Page 5 - Aruba Today
P. 5
U.S. NEWS A5
Tuesday 29 December 2015
TSA increases screening of airport and airline employees
A Transportation Security Administration agent, right, watches as passengers load their items into checks would become, area and go through TSA
bins as they pass through security at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Friday, but pointed to a Nov. 30 screening, with their carry-
Dec. 18, 2015, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The TSA is increasing random checks of airport and airline statement by Secretary of on luggage, in order to
employees who hold badges that enable them to bypass security checkpoints. Homeland Security Jeh C. board a flight.
Johnson saying that since Thousands of U.S. airport
(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) April, the department has workers are permitted to
“enhanced the continu- skip security lines after un-
ous, random screening of dergoing a background
airport/airline personnel check and obtaining a
in secure areas and en- Security Identification Dis-
couraged U.S. airports to play Area (SIDA) badge.
reduce employee access The system is designed to
points.” free up staff at passenger
“The TSA Administrator and checkpoints and to clear
I have recently concluded individuals who are consid-
that we need to double- ered a minimal security risk.
down on these airport se- There have been instances,
curity efforts and will be however, when that system
consulting with airports and has been exploited.
airlines to do so,” Johnson In December 2014, an At-
said. lanta Delta Air Lines bag-
The American memo, for gage handler was arrest-
instance, reminded em- ed, charged with using his
ployees that if they work in security badge to bypass
a secure area and plan to security and deliver guns to
travel after their shift is over, a smuggler on a number of
they must exit the sterile occasions. q
SCOTT MAYEROWITZ Paris terrorist attacks and
AP Airlines Writer the crash of a jet flying
NEW YORK (AP) — The between Egypt and Rus-
Transportation Security Ad- sia, believed to have been
ministration is increasing brought down by a bomb.
random checks of airport In a memo to employ-
and airline employees who ees this month, Jose Freig,
hold badges that enable American Airlines’ manag-
them to bypass security ing director of corporate
checkpoints. security, wrote that “we
The decision follows in- anticipate the random
stances in the past two screening process to in-
years in which employees crease throughout Decem-
used restricted entrances ber and during the 2016
to smuggle guns and laun- calendar year.”
der money. It’s also part of TSA spokesman Bruce An-
a larger push to increase derson wouldn’t say how
airport security after the frequent the additional
Court affirms assisted suicide conviction
STEVE KARNOWSKI Melchert-Dinkel was ob-
Associated Press sessed with suicide and
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An hanging, and that he
appeals court on Monday sought out potential vic-
affirmed the conviction of tims online, posing as a
a U.S. man for assisting the female nurse and feigning
suicide of a British man, but compassion.
reversed his conviction for The appeals court said
attempting to assist a Ca- Melchert-Dinkel gave Dry-
nadian woman’s suicide. brough detailed instruc-
The Minnesota Court of Ap- tions on how to hang him-
peals ruled that there was self.
sufficient evidence to con- But it said he didn’t give
vict William Melchert-Din- specific instructions to Ka-
kel, 53, of assisting the 2005 jouji when he recommend-
suicide of Mark Drybrough, ed that she hang herself.
32, of Coventry, England. She jumped from a bridge
It said there wasn’t enough into a frozen river in Otta-
evidence to convict the wa, where she was going
ex-nurse of the lesser of- to college.
fense of attempting to as- The case has been the
sist the 2008 suicide of Na- subject of a long legal
dia Kajouji, 18, of Bramp- fight that narrowed Minne-
ton, Ontario. sota’s law against assisting
Authorities have said that suicides.q
