FAA Targets Armed Officers on Planes

The Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday ordered tighter credential checks of law enforcement officers who are authorized to carry firearms onto planes and into secure areas of airports.

Cathal L. Flynn, associate administrator for civil aviation security, also announced that the FAA is working with law enforcement agencies to develop a counterfeit-proof credential for officers who might need to board an aircraft with guns.

Flynn emphasized that the new credential rules would change none of the current rules governing who needs to carry guns aboard, or the number of agencies whose officers are entitled to the privilege. Further restrictions would be necessary only if the law agencies and the FAA cannot agree on a new, more secure credential.

Flynn said he expects the new credentials to be ready within a few months.

The crackdown resulted from a General Accounting Office investigation in which investigators used fake identification to gain permission to take guns into secure airport areas. They easily obtained fake IDs on the Internet.

In the short run, the FAA will require additional checks of identification and documentation before an officer may carry a gun onto a plane.

Currently, an officer gives documentation, identification papers and badges to an airport security screener, who checks their authenticity. The pilot then receives a list of passengers with guns and where they are sitting.

The officer is supposed to have a legitimate law enforcement reason for carrying a gun, although it is well known that most traveling officers always keep their guns with them to prevent them from being pilfered from baggage.

Flynn said the FAA would work with law enforcement agencies to ensure that their personnel follow existing rules and limit the number of weapons on board.

The officer must have training in how to handle firearms on a plane, where an accidental bullet through a window can cause explosive decompression and possibly a crash.

The gun must remain in the officer’s possession, not stored in carry-on luggage. And the officer may not drink alcohol on the plane.

“There are important reasons in public safety for policemen to travel armed,” Flynn said.

Protective service details, such as the Secret Service, are automatically assumed to have a reason for carrying a gun, as are federal air marshals. Officers with a law enforcement mission, such as transferring prisoners, are eligible.

Flynn pointed out that an officer shadowing a suspect on a plane cannot wait for checked baggage at the end of the flight.