Report: Anonymity of Air Marshals at Risk

[Phantom Warrior]

By FREDERIC J. FROMMER, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 46 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - More needs to be done to ensure the anonymity of federal air marshals, says a critical new report Congress will look into next week.

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The draft report, "Plane Clothes: Lack of Anonymity at the Federal Air Marshal Service Compromises Aviation and National Security," cites the service's dress code, which is supposed to prevent marshals from drawing attention to themselves.

In practice, the report found, "many federal air marshals indicate that the dress code actually draws more attention to the identity of the federal air marshals because of its rigid requirements that prevent federal air marshals from actually blending in with their surroundings."

The report by the House Judiciary Committee, a copy of which was provided to The Associated Press on Friday night, identified several policies by the service that the report concluded undercut the goal of preserving the marshals' anonymity.

The report also faults the service for requiring marshals to stay at designated hotels and show their credentials upon checking in. It said that in one instance, the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Airport Hotel in Florida designated the service "company of the month" because of the number of rooms it had reserved at the hotel.

"This public designation essentially advertises for any terrorist wishing to attack a location populated by a concentration of federal air marshals that such a target is the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Airport," the report says, referring to the hotel.

And the report raised questions about boarding procedures by marshals, expressing concern that these procedures could give away the identity of the marshals.

The committee, which initiated its investigation into the service in May 2004, said its staff interviewed 30 federal air marshals across the country.

"An overwhelming majority of the interviewed air marshals stated that most concerns centered around threats created by the service's own policies to preserving anonymity and safety," the report says.

The report also found the service's policy banning marshals from criticizing the service too broad, expressing concern that it was being used "as a retaliatory mechanism against those who vocalize legitimate concerns" about the service's policies.

Dave Adams, a spokesman for the service, said he had not seen the report. But he did say that the service "fully cooperated and addressed" concerns and inquiries made by the committee chairman, Wisconsin Republican Jim Sensenbrenner.

Adams said that the service provided a 29-page formal response, as well as a follow-up briefing in November 2004. The service has not been contacted by the committee on any substantive issue since then, he said.

"Anonymity of the air marshals in our No. 1 concern," Adams said. "But the boarding of air marshals is set by federal regulations, which Congress sets."

The committee is expected to vote on the draft report next week.

Actual article is here. The details are pretty sparse, but it seemse like this is the issue regarding air marshals being required to wear suits and board first that was debated on this board a year or two ago.

 

[mpthole]

Its not hard to spot an air marshal. Last time I flew, they (there were two of them) got special treatment at the security check-in and were first to get on the plane... and get this: were printing so badly that a blind man could have seen it. It was rediculous.

So, I handed him my card with our USPSA club's website on the back of it as I walked by.

 

[Lone_Gunman]

I think its kind of ironic that the only armed man on the plane is worried about his safety.

 

[walking arsenal]

This isn't too hard.

The marshals are cops of sorts after all. Like a lot of cops, military etc etc they carry themselves different. I suppose theyre always head up, scanning looking clean cut and such. Thats not hard to spot. Plus they always get a little better treatment than the "regular" passengers. This paints a little "shoot me first" sign over their heads.

If they wanted to do this better they could take a note from the DEA book on undercover cops. Basically have a guy looking like, acting like everyone else. Give him an isle seat somewhere in the plane so he has easy access but thats it. Make him board with everyone else, carry a suitcase (with an MP5K in it?) have him occasionally make a fuss at a security checkpoint and there you go.

The downside is, and there always is a downside, is that if he had to do somthing and he pulled his weapon dressed in plain clothes he might get clobbered by another passenger.

My .02

 

[Art Eatman]

Lone Gunman, isn't EVERYBODY concerned for their own safety, to some extent or another, on a regular basis?

From what I read when this problem was broached last year, the Air Marshalls might as well be wearing a uniform. It strikes me that it's hard to be "undercover" and unnoticed when you wear a suit and have a short haircut--and get some amount of special treatment in the boarding process.

So the unknown Bad Guy who fits in with the other 300 passengers know exactly who the first target will be. And if Mr. BG is sitting behind the Air Marshall?

IMO, nobody beyond the crew should have any way of knowing which passenger is an Air Marshall. IMO, any other methodology of the operation is foolish in the extreme.

Art

 

[tulsamal]

It strikes me that it's hard to be "undercover" and unnoticed when you wear a suit and have a short haircut--and get some amount of special treatment in the boarding process.

I've got a long time friend who is an Air Marshal. We had a very LONG discussion about this the last time he came to visit. He told me that they were allowed to dress like business travelers to the appropriate destination. So if the plane was going to Miami or Vegas, they could be a bit more casual. But his thoughts were that the real problem is that a lot of the upper brass started at the Secret Service and they tend to think of the Air Marshals as more of the same. Efforts to convince them that the Air Marshals should be thought of as "undercover cops" meets a brick wall. They just won't even discuss it.

It just seemed logical to me that some of them should have long hair, beards, etc. Sometimes they should wear shorts and a t-shirt. As was said above, it they are easy to pick out then they just become the first target in a plane seizure.

And the boarding agents were also mentioned by my friend. It drove him crazy that many ticket handlers took great pride in being able to "spot the Air Marshal." So the AM would stand in line and try to act like Joe Normal but then the boarding agent would loudly say something like, "I know who you are!" The AM's aren't real happy about that!

IMO, the leadership needs to be people who have some background with undercover officers. That should be the model much more than the Secret Service.

Gregg

 

[Lone_Gunman]

Lone Gunman, isn't EVERYBODY concerned for their own safety, to some extent or another, on a regular basis?

Yea, obviously.

The irony is that the Air Marshall is the best armed person on the plane, and is concerned about his safety and his ability to do the job. The rest of the passengers are unarmed and either oblivious to the danger, or certain the air marshall can defend them.

 

[Sylvan-Forge]

Endangering the lawful private citizen by disallowing the means of self-defense is bad enough.

Not enabling the air marshal with the proper tools to do his or her job is just plain reckless.

A marshal can be trusted with a plane full of people, can they not be trusted with a less conspicuous means to pay for job expenses? To have a five-o-clock shadow? To determine the best mode of dress?

:banghead:

 

[BigRobT]

Just like when I was active duty. One could spot a military man a mile away, damned near. These air marshalls do need to be cut some slack by their managers. I would prefer that they blend in with the rest of the crowd. As the directives dictate, they stick out like a sore thumb. When one of them gets hurt or killed, maybe THEN their managers will relent and concede the air marshall's point.

 

[Captain38]

Air Marshals

I really hadn't thought of it before the TV program in question aired but the bad guys don't have to smuggle a weapon on board, they already know where to find one once they're in flight.

 

[Rumpled]

To quote Art
"IMO, nobody beyond the crew should have any way of knowing which passenger is an Air Marshall. IMO, any other methodology of the operation is foolish in the extreme"

I don't even think the crew should know. I know several flight attendants and they are nothing if not gossips.
They also play the find the Marshall game and talk about it.
I was on a flight last year and overheard an attendant make reference to a Marshall without using that word. (I had him pegged as at least a cop)

If you mean crew as the people actually at the controls, maybe.
But how does that info get to them w/o compromising the situatian as well?

It's just best that noone specfically knows and that everyone always assumes.

 

[ball3006]

I can usually pick them out.....

When I ran an airport police dept, many years ago, the airline notified us that an advanced security party was arriving for a former first lady during a campaign. When they deplaned, we picked out 6 guys. When you are in the UP of MI, it is not too hard to pick out anyone from someplace else. Later, one of the guys was reading a paper in the lobby and I went over to introduce myself. At first, he denied everything until I pointed out the rest of his team. When he asked "how did you know?". I replied, no one dressed like you guys in the UP......had a nice conversation after that. Me, I was dressed in a flannel shirt and jeans, which is pretty dressed up then......Even though I fly as little as I can get away with, SWMBO says I have to go with her to visit the inlaws once a year, I carry improvised weapons and restraints. Being a 250 lb powerlifter, I don't need too much to be effective......As I am 62 years old, no one notices me..........chris3

 

[seeker_two]

We STILL have air marshalls? I thought Minetta ran that program into the ground, already...

Personally, I don't mind the AM's being conspicuous on a flight. If I have to fly and the SHTF, at least I know where to get a gun and defend myself...