel-safer-now/275878/1 "2004-11-20T23:08:30Z")
The past few years have understandably seen dramatic increases in air travel security. But exactly how much safer are we in the hands of the people paid to protect us? [Exhibit A](http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041120/ap_on_re_us/airport_police_1) > [@](#): > > LOS ANGELES - City officials are calling for an investigation of Los Angeles International Airport police after hidden cameras captured several officers abandoning their posts and ignoring emergency radio calls. > > \ > > The camera footage broadcast Thursday by KCBS-TV appeared to show officers spending hours of their shifts away from the airport or staying at the airport but not working. > > It also showed police chatting at a restaurant while ignoring radio calls about abandoned suitcases, and using a patrol car to pick up a child at school. And once you actually make it on the plane, there’s [Exhibit B](http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/OIG_04-32_0804.pdf) (warning: pdf). The Office of the Inspector General has released a report entitled “Evaluation of the Federal Air Marshal Service,” in which it releases some rather troubling findings about the men and women charged with on-board security. Some examples: > [@](#): > > In 2003, FAMS management began experiencing disciplinary problems with a number of active air marshals. In reviewing individual security files, FAMS management found documentation that some air marshals had committed similar incidents while previously employed, but were approved by TSA adjudicators without comment or warning. Therefore, to verify suitability, FAMS management decided to review 504 applicants who had been favorably adjudicated and were awaiting an offer of employment. Out of the 504, the FAMS management provided us with 161 air marshal applicants’ personnel security files that had information suggesting adjudication was lenient or questionable. The 161 cases contained fi nancial, employment, and criminal concerns. > [ul][li] forty-six applicants had fi led for bankruptcy in the last seven years, and half of those were at least 90 days delinquent on one or more accounts at the time they were selected.[/li][li]Seven applicants had previously misused a government credit card or other government resources while employed by the federal government.[/li][li]Twenty applicants had been fired or resigned from previous places of employment, and more than a third of those falsified information relating to their termination on their Questionnaires for National Security Positions (SF86).[/li][li]Twenty-six applicants violated previous employer policies, resulting in suspensions from work or forfeiture of pay, and half received written letters of reprimand.[/li][li]Sixty-two applicants had been arrested or faced allegations of misconduct. Allegations of domestic violence or assault in the past ten years accounted for 58 percent, driving under the influence of alcohol for 27 percent, and complaints of sexual harassment for 11 percent. Furthermore, 50 percent had been arrested more than once for a similar offense in the past ten years.[/ul][/li]p. 8 Here is one example of the lenient adjucication procedures criticized by the report: > [@](#): > > An applicant had been fi red from the U.S. Customs Service in August 2001, for “sexual harassment and other sexual misconduct with impact on the job” and “disruptive or violent behavior, leading to termination or forced resignation.” The U.S. Customs Special Agent In Charge (SAIC) did not recommend the applicant for service as an air marshal because “he is very aggressive, confrontational, and he has the potential to get in trouble.” The Department of Treasury, U.S. Customs Service Personnel Record indicates this applicant is ineligible for rehire by the U.S. Customs Service. > > p. 9 Now, i’ve always been of the belief that people who make mistakes should have the opportunity to demonstrate that they have changed for the better, but i think that standards should be a _little_ bit higher when we’re deciding who is and is not allowed to carry guns onto passenger aircraft. Quite a few people transferred to the Federal Air Marshal Service from the Bureau of Prisons. Of these, > [@](#): > > 104 current air marshals who had been granted a top secret clearance by TSA had been involved in 155 separate cases of misconduct prior to their transfer from BOP to the FAMS. These cases included offenses such as falling asleep on duty, verbally abusing a female prison official, breach of security, physical abuse of an inmate, inappropriate relationship with an inmate’s wife, and misuse of government property and credit cards. > > Of the 155 separate cases of misconduct, only 32 percent were discovered during the formal OPM background investigations of the former BOP employees. > > p. 10 Once someone is accepted as an air marshal, there is training involved. The report details delays and other problems with the training procedure, perhaps the most worrying of which relates to marksmanship training policies. > [@](#): > > Each quarter, all air marshals must obtain a score of at least 255 out of 300 during the PPC qualification. While visiting field offices throughout the nation, however, we encountered variations in PPC qualification practices. > > In some field offices, air marshals are allowed to shoot as many as 30-35 rounds before starting the qualification course on the weapons range, while in other field offices air marshals are required to shoot the qualification course “cold,” as they are not allowed any practice rounds of ammunition. Training instructors in offices where the air marshals shoot “cold” argued that this method of qualification best approximates the conditions an air marshal would encounter on board an aircraft. Our review of average field office qualification scores indicates that these offices > do not score as well as offices that allow a warm up before qualification. > > \ > > We recommend that the Assistant Secretary of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement develop a clear and consistent policy regarding the testing of the PPC in the fi eld offi ces. This policy should address how the qualification is to be conducted and the treatment of air marshals who fail to qualify during a first attempt. > > pp. 12-13 Once the marshals have passed their training, they get to work. Of course, we don’t really know how many of them are physically up to the task, because: > [@](#): > > At the time of application, each air marshal candidate is required to undergo a comprehensive medical examination equivalent to the second class airman medical exam, and current air marshals are to complete a medical exam on an annual basis. Since September 11, 2001, no operational air marshals have completed an annual medical examination. > > p. 19 And there are also a considerable number of disciplinary problems, of varying degrees of severity. > [@](#): > > In cases of misconduct by air marshals currently employed, there were 753 documented reports of sleeping on duty, falsifying information, testing positive for alcohol or illegal drugs while on duty, and stolen or lost weapons. These 753 actionable incidents represent disciplinary actions that were reported to the FAMS Human Resource division between February 2002 and October 2002. > > p. 21 A breakdown of the incidents is as follows: > [@](#): > > Disciplinary Actions February 2002 - October 2002\* > > Improper Flight Conduct 249 > Lost/Stolen Government Equipment – Includes weapons 143 > Miscellaneous Improper Conduct 125 > Credit Card Abuse 73 > Falsifying Information Reports & Misuse of Government Equipment 53 > Failed Training 41 > Sleeping on Duty 27 > Alcohol & Drug 24 > Unauthorized Use of Weapon 18 > > TOTAL 753 > > p. 24 This list only covers 9 months! Again, there are some jobs where i wouldn’t worry too much about some of this stuff. Hell, i’m for drug decriminalization and i don’t care if someone wants to light up a joint. But this is pretty disturbing coming from people who carry guns onto aircraft. The second item in the list above suggests that some can’t even keep track of their weapons. One has to wonder whether having some of these people on the plane makes travellers any safer. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-feel-safer-now/275878/2 "2004-11-20T23:18:57Z")
Well, I _felt_ safer until I read your post Colonel Scaredy Scare. I can’t remember, are Airline security people Govt. employees or are those contracted out? ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-feel-safer-now/275878/3 "2004-11-21T00:46:37Z")
In all honesty? No, I feel more ANNOYED now. But then, I’m not a security expert, so I have no way of knowing whether or not these measures have helped overall. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-feel-safer-now/275878/4 "2004-11-21T02:15:08Z")
I feel perfectly safe. I don’t fly\*. I’ve hated it since the late 60’s. \*I don’t need to. I own a BMW! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-feel-safer-now/275878/5 "2004-11-21T03:12:08Z")
Well, to tell you the truth, i don’t really feel any less safe either. But then again, i haven’t felt any less safe flying at all since 9/11. I really believe that the likelihood of something happening are extremely slim, and i’ve never been nervous about flying. I just get annoyed that the government and the security people constantly use fear of terrorism as a motivator and as an excuse for draconian new security measures, but then end up either taking stupid time-wasting steps that don’t increase security at all (e.g., confiscating nail files; making mothers drink their own breast milk), or failing to make sure that the proper security measures are adequately funded and properly implemented (e.g., the Air Marshal Service).