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Subscribe to RSSWASHINGTON -- The Federal Air Marshal program is rife with acrimony between supervisors and air marshals, creating a climate of "tension, mistrust, and dislike," according to a report by the Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General, due to be released next week. A copy was obtained by NBC News.
Nearly half the members of the program's work force fear retaliation, more than half believe favoritism is tolerated, and one-fourth feel they've been the subjects of discrimination, the inspector general found. Even so, the report says, these problems "do not appear to have compromised the service's mission."
The review found no proof of widespread discrimination or retaliation. Instead, it found a pervasive perception that there's a problem. Air marshals, it said, "repeatedly portrayed their supervisors as vindictive, aggressive, and guilty of favoritism."
Part of the reason, the report says, is that air marshals are constantly on the move and therefore have limited contact with their supervisors. Decisions by supervisors are sometimes perceived as singling certain individuals out when they are, in fact, the result of system-wide directives, it said. But it also said the program and its supervisors don't do a good enough job of explaining the reasons behind such changes.
While these issues do not appear to have compromised the air marshal mission, the IG says, "these allegations add unnecessary distraction at all levels at a time when mission tempo is high and many in the agency are becoming increasingly concerned about work force burnout and fatigue."
The report makes a number of suggestions for improving management of the program and notes that administrators agree with them. In a statement, the Transportation Security Administration said Friday the air marshal service leadership "has demonstrated its commitment to improving communications within the workforce."
Some of the IG's findings were first reported Friday by CNN, which did some stories in January 2010 about allegations of misconduct and discrimination in the Orlando office of the Air Marshals Service. Those stories prompted three members of Congress to ask the inspector general for an investigation.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News
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Cops picking on cops. Too good.
It is a management issue - we need better managers. Problem-this is the government, so I do not expect anything to change.
Occam's right. Orders come from above down to the Managers in a directive and THAT information isn't shared amongst the "Troops." Some of it is complete lack of management skills which entails respect and communication at all levels. Some of it is probably the "God Complex" of running the show! "Do what I tell ya! You don't need to know 'WHY.'" Some people have the propensity to piss their fellow workers off with just a smile and they love it. Of course they apparently don't think about the consequences of having a pissed off Air Marshall on a long flight filled with people and who's ready to shoot anyone who looks like his boss.....LOL!
This shouldn't be happening HLS. If you are intent on allowing your lower management minions to piss off the very people who could stop a Hijacking then please, if you must piss your workers off, piss off the clowns with the white shirts at the gates while my feet are still firmly planted on the ground.
Another example of MANAGEMENT out of tune with the needs of their employees. This is ALWAYS the "friction" between the working class and the management class. Management has to agree with and implement orders from the greediest possible a**holes and the workers have to carry out those desires, no matter the cost. The management all believe they are needed but in reality they are the EXPENDABLE ONES so they demand their orders be implemented. The actual workers know how to do whatever is involved and without THEM there is no profit for the greedy. Management is there ONLY AS AN INTERMEDIARY from the corporate owners and it's workers, sometimes WITHOUT management the owners could give workers the money they need to survive and still have enough left over to make a hefty profit. I have never worked for a company that needed most of it's management . These people are just like lawyers and politicians, they will lie for money, no principal needed.
seems to me like a lot of people need a hug. maybe a tissue as well. these people are crying because their job entails them to travel. you sign on, you go where you are told to go as needed and in some cases to add extra security. what did you exspect when you join "the world police"? these people are to help protect not just an airliner, but to help prevent another 9/11. now personally, i think keep tha marshals, bury TSA, and go back to a 2004 level of security. fine keep the playboy scanners, and those who refuse get a pat down. you have air marshals and a bunch of p!ssed off americans about the whole mess from day 9/11, and the wasted lives, politics, spending, and greed on all levels of congress all the way up to puppet pres himself, and the next one to come. they ALL get rich, we stay poor. compaire the millionaires list, to those in congress, senate, and so on. even Mr. Groove bottom Obama has his share in wall street. the presidency has become nothing more than the retirement of a lifetime club. get all the garbage out of making our laws, taking our rights, and taking from our pockets for their greedy little scams.
Smoke, fire... Connect... You mean people in positions of power are actually abusing their powers.... Neah, doesn't happen...
Yeah, and the whole program sucks. Watch the film FLIGHT PLAN with Jodie Foster for a real look at how it all can be manipulated.
Sounds like they have kids working as Air Marshal. Man grow up babies.......
No, it actually sounds as if the Managers are jealous of the Air Marshals who get to fly all around the world to me, the Managers need to grow up. If you have ever worked for a large company, you know that they don't necessarily promote the best and brightest to be the "Boss". And, if you have ever worked for a larger company, you know damn good and well, that favoritism is absolutely thrown in your face.
Lethurnekk, ... ssounds like the pot calling thaa kettle blakk perhaps. (babies) get real jar head.
How many times have you heard f the Air Marshals doing anything?
What world does jarhead "leatherneck" live in?! Fantasyland
Tension in the workplace...NOOOOOOOO!!!!
Oh, the humanity!!
Yes, DingleB, but in a workplace where huge egos collide and everybody's armed! LOL!
It sounds like the Air Marshalls need to be grounded.
Put them in the time out room until they can behave like civilized human beings.
TSA needs to pull down their pants so the Older Ladys can spank them for being bad boys and girls. Put them in the time out room too.
As a retired Government employee, I whole heartily agree with the complaints.
On numerous occasions I witnessed legitimate complaints written off as miss-communication, when in reality it was management covering their ***. (MER) Management Employee Relations as its known is a joke, MER will back management 100 % of the time.
Milo
You hit the nail on the head . People who never worked a government job have no idea what it is like . I worked for the P.O. for 25 years . One of our biggest complaint was AGGRESSIVEMANAGEMENT STYLE . It was always covered up until someone went postal . Then it made the papers, and swept under the rug from their. Always it was the employees fault . Looks like nothing has changed .
bob
bob1/28, my father is a retired letter carrier for the USPS. He was a union steward for many years, having to file grievances on behalf of other postal workers. I grew up hearing him say that management would knowingly violate the labor contract, because they get their way until it goes to arbitration. By that time, the supervisor got promoted and was gone.
Here's the issues with the Air Marshals: You have to look at where the majority of these new employees came from after this agency was created after 9/11. This was not an agency with tradition or experienced employees who had any great law enforcement experience. Most of the new employees came from existing Federal agencies such as Bureau of Prisons and Border Patrol. Not all the people who joined were mature, educated, experienced individuals. Many of the people who joined wanted to carry a firearm and be part of some mysterious group that people speculated about on planes and in airports. Very few of the employees had day-to day police or protective experience.
In short, the Marshals were a diverse group hired quickly without benefit of an established culture. The supervisors were drawn from other Federal jobs---if you were the right GS level you qualified to apply.
The people who were hired as marshals and supervisors were simply not the top-notch experienced, law enforcement veterans you would want on a team.
A thoughtful and mature analysis. More like this!
Hi Jeff, I disagree. The Air Marshall Program has been around a very long time. I can remember that way back in the early 1980s, the Air Marshall's recruited from local police departments. I had several friends recruited to be an air marshall. Not really sure what year they first started, but I know that many patrolmen consider a gig with the air marshall's as a primo duty assignment. At least here in Texas, that was the case.
Jeff...
Like joeylowe indicated, maybe you should check your facts before spewing nonsense. The Air Marshalls have been around since the 70's. They were created in reaction to the frequent hijacking of air-craft to go to Cuba, or just ransom. In fact some of the original "recruits" were Military Police.
So, in short, you're way off base and spewing "facts" that you know nothing about.
Yes, the original program, started in the late 60's, was very active in the 1970's with the Cuban hijacking scares. The program dwindled to nothing. After 9/11, the period I am referring to, the program was revived with massive new hiring. In actuality, I don't think the program can compare to the experience and training afforded cops in municipal law enforcement for mid to large cities. There's just not enough activity and contact with people or suspects to develop much behavioral or investigative expertise. Accordingly, the people hired are not required to be that experienced. It's a lot like being an armored truck driver.
But we're told these agents are heroes, and their presence keeps muslim monsters from coming out from under our seats to attack us with cheap nail clippers or use smuggled shampoo on our hair against our will.
The USA does not need ANY FAM's. Just keep giving passengers @!$%#ty food, delaying flights, holding them prisoner on the tarmac, loosing baggage, and charging them for carry on items. The next time some "terrorist" wants to take an airplane see what happens when a plane load full of really pissed off passengers ignore the "buckle seat belt light". A little airborne street justice will save Americans millions, save lives, and let @!$%#ty ass attitude flight crew dick heads see what time of day it is.
I guess Jordan didn't get that 5th martini he asked for on his last flight.
Yes, the air marshal program was merely expanded after 9-11. I was a municipal police detective at the time, I requested the application package. I decided not to apply. As a law enforcement veteran, it seemed a little insulting to "try-out" for the air marshal program. I understand the vetting process any agency must use, but in most other professions or occupations, you're hired based on your experience and knowledge of the job. In law enforcement, seems like every agency thinks they're the only ones who really know how to do it right. And you ALWAYS start at the bottom in a new agency, regardless of your experience and knowledge. The only difference between what I did as a municipal police detective and an air marshall was that the office was aboard an aircraft. Thanks, but no thanks.
With all due respect to yourself and the members of the FAM service I disagree. Your job was much more interesting and rewarding. FAM'ers must literally sit for hours on end doing nothing except perhaps read. Incredibly boring work.
So the challenge is hiring the right person for this job and that comes down to IQ- too smart and the agent will get bored after a couple trips to Charlotte/Cincy/Idaho Falls. Less IQ means less boredom however risks not having what it takes to handle a bad situation. I can totally see the dilemma: trained law enforcement officers of typical IQ are being thrust into a boring, solitary environment, literally tied down, which results inevitably in mis-directed anger due to lack of communication with peers and managers and other self concieved misperceptions.
Perhaps the FAM service needs to consider rotating their corps with other agencies after say, 2 month stints on board aircraft.
To call Air Marshals law enforcement officers is a joke. Most will sit on their dead asses, flying from one city to another their entire career reading magazines. A person of average intelligence would die from boredom. Many of these Marshals come from other agencies where they were misfits and under performers and trouble makers and they continue on in that same tradition.
Mr. Gruden,
I do not often involve myself in the postings for the various news articles. However, I am driven to make an exception in this case.
Will you please be generous enough to tell me exactly where you secured sufficient information to make the blanket statement "Many of these Marshals come from other agencies where they were misfits and under performers and trouble makers and they continue on in that same tradition."
Thank you in advance for your response.
Why should they be any different than any other worker? Sounds like my company.
There's no point in sorting it out ... FIRE THEM ALL. Another program that adds NO value and is a TOTAL WASTE of the taxpayer's borrowed money.
Oh, there's no problem. Bull. I useed to work in government and it's always that way. Of course, it can be even worse in the private sector.
The Inspector Generals report is a whitewash if I ever heard one. As a former gov't employee (investigator) the entire gov't is rampant with criminals, abuse, and Constitutional subversion !!! We need to raze the entire mess and start over from scratch !! The alternative, is stop playing favorites and using political appointees to destroy what's left of our agencies. These morons (managers) have no management training...heck, even the military treats and informs its men better than these pinhead political managers !!
I have seen this stupidity first hand in the FDA, EPA, Marshall's Service, FBI, and ATF. The flip side, many of these employees simply want to keep their jobs and keep bread on the table...but in fact the gov't is culpable for not treating whistleblowers with respect, nor for pursuing the corrections that are needed !!
As a matter of fact, the gov't is the biggest perpetrator of all !! My heart goes out to the field workers and the BS they have to put up with. God Bless them, - Damn the management !
Just great, disgruntled Air Marshall's I hope this doesn't turn out like the Post Office some years back where stressed out employes started attacking other employes, don't want anyone to go "Postal" at 15,000 feet.
jnessler, in law enforcemnt terms that would be "10-8 @ 30,000 feet" lol
They wanted the best of the best of the best when this first started. Now look at 'em all tired and feeling bad. Should of hired the masses of us that would of been great at the job and liked it for what it is...A JOB.
A lot of employees hired are retired police officers,like my brother in law! So many do have experience with law enforcement. As far as management, politics definitely plays a role,and the cover thy butt theory. Nothing and no one is perfect, especially when a program was so quickly devised. CARRY ON!
C'mon. It's been 10 years. It is not a radio station thet is"NEW" for 25years :)
Conservatives LOVE a Police State, but have trouble running the one they inflicted on us.
As with any organization where money, power, and politics are involved there will always be favortism (or even a perception of it). Its the way its always been. The only reason we know about it happening more often is right in front of you. Its called the internet. For those of you old enough to remember the preinternet days, we were pretty much isolated from what the Jones's did accross the country. With the advent of internet and instant messaging we know about the Jones, the smiths, the andersons, and everyone else's business.
I'm guessing the real issue is that some air marshalls are being sent to airports with no donut places. i would feel single out too! Cant wait to see how the govt reacts when one of these guys goes postal on a plane!
Until you have worked for the government, and seen just how dysfunctional it is, and how morons and egotists are supposed to "run" it, you have NO idea of just how disturbingly ineffective and broken it really is.
Then again, look at the intelligence of Americans. They elected Congress and 0!
How many "incidents" have air marshals either prevented or controlled? Just asking.
Hmph, wonder why there would be an air of "mistrust"? Du yaah spose it might be because the GOVT has IT'ZZ hands innit and it NOW, ... is a multi-BILLION $$$ INDUSTRY (4 Meximerica tho).
Why you whiny little B$&*%'s. Shut up enjoy your 20 years retire when your 40 and F@# Off...