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During the height of last month's holiday travel season and a week before an alleged al-Qaeda operative attempted to bomb an international flight traveling to Detroit, officials in Bozeman witnessed a similar security breakdown. A Montana man unknowingly cleared through the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints at Gallatin Field Airport with a handgun in his carry-on bag. Once he realized the error, the man turned himself in, prompting authorities to re-screen every passenger, including those already aboard a plane slated to take off.
The TSA didn't publicly acknowledge the Bozeman incident until last week, and officials say that sort of delayed communication—not to mention the security breach itself—is why airports across the state are poised to replace government screeners with private contractors.
"Local control is certainly more responsive than a federal agency that is headquartered in Washington, D.C.," says Cris Jensen, director of the Missoula International Airport. "And so, we think there's some benefit to having [local management] here."
Jensen says he put the wheels in motion to replace federal security with private contractors months ago. He says the move will improve communication, responsiveness and efficiency. If all goes as planned, the change will happen by the end of 2010.
"September of this year would be the earliest opportunity," he says.
- Photo by Cathrine L. Walters
- Missoula International Airport is poised to replace its current government-run security with a private firm. “Local control is certainly more responsive than a federal agency that is headquartered in Washington, D.C.,” says airport director Cris Jensen.
Congress created the TSA after 9/11 as part of the Department of Homeland Security. When the new agency took over, thousands of airport screeners became federal employees, gaining all of the benefits that go along with being a government worker.
But an opt-out clause in the original legislation opens the door for airport managers to hire private firms to replace TSA screeners. So far, 19 airports across the country have done so, including seven in eastern Montana. With airports in Missoula, West Yellowstone, Kalispell and Butte also primed to make the switch, Montana appears to be leading the airport security privatization movement.
Last month's incident in Bozeman is just the most recent example of the frustration airports face with TSA. Long-time Gallatin Airport Authority board member Richard Roehm says local officials wanted to notify the public immediately of the problem, but red tape prevented any full disclosure.
"Nobody from the TSA was available," he says. "It was either no response or we can't issue anything until it's cleared by Washington."
In an interview with the Independent, TSA spokesman Dwayne Baird says policy mandates the agency not comment on active investigations. He adds that the TSA employee responsible for the Gallatin Field breach was reprimanded and sent back for remedial training.
Roehm, a former colonel in the armed forces, says he understands security specifics sometimes need to stay under wraps to better ensure safety. But he maintains TSA takes it too far.
"TSA wraps itself in a cloak of security and says, 'We can't discuss it,'" he says. "The public needs a greater transparency in all of this stuff."
Communication is just one drawback with TSA. Jensen says the agency's sprawling bureaucracy is too cumbersome, tough to navigate and expensive.
"People have lots of examples with lots of federal agencies about the inefficiencies just due to the size," he says. "I'm not talking necessarily about just the screening of passengers. I'm talking about the management of the operation and things of that nature, some of the overhead, some of the other expenses that are related to operating. So, there's a substantial amount of money we believe that can be saved."
The financial impact of a switch worries the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents TSA employees across the country. The union believes private industry will rely on fewer employees to do more work, leaving American airports less protected. AFGE representatives are lobbying Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano's staff to ask for a moratorium on any more privatization.
"For profit means you always cut corners," says AFGE's Tim Shorrock.
If an airport privatizes its security, local management is legally obligated to offer existing screeners work with the same benefits and pay. But Shorrock says private companies can eventually cut salaries and, inevitably, lure cheaper, less qualified labor.
"This is our line of protection here in the U.S.," he says. "We want well-trained, efficient government workers...not the lowest common denominator."
Jensen disagrees, pointing to what he maintains are thriving and efficient private security enterprises at airports in San Francisco, Jackson Hole and Kansas City. He says if Missoula goes private, training and staff would remain nearly identical, and passengers would notice little difference. In addition, TSA would maintain regulatory oversight.
"My family flies. My friends fly. If I thought for a moment that it was going to be substandard, we would never consider this," Jensen says. "In fact, I believe just the opposite—it's every bit as good and potentially even better. A lot of that just comes from the local control."
Three companies have submitted proposals to the Missoula County Airport Authority Board so far: Firstline Transpor-tation Security, Covenant Aviation Security and McNeil Security. Jensen says the board may select a proposal during its Jan. 26 board meeting, setting into motion a long application process to officially drop the TSA.
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TSA's motive for allowing airport's to privatize have been apparent since the Agency was formed. TSA has long had an agenda to get out of managing Federal Employees and become strictly a regulatory entity. Montana's airports are the tip of the sphere to quietly "sell off" the nations aviation security in small geographical areas. TSA local management claims it is impartial or neutral and doesn't take a side, however the privatization wheels have been turning in Montana for at least 3 years. Federal employees were fist told the motivation for MCAA (Missoula County Airport Authority) board members desire to privatize stemmed from the new screening checkpoint addition that opened in April 2007. With the checkpoint being located apart from the exit lane, TSA forced MCAA to staff the exit with private security that came with a cost of more than $90,000.00 annually. MCAA's budget was strained even more with this added cost and the previous Airport Director's improprieties that led to a felony conviction of embezzlement left the airport with few options to increase revenue. The hope is for the MCAA to "partner" with one of the private companies and earn a percentage monetary "kickback", all paid for by the taxpayer. It would seem that if there were profits enough to share with a local airport that those tax dollars should be used to increase security at a local level and not line the pockets of an airport. Conflict of interest comes to mind. Why can a select few Airport Authority Board member's make decisions of such magnitude and consequence that will affect a local economy, Federal jobs and ultimately the level of security? Has Missoula been plagued enough with increased job losses with the closure of Smurfit Stone and Macy's Department Store? This privatization move does not put local community interest’s first, but just the opposite, sending profits to an out of state big business security contractor and a local Airport Authority. Montanan’s are being sold a “Bill of Goods” that isn’t apparent at first glance.
It is shameful that all airports in Montana are opting out of TSA. This is a strong statement about the leadership of Montana TSA. I believe that this is what needs to be reviewed. How does a pilot program take over the state for security screening? I had an Uncle in the World Trade Center on 9/11, and I have not forgotten. Private security companies caused those actions. I hope that our senators take aggressive action against Montana TSA management. Why are airport boards unable to work with these guys?
Low wages and job cuts are the the issues facing Federal employees at Montana Airports who work for the Transportation Security Administration.
Federal Transportation Security Officers make $13.50 an hour to start, after years as a federal employee most in missoula make more. They are now facing their federal jobs being outsourced to a contractor under the provisions of ATSA and the SPP. Trinity in partnership with Lockheed Martin are coming after those jobs. The reality is instead of federal money coming into and staying in the state as salary; the year following the airport going private salaries will be cut in half. In the first wave 1/3d of the officers will not be hired back (even though they are supposed to have the right of first refusal to work for the private contractor). Money once provided by we the federal tax paying Montanans will be flowing out of state.
Recent job loses in the state impact the local economy, (insert job lose numbers to Montana)
In Missoula recently Senator John Tester spoke to Greg Philips, Deputy Director of the Missoula Int. Airport and asked him some questions relating to the Airport's motivation for considering privatization. Mr. Philips stated they were motivated primarily for monetary reasons and that they were attempting to partner with a private contractor to share in profits of a federally paid contract. This as a Montana Governmental Body selling federal jobs to increase their public coffers. Will the profit sharing be equal to the decrease in salaries and benefits and the lost jobs? How will that profit be spent? On airport improvements? Who will do those improvements? Local people or large corporations from other states influenced by the partnership. Who holds the purse strings to Trinity company the one seeking the SPP contracts in Montana? If you follow it back you will find Lockheed Martin. How can a select few Airport Authority Board member's make decisions of such magnitude and consequence that effect so many Montana citizens who depend and deserve the highest level of Aviation Security that a Federal Security workforce has provided for the last 8 years? The threat to Aviation continues to be paramount and with the proximity of a foreign border in our backyard, this is not the right option for Montana airports. There are many issues facing Montana but privatizing the airports is not the answer for Montana. I ask you to continue to look at this issue and not support anymore "outsourcing" of government jobs that will leave more Montanans with less wages and benefits.
Here is the smoking gun trail from Covenant to Lockheed.
Covenant Aviation Security has partnered with several companies to provide service excellence to our clients. Our philosophy is to utilize each business unit with a focus on their core competencies. To this end we have partnered with some of the best providers available.
Below is a list of some of our partners.
Trinity Technology Group
A solutions-oriented company that provides security support for the nation's critical infrastructure and information sensitive missions and operations. Trinity is a small disadvantaged, HUBZone certified, Service disabled veteran business.
Pearson Security Services
Delivers premium security services and disaster response support.
then go to Trinity web page:
Alliances
L3 Titan Group
Lockheed Martin
Northrop Grumman
QinetiQ
SAIC
Lockheed page:http://www.lockheedmartin.com/capabilities/homeland_security/trans_security/index.html
Our Specialized Security Training contract with TSA includes basic passenger and baggage screener training, re-certification and cross training to existing screeners.
FSD and SFO are covenant security airports who did better at recert than federal airports. WHY! lockheed martin
"My family flies. My friends fly. If I thought for a moment that it was going to be substandard, we would never consider this," Jensen says.
LOL Just what the mayor in the movie "Jaws" said!
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