Few things seem to attract as much media attention as
misconduct among U.S. Transportation Security Administration officers. Yet, all
those reports that spotlight groping, stealing, damaging carry-on items or
abusing travelers are largely anecdotal. The U.S. Government Accountability
Office in a report issued Tuesday put some numbers around the narrative.
Among the report's highlights, the number of misconduct cases among TSA
officers increased nearly 27 percent from fiscal year 2010 to fiscal year 2012,
a three-year span during which TSA "investigated and adjudicated" more
than 9,600 total misconduct cases, according to the GAO report. Those cases range from the mundane (showing up
late for work) to the sensational (grand larceny and drug smuggling).
Of course, it's the latter that gets the most attention.
"News stories in recent years have highlighted several high-profile
allegations of misconduct by TSA employees, including transportation security
officers being involved in theft and drug-smuggling activities, as well as
circumventing mandatory screening procedures for passengers and baggage,"
according to the GAO report, which cited some examples, including an officer who
in 2011 stole "more than 80 laptop computers and other electronic devices,
valued at $80,000, from passenger luggage" in Orlando.
The annual number of misconduct cases grew from 2,691 in fiscal year
2010 to 3,408 for the most recent fiscal year, though in that time "TSA’s
workforce of Office of Security Operations employees at the airport level grew
by about 3,200 employees." GAO noted that the number of airport TSA employees
now stands at around 56,000, suggesting an employment increase of roughly 6 percent from the
first fiscal year measured.
TSA employees' most frequent offense is so
mundane it rarely makes headlines: 32 percent of the examined misconduct cases
fall into the category of "unexcused or
excessive absences or tardiness."
The second most widespread category of
misconduct, representing 20 percent of cases, involved "screening and security" infractions,
including "failure to follow standard operating procedures,
bypassing screening" and sleeping on duty.
Rounding out the top five is "failure to follow instructions"
(16 percent), "inappropriate
comments or conduct" (10 percent) and drug or alcohol offenses (5 percent), including on-duty use and drug-test
refusals.
The remaining 17 percent of misconduct cases
involving TSA security officers includes citations for neglect of duty, ethical
infractions— including bribing or misusing government identification—and
"appearance and hygiene" violations.
Accounting for fewer than 4 percent of total
cases was property damage (97 cases) and theft (56 cases).
What happened to
TSA's contingent of rogue, negligent and derelict employees? Few were
terminated. "Forty-seven percent of the cases that GAO analyzed resulted in letters
of reprimand, which describe unacceptable conduct that is the basis for a
disciplinary action; 31 percent resulted in suspensions of a definite duration;
and 17 percent resulted in the employee’s removal from TSA," according to
GAO's report. "The remaining cases covered a variety of outcomes,
including indefinite suspensions."
GAO
prepared the report ahead of a U.S. House subcommittee hearing on Wednesday to
explore what the subcommittee dubbed TSA's "integrity challenges."
While GAO concluded
that "TSA has taken actions to help manage the investigations and
adjudications process," the report faulted the agency for "procedural
weaknesses" when it comes to conducting and documenting misconduct
reviews.
In written testimony for the hearing, TSA deputy administrator
John Halinski indicated that "the vast majority of TSA employees are
hard-working, professional and abide by the highest ethical standards,"
but "a single bad act by one employee can create a security
vulnerability." Halinksi discussed TSA programs to prevent such vulnerabilities.
TSA's parent agency, the Department of
Homeland Security, agreed with GAO's recommendations to better review, record
and track misconduct.