TSA Seeks to Terminate 30 Honolulu Employees

By Wendy Osher

Honolulu International Airport, photo by Wendy Osher.

More than 30 employees with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in Honolulu have been identified for removal following an internal investigation.

The TSA today proposed the removal of the personnel following an investigation into allegations of improper screening of checked baggage.

“TSA holds its workforce to the highest ethical standards and we will not tolerate employees who in any way compromise the security of the traveling public,” said TSA Administrator John Pistole in a press release issued by the agency today. “We have taken appropriate action through our newly established Office of Professional Responsibility and are committed to ensuring our high security standards are upheld in Hawaii and throughout the country,” said Pistole.

A limited number flights each day during the last few months of 2010 were impacted according to results of the investigation released today.  TSA authorities say “some checked bags during one shift, at one airport location, were not properly screened during the investigation.”

Since the agency identified the issue, authorities say steps were taken to ensure that each bag was screened properly at the Honolulu International Airport.  During the investigation and pending its outcome, the TSA placed several officers in non-security related roles at the facility.

The TSA has temporarily assigned management-level staff and National Deployment Force officers to the Honolulu International Airport to augment the current staff and ensure continued attention to a “high level of security operations.”

The TSA has also since named Stanford Miyamoto, currently the Deputy Area Director, as Acting Federal Security Director.  The agency plans to begin the hire of local permanent replacements in the coming weeks.