TSA's new policelike badges a sore point with real cops

TSA's new policelike badges a sore point with real cops
By Thomas Frank, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Screeners at the nation's airport checkpoints are going to start wearing police-style badges — but real officers aren't too happy about it.

Some sworn officers fear airline passengers will mistake screeners for law-enforcement officials with arrest powers.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is starting to equip its 48,000 screeners with 3-inch-by-2-inch, silver-colored, copper and zinc badges that will be worn on new royal-blue police-style shirts.

The attire aims to convey an image of authority to passengers, who have harassed, pushed and in a few instances punched screeners. "Some of our officers aren't respected," TSA spokeswoman Ellen Howe said.

Actual airport police, who carry guns and have arrest powers, worry that their own authority will be undercut by screeners who look like police. Every major airport has its own police department or is patrolled by local police.

"A lot of cops at airports are not real thrilled about it," said Duane McGray of the Airport Law Enforcement Agencies Network, an airport police association. "It's another way of saying (to airport police), 'You're not important.' "

Network president Paul Mason, chief of the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport police, worries that passengers will mistake badge-wearing screeners for police and expect them to handle crimes. "There are going to be some growing pains on the part of the (screeners) and police," he said.

Agencies often give badges to workers who aren't law-enforcement officers. At the TSA, badges are carried by 1,200 inspectors who check that airlines, airports and others comply with security rules. The Environmental Protection Agency gives badges to its 250 workers charged with overseeing cleanups of oil spills and other hazardous releases, EPA spokeswoman Roxanne Smith said.

Airport screeners will get badges after finishing a two-day training program covering issues related to badges as well as how to talk to passengers in a calming manner. Unlike police, who often are required to carry their badges while off-duty, screeners will be barred from wearing them when they are not working, TSA Deputy Administrator Gale Rossides said.

"We coupled the badges with the communications training to make it clear to our officers that they're there to facilitate our passengers," Rossides said. She said the TSA has no interest in giving screeners law-enforcement power.

In April, Baltimore-Washington International Airport screeners became the first to get badges and blue shirts, which replace white shirts adorned with a yellow TSA patch. Screeners at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport will get them today.

A.J. Castilla, a screener at Boston's Logan Airport and a spokesman for a screeners union, is eager to get a badge. "It'll go a long way to enhance the respect of this workforce," he said.

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Amtrak Officer Shot In Foot With Own Gun During Scuffle

Amtrak Officer Shot In Foot With Own Gun During Scuffle


PHILADELPHIA -- A woman was in custody Sunday night in connection with the shooting of an Amtrak officer, NBC 10 reported.

The officer was shot in the foot by his own weapon, according to police. The shooting happened shortly before noon Sunday at a McDonald's restaurant inside 30th Street station.

A witness said a woman who appeared to be homeless had asked for a refill on her coffee. Workers said she had been there for hours and needed to pay for another one.

Police were called, and when an Amtrak officer arrived, the officer got into a scuffle with the woman, police said.

The officer was taken to Hahnemann University Hospital, where he is listed in stable condition.

German police dogs to wear shoes

Police dogs in the western city of Duesseldorf will no longer get their feet dirty when on patrol — the entire dog unit will soon be equipped with blue plastic fiber shoes, a police spokesman said Monday.

"All 20 of our police dogs — German and Belgian shepherds — are currently being trained to walk in these shoes," Andre Hartwich said. "I'm not sure they like it, but they'll have to get used to it."

The unusual footwear is not a fashion statement, Hartwich said, but rather a necessity due to the high rate of paw injuries on duty. Especially in the city's historical old town — famous for both its pubs and drunken revelers — the dogs often step into broken beer bottles.

"Even the street-cleaning doesn't manage to remove all the glass pieces from between the streets' cobble stones," Hartwich said, adding that the dogs frequently get injured by little pieces sticking deep in their paws.

The dogs will start wearing the shoes this spring but only during operations that demand special foot protection. The shoes comes in sizes small, medium and large and were ordered in blue to match the officers uniforms, Hartwich said.

"Now we just have to teach the dogs how to tie their shoes," he joked.

Another reason to not take the train

Another reason to not take the train


Another reason to not take the train
Amtrack now will conduct random baggage screening or you’re off the train
By Haywood Brewster
Weekly Press Staff
In this age of growing traveler inconvenience and loss of privacy, Amtrak has announced the deployment of what it calls its new specialized Amtrak Mobile Security Team. This "A" team will patrol stations and trains and randomly inspect passenger baggage. The Mobile Security Team is on top of ongoing patrols already in place by Amtrak, which are claims is to enhance the safety and security of passenger rail travel.  The deployment of the Mobile Security Team and the launch of random baggage inspection are supposed to further steps in Amtrak’s ongoing efforts to strengthen rail security as a means to minimize the risk of terrorist threats.  The Mobile Security Teams will ultimately be deployed nationwide.

"Keeping our customers and employees safe remains our priority," said Alex Kummant, Amtrak president and chief executive officer. "These new procedures will strengthen Amtrak’s overall security, and they are vital in our efforts to deter, detect, and prevent a terrorist incident on the rail system,"

Random baggage inspections have been found to be an effective security tool for deterring individuals who may pose a threat.  Since predictable security can be exploited, this random screening and patrols will be unpredictable and will appear at varied times and stations.

It should be known that Amtrack admits that these new measures are not in response to any new or particular threat. And they are assuring the public that they are in full coordination with the Department of Homeland Security. 

The Mobile Security Team’s squads may consist of armed specialized Amtrak police, explosives-detecting K-9 units and armed counter-terrorism special agents in tactical uniforms.  They will screen passengers, randomly inspect baggage and patrol stations.  These squads also may sweep through trains using K-9 units.

"The screening and mobile units were developed as part of Amtrak’s working hand-in-hand with domestic and international counter-terrorism agencies and experts to continually fortify Amtrak’s safety and security practices," said William Rooney, Amtrak vice president, Security Strategy and Special Operations. "Random inspections and armed special agent patrols are a prudent and necessary security enhancement and are similar to programs in New York, Boston, Madrid and London," Rooney stated.    

Passengers will have the right to refuse inspection.  However, if they do so, they will not be permitted to board the train and will be offered a ticket refund. 

The Mobile Security Team’s procedures will not affect train schedules.  Random passenger baggage inspection is a quick process and typically will take less than a minute.  The randomly selected boarding passengers can expect the Mobile Security Team to move swiftly and in a minimally intrusive manner to ensure passenger travel time is not affected.

The new procedures are an enhancement to strategic security measures already in place such as: Uniformed police and plain-clothes officers on trains and in stations, Security cameras, Random identification checks, "See Something, Say Something," passenger education program to promote involvement and raise vigilance. Investments in state-of-the-art security technology, Security awareness training for the entire Amtrak workforce and Behind-the-scenes activities that remain undisclosed. Information about the new procedures is available in selected stations, ticket counters, and on trains.

California Department May Rethink Taser Ban

California Department May Rethink Taser Ban

KRISTIN BENDER, The Oakland Tribune, Calif.
The Oakland Tribune (California)


Feb. 19--BERKELEY -- More than 450 police departments in California have equipped their officers with Tasers.

Berkeley isn't one of them.

But in the aftermath of a deadly shooting of a South Berkeley woman by a Berkeley police officer, city leaders said they may rethink their ban on the electroshock weapon.

"I think it's too bad that our police don't have other methods to subdue people," Councilmember Betty Olds said.

Anita Gay, 51, was fatally shot by Officer Rashawn Cummings outside her home in the 1700 block of Ward Street about 8 p.m. Saturday after police say she wielded a kitchen knife at an officer and family members. She died at the scene. Witnesses say she was shot in the back, but police brass say they are awaiting an autopsy report from the Alameda County Coroner, expected later this week, before releasing specifics about the shooting.

The officer fired his weapon at least twice, said police spokeswoman Sgt. Mary Kusmiss.

Based on a preliminary investigation, after reviewing three witness statements and the statement of the officer, Kusmiss said Monday "it appears the officer's actions were justified."

The officer, who has been on the force for five years, is on paid administrative leave while internal affairs conducts an investigation, which could take a week or longer.

As family members and friends grieve Gay's death, and Oakland civil rights attorney John Burris prepares to file a wrongful death suit, there is no doubt

subduing Gay with a Taser could have saved her life.

Some models of the electroshock weapon can deliver a 50,000-volt jolt from 25 feet away, effectively subduing a person by disrupting superficial muscle functions, but generally not killing them.

"If (the police) had a Taser the person may be alive," said City Councilmember Gordon Wozniak, who has been on the council for five years. "I know the police internally have been looking into Tasers, but the City Council has never received a report on that. I encourage the department to look into it. There's some danger in using them, but they are a lot less dangerous than using a gun."

Many Bay Area police departments, including Oakland, Livermore, Pleasanton, Fremont and Union City, have Tasers as part of their arsenal.

Kusmiss said she spoke to police Chief Doug Hambleton on Monday about the issue, and the chief said there have been discussions about getting Tasers.

"Yet up to this point, there has not been the political will to further those discussions," Kusmiss said.

Kusmiss said there have been situations in which police have had to use physical force -- putting themselves and the suspect or suspects in serious danger.

"We have experienced many situations or incidents in which a Taser as an option may have been extraordinarily helpful in subduing a violent suspect and preventing injuries to both the suspect and officers," she said.

Three years ago, a Berkeley man, Howard Street, shot Officer Darren Kacelek in the chest during a chase and standoff in West Berkeley. Kacelek's badge deflected the bullet, and he was not seriously injured.

"But that shooting may have been a circumstance where the event could have ended very quickly if a Taser had been available," Kusmiss said.

Harry Stern, an attorney with Rains Lucia Stern, which represents the police union, said the Police Officers Association has asked for Tasers for years.

Berkeley police also do not have their own police dogs or helicopters.

A proposal from police four years ago to resurrect a canine police unit after more than

70 years, was shot down. Critics worried about the potential for accidental injuries from dogs and that a canine unit would unnecessarily rehash memories of police dogs attacking African-Americans in the South during the Civil Rights Movement.

Like the police dogs, Tasers have their fair share of critics.

According to Amnesty International, from June 2001 to June 2007, 245 people died in the United States after being shot with a Taser. Several of those Taser-related deaths were in the Bay Area.

Allen Jackson, the president of the Berkeley branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said he doesn't see Tasers as being an alternative for police.

"Especially since they have proven to be lethal," he said.

Meanwhile, he said the Berkeley branch of the NAACP is calling for a federal investigation to determine whether the civil rights of Gay were violated. In a statement released Monday, the group said a "non-lethal method of apprehension could have been applied" to Gay.

"However, it is apparent that the only thing in the mind of a Berkeley police officer is to kill any African-American that they can," the statement said.

Both Gay and the officer who shot her are African-American.

Saturday's deadly shooting began to unfold about 6:40 p.m. when police were called to the 1700 block of Ward Street following reports of someone breaking windows. Police found a broken window at a residence next door to Gay's but no incident in progress and left.

Called back at 8 p.m., police found Gay on her porch with a knife and proceeded to "challenge her at gunpoint," Kusmiss said. Neighbors said Gay appeared intoxicated and may have been drinking or on prescription medication.

Then, Kusmiss said, Gay's two daughters came outside and Gay waved the knife at them.

"Given the proximity, the officer thought there was imminent threat," Kusmiss said.

Neighbors and witnesses, however, said Gay had either dropped or released the knife by this time and had her hands against an outside wall, per the officer's request. They said she then turned to walk up her stairs, at which point the officer shot her.

Oakland civil rights attorney Jim Chanin, who served on the Berkeley Police Review Commission in the 1970s, said Tasers can be an effective law enforcement tool, but they need to come with proper training.

"The problem historically has been they are overused and there are people you can't use them on, like people with heart conditions." he said.

Electric shock from a Taser could cause problems in someone with a heart condition or a heartbeat made irregular by drugs, medical professionals say.

Chanin said with the right training and limited uses, "I have no problem with it. When it becomes a substitute for verbal persuasion then I do have a problem with it."

Amtrak to Step Up Security Measures

Amtrak to Step Up Security Measures

Amtrak police officers Douglas Davison, left, and Keith Goerz, demonstrate the equipment they will carry as part of new security sweeps that will be effective this week at Union Station, in Washington. (JACQUELYN MARTIN / AP / February 15, 2008)



By SARAH KARUSH | Associated Press Writer
February 18, 2008
Article tools
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Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Fark Google Newsvine Reddit Yahoo Print Reprints Post comment Text size: WASHINGTON - Amtrak will start randomly screening passengers' carry-on bags this week in a new security push that includes officers with automatic weapons and bomb-sniffing dogs patrolling platforms and trains.

The initiative, to be announced by the railroad on Tuesday, is a significant shift for Amtrak. Unlike the airlines, it has had relatively little visible increase in security since the 2001 terrorist attacks, a distinction that has enabled it to attract passengers eager to avoid airport hassles.

Amtrak officials insist their new procedures won't hold up the flow of passengers.




"On-time performance is a key element of Amtrak service. We are fully mindful of that. This is not about train delays," Bill Rooney, the railroad's vice president for security strategy and special operations, told The Associated Press.

Nor will the moves require passengers to arrive at stations far in advance, officials said. Passengers who are selected randomly for the screening will be delayed no more than a couple of minutes, Amtrak chief executive Alex Kummant said.

"We're very conscious of the fact that you're in an environment where commuters have minutes to go from train to train," he said.

Concern about Amtrak security has been mounting since the 2004 bombings of commuter trains in Madrid that killed 191 people. Trains also have been bombed in London, where 52 people were killed in a series of blasts in 2005, most of them on subway trains, and in Mumbai, India, where 200 people were killed in 2006 on commuter trains. Russia also has had several bombings on subway, commuter and long-distance trains.

The new procedures draw heavily on measures being used in the New York City subways, Rooney said. That model has been upheld in court challenges, he noted.

Amtrak plans to roll out the new "mobile security teams" first on the Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston, the railroad's most heavily used route, before expanding them to the rest of the country.

The teams will show up unannounced at stations and set up baggage screening areas in front of boarding gates. Officers will randomly pull people out of line and wipe their bags with a special swab that is then put through a machine that detects explosives. If the machine detects anything, officers will open the bag for visual inspection.

Anybody who is selected for screening and refuses will not be allowed to board and their ticket will be refunded.

In addition to the screening, counterterrorism officers with bomb-sniffing dogs will patrol platforms and walk through trains, and sometimes will ride the trains, officials said.

Tim Connors, director of the Center for Policing Terrorism at the Manhattan Institute, said rail systems require a completely different approach to security from the one used in aviation.

"Rail moves a lot more people than air does," he said. "It's designed to be an open system that can move a lot of people fast."

One of Congress' biggest advocates for passenger rail, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said the security initiative makes sense as long as it doesn't cause delays.

"Given that terrorists have chosen passenger rail as one of their targets of choice, provided this doesn't slow things down or require additional longer lines and waits, this plan is certainly worth trying," he said in a statement.

Connors said random screening could be effective.

"A random approach is actually more effective than a constant one," he said, adding that when procedures don't change, it's easier for would-be terrorists to find weak spots.

Amtrak hopes the new force can serve as a powerful deterrent to would-be terrorists.

"What we are trying to do is make sure the bad guys know we're out there but don't know where we'll be, or when," Rooney said.

Amtrak did not provide figures for the program's cost, but said its total security budget -- including police, security strategy and emergency preparedness -- is about $60 million. The railroad has about 400 security personnel, including about 300 sworn police officers, Kummant said.

Amtrak's previous passenger screening consisted of sporadic identification checks by train conductors, which the railroad says it plans to continue. Passengers also are required to show ID when buying tickets from station agents, though there is no such requirement from passengers buying tickets from self-serve kiosks.

The Transportation Security Administration is also expected to continue sporadic deployments to stations around the country.

Amtrak has received a number of federal grants aimed at boosting security, but officials said there was no specific mandate to implement the changes.

"There is no new or different specific threat," Kummant said. "This is just the correct step to take."