Washington – Federal air marshals will no longer have to participate in special ground security operations wearing law-enforcement jackets and badges that compromise their anonymity, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff decided today.
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Chertoff changed the policy during a meeting in Washington with representatives of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, which wrote him last month about air marshals’ concerns that the program can blow their cover.
But while agreeing with them on that issue, Chertoff rejected the group’s request that U.S. Transportation Security Administration screeners not be given new police-like uniforms and gold badges this fall. The group had contended that outfitting the nation’s 43,000 screeners like police officers would give the public a false sense of security and jeopardize everyone in the war on terrorism. [Star-Ledger]
FROM WIKIPEDIA:
“Prior to September 11, 2001, the Federal Air Marshal Service consisted of varying numbers of FAMs depending upon the perceived threat and funding availability. Only 33 FAMs were active on 09/11/01.[2] As a result of the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush ordered the rapid expansion of the Federal Air Marshal Service. Many new hires were agents from other federal agencies, such as the U.S. Customs Service, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Office of the Inspector General (OIG), Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and many, many others [2]. A classified number of applicants were hired, trained, and deployed on flights around the world. As of August, 2006, this number is estimated to be in the thousands.[3] Currently, these FAMs serve as the primary law enforcement entity within the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).”
I’m very curious about air marshals, do you think you could include more info about which flights they are on (all or some) were they not there on 9/11? why not?