The number of reported misconduct by TSA agents has surged more than 26 percent over the last three years, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
“The report confirms our worst suspicions that TSA employee misconduct has spun out of control,” U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., said in a statement. “Not only has TSA failed to properly recruit, train and administer screening personnel, they have been unable to deal with misconduct, including the over 9,600 incidents in the last three years.”
The report details that nearly one-third of the misconduct cases relating to TSA employees concerned personnel not even showing up to work.
“The report reveals that nearly 20 percent of the misconduct cases related to security failures, putting passenger safety and aviation security at risk. Not only have we seen incidents of security risk, some employees committed thefts against passengers and even slept on the job,” Mica said. “These are serious infractions since these actions have left TSA short-handed, run up huge overtime costs and damage the integrity and public confidence of this important security function.”
Added Mica: “It is time to reassess TSA’s role in the aviation screening process and return the Agency to security and intelligence responsibilities and remove them from the personnel and human resources businesses at which they are failing.”
