Tom Ridge announced that as many as 5k customs agents will be crosstrained as air marshals in case of threats to airplanes…
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/6678135.htm
My question is if they are put into the air as air marshals, who will do their jobs?
According to the press release, at least part of the job will be done by reducing the number of individuals people have to meet with at the borders from two or three to one, who can then determine whether additional meetings with the government folks are necessary.
If that’s all that is needed, then why isn’t it SOP?
That was my question reading the release – it sounds like the kind of good-government/efficiency thing that Al Gore worked hard on during his term as Vice President. I guess there are (or were, I suppose) a few of factors. For one, all these agencies once reported to different Cabinet secretaries. One would suppose there were the standard turf divisions. For another, prior to 9-11 Air Marshals were very rare – there wasn’t a need for 5,000 of them, let alone for up to 5,000 more. So cross-training customs agents wouldn’t have been good government, it would have been an unnecessary expense. Another is that the press release seems to be exaggeraging (or, more charitably, the press accounts are doing the exaggerating). Specifically, once cross-trained, up to 5,000 additional marshals will be available to respond to specific threats. That seems to imply that during times of heightened suspicion agents could be pulled off their job for a time and the paperwork could just pile up until they’re back (presumably, the Secretary doesn’t propose to reduce the number of line officers meeting travellers during such times ).