The AP is carrying this story:
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The Transportation Security Administration on Friday moved to fire 25 employees at Newark Liberty International Airport and suspend 19 others for what it said was improper screening of checked luggage, the latest in a series of problems at one of the country’s busiest airports.
The alleged screening failures were uncovered late last year after surveillance cameras were installed in one of the airport’s 25 screening rooms to check for possible thefts, the TSA said.
Eight employees were fired in June in the investigation. The latest action raises to 52 the number of TSA employees at Newark caught up in the investigation, making it the biggest single disciplinary action taken by the TSA at a U.S. airport.
See more news at Boston.com.
The investigation was originally to catch theft. The thieves who were caught red-handed decided to resign, so they won’t be factored into the TSA’s official statistics. (But we know the rest of the story!) We hope that criminal charges were filed, but don’t hold your breath on this.
‘‘The decision to take disciplinary actions today with the proposed removal of 25 individuals and suspension of 19 others reaffirms our strong commitment to ensure the safety of the traveling public and to hold all our employees to the highest standards of conduct and accountability,’’ said Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokeswoman.
The theft investigation, which the TSA said was the reason the cameras were installed, did not lead to any charges. The TSA said an employee who was a suspect in that probe ended up resigning, though the cameras were left in place, turning up the screening lapses.
At least are representatives are starting to take notice:
Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, criticized Friday what he called the TSA’s ‘‘parade of failures.’’
A Parade of Failures! Everyone loves a parade!