Flight Attendant Case Shows Airport Security Lapses

Flight Attendant Case Shows Airport Security Lapses

Airline employees, including pilots, flight attendants and crew members are given a “known crew member” badge and are not usually asked to be subjected to the same amount of security measures that most passengers are used to. Most times, employees are able to flash their badge and more through security quickly, so that they are not late for their scheduled flights.

Sometimes, however, crew members are chosen at random to complete the security checkpoint. That’s what happened to JetBlue flight attendant, Marsha Gay Reynolds. Usually this isn’t a big deal, just an inconvenience, but in the case of Reynolds, she became visibly nervous. Suddenly, she kicked off her high-heeled shoes and ran from the security checkpoint as fast as she could, leaving her bags behind her.

 “This is a security breakdown,” Marshall McClain, president of the union representing Los Angeles airport police officers, told the New York Times. “That could have easily been an explosive device and a terrorist running from the checkpoint. And we wouldn’t’ have known until it went ‘boom.’”

The items were immediately searched and it was found that Reynolds was attempting to fly almost 70 pounds of cocaine across the country. The 11 saran wrapped packages were estimated to value up to $3 million.

The worst part of all is that within 70 hours of ditching the drugs, she was able to board another flight using her crew member badge at one of the busiest airports in the country.

Communication lapses, bureaucratic complications and special security privileges afforded airline workers all contributed to Ms. Reynolds’s ability to remain out of the grasp of law enforcement authorities until she surrendered four days later at Kennedy Airport in New York.

McClain told the times that the case brings up fears of terrorist gaining crew member clearance to aircrafts and airports. While the crew member badges are only issued after the employee has successfully passed a background check that includes fingerprinting, crew members do not have to be wearing uniforms or have boarding pass with them when using the badges, making it especially risky in the case of a stolen badge.

No bulletin for Reynolds’ capture was immediately issued, allowing her to hop on a plane within the next couple of days, postponing her arrest. The TSA also would not have flagged her name because she did not pose a terrorist threat.

Jeff Price, an aviation expert, said he wasn’t particularly surprised by Reynolds’ ability to fly so soon after her run in with security. He said the system was designed to catch terrorists, not criminals.

Price told the Times that the involvement of the crew member badge “might cause the TSA to look at this program a little more closely, to see if this is going to be a problem from a terrorist perspective.”

 While TSA has said that a full screening of all employees would take cost too much, they will be increasing random screenings of workers and will keep background checks up to date.

Reynolds, a former Jamaican beauty queen and New York University track athlete, faces at least 10 years in prison if convicted of the federal drug charge against her.

 

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

Featured

  • New Report Reveals Top Security Risks for U.S. Retail Chains

    Interface Systems, a provider of security, actionable insights, and purpose-built networks for multi-location businesses, has released its 2024 State of Remote Video Monitoring in Retail Chains report. The detailed study analyzed over 2 million monitoring requests across 4,156 retail locations in the United States from September 2023 to August 2024. Read Now

  • Gaining a Competitive Edge

    Ask most companies about their future technology plans and the answers will most likely include AI. Then ask how they plan to deploy it, and that is where the responses may start to vary. Every company has unique surveillance requirements that are based on market focus, scale, scope, risk tolerance, geographic area and, of course, budget. Those factors all play a role in deciding how to configure a surveillance system, and how to effectively implement technologies like AI. Read Now

  • 6 Ways Security Awareness Training Empowers Human Risk Management

    Organizations are realizing that their greatest vulnerability often comes from within – their own people. Human error remains a significant factor in cybersecurity breaches, making it imperative for organizations to address human risk effectively. As a result, security awareness training (SAT) has emerged as a cornerstone in this endeavor because it offers a multifaceted approach to managing human risk. Read Now

  • The Stage is Set

    The security industry spans the entire globe, with manufacturers, developers and suppliers on every continent (well, almost—sorry, Antarctica). That means when regulations pop up in one area, they often have a ripple effect that impacts the entire supply chain. Recent data privacy regulations like GDPR in Europe and CPRA in California made waves when they first went into effect, forcing businesses to change the way they approach data collection and storage to continue operating in those markets. Even highly specific regulations like the U.S.’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) can have international reverberations – and this growing volume of legislation has continued to affect global supply chains in a variety of different ways. Read Now

Featured Cybersecurity

Webinars

New Products

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge. 3

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols. 3

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area. 3