"Oregon airport placed on probation by TSA after lapses"

Wednesday, June 23, 2004

Airport placed on probation by TSA after lapses 
Feds fault airport security 
Medford field put on probation after two naps and a theft
By DAMIAN MANN
The Medford (OR) Mail Tribune


Federal Transportation Security Administration officials have placed the
Medford airport on a probationary status after the recent firing of two
security employees who slept on the job and of a third who was arrested
for the theft of a laptop computer. There was also a security lapse last
weekend while passengers were boarding a plane.

"They told us, 'Watch it,' " said airport director Bern Case. "If we
screw up, they can fine us."

Case said two night shift employees were caught napping during the past
six months by other airport workers, and the incidents were confirmed by
surveillance tapes.

"We have terminated two people for sleeping on the job," he said.

With fines for security breaches at some airports amounting to as much
as $250,000, Case said the airport notified TSA officials immediately
about the problem. "We didn't try to sweep it under the table," he said.

Another security employee, Andrew Cameron Welburn, 37, of Medford, faces
a felony charge of first-degree theft for allegedly taking a laptop
computer from the lost and found, where it was stored after a passenger
misplaced it. The arrest last week came after a monthlong investigation
by the Jackson County Sheriff's Department implicated Welburn, who has
been fired.

These terminations add to a 69 percent turnover rate since January; 11
of the 16 security personnel who work for the county for a minimum $7.91
an hour have left. The security staff is not part of other personnel
under the jurisdiction of TSA or the sheriff's department, which also
provides security.

TSA officials say they are concerned about a security lapse last weekend
in which a passenger reportedly walked out of the line heading for a
plane, went over to the fence and may have been handed something from
the other side.

Case said most of the workers, who get about 80 hours' training for the
job and undergo background checks, have the skills needed to provide
adequate security - some are even retired law enforcement officers.

Case acknowledged the pay is not high, but said the benefits package
offered by the county is substantial, amounting to about $800 a month
per employee.

He said it is difficult for the airport to pay more because it runs a
tight budget and also because of the potential for public reaction. 

"The county gets criticized for overpaying, and then we get criticized
for underpaying," he said.

He referred to these security positions as stepping-stone jobs, noting
that his own career began with a similar job in 1978. Some of the
security staff have left to take jobs with TSA.

Airport and county officials do plan, by late summer or early fall, to
look into whether the pay scale is adequate.

Jennifer Marty, a TSA spokeswoman, said the airport could have been
fined, but TSA decided it would be better to let local officials take
steps to make sure people don't sleep on the job.

"We have given them a chance," she said. "If you want to call it a
probationary status, then you could."

She said TSA has had problems with baggage screeners falling asleep at
other airports, but the problem was resolved when their chairs were
taken away, forcing them to stand through their shifts.

Concerning the passenger who walked away from the boarding line in
Medford, Marty said that if TSA had been made aware of the incident, all
passengers would have been taken off the plane and forced to go through
the entire screening process again.

While there are surveillance cameras in that area, TSA couldn't
determine who the passenger was or whether the person was handed
something over the fence.

Airline officials are charged with the responsibility of making sure
passengers remain in line while they are walking toward a plane, Marty
said. 

"This has been an ongoing issue that we're trying to keep on top of,"
she said.

TSA has its own problems keeping employees, who are paid $12.75 an hour.
Marty said with a turnover rate of 15 to 18 percent nationally, the rate
at the Medford airport appears to be somewhat lower.

"It's a really stressful job, very physical," she said. "It's not an
easy job. We have one of the highest turnover rates for a federal
agency." 

Jackson County Commissioner Jack Walker said he wants to find another
way to handle security other than hiring low-paid workers.

"The turnover rate is huge," Walker said. "Their qualifications aren't
good enough."

Walker said more highly skilled security personnel would be better
suited to patrol the grounds, including the parking lots and passenger
unloading areas.

"One of my concerns is safety around the perimeter of the airport," he
said. "There is no way in the world to stop somebody from getting in."


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