Man Pretends to Be Air Marshal in Bid to Make AA Flight

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What an idiot! Did he ever think that just maybe that real FAM's would be on the flight? He gets an A for stupidity!
 
BigBangTheory said:
What an idiot! Did he ever think that just maybe that real FAM's would be on the flight? He gets an A for stupidity!
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Wow the stewardess police really took care of that. Someone impersonating one of their own and they just send him on his way, only to be picked up after causing a disturbance in the Admirals club a short time later. I am just as impressed with them now as I ever was, when I had them on a flight.
 
FA Mikey said:
Wow the stewardess police really took care of that. Someone impersonating one of their own and they just send him on his way, only to be picked up after causing a disturbance in the Admirals club a short time later. I am just as impressed with them now as I ever was, when I had them on a flight.
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What do you mean by the "stewardess police"?

I will be very surprised if action isn't taken by the FAA/TSA on this one. How many security violations could there be here? I bet it must have shaken the flight crew to learn someone with a phony badge could board!
Given that the guy went directly to a bar...can you imagine what would have happened when he ordered a cocktail at 35,000 feet? Unscheduled landing??? Big jail time.

Oh, I think that poor agent(s) who reopened that door have a lot of reports to write. I wish them luck after some retraining!
 
youbetcha said:
I will be very surprised if action isn't taken by the FAA/TSA on this one.
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Only against the FAM's. The agent wouldn't necessarily know that Fisher Island did or did not have a police dept. He flashed a badge saying Chief of Police Fisher Island, its as valid and useful as the one that say Sheriff Dodge city. I think the part about being an FAM was more likely him boasting he was working with them in some way. If an agent took a look at a badge saying Chief of police and then let someone on who claimed to have a second job as a FAM, needs to be retrained or let go for lack of common sense.
youbetcha said:
How many security violations could there be here?
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One Impersonating an law enforcement officer 3rd degree felony in FL.(5 years state prison)
youbetcha said:
lI bet it must have shaken the flight crew to learn someone with a phony badge could board!
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They left only minutes late with out regard to an additional security precautions. I doubt they even knew what had really transpired.
youbetcha said:
Given that the guy went directly to a bar...can you imagine what would have happened when he ordered a cocktail at 35,000 feet? Unscheduled landing??? Big jail time.

Oh, I think that poor agent(s) who reopened that door have a lot of reports to write. I wish them luck after some retraining!
Click to expand...
Again it wasn't really the agents. Once they knew someone tried to board with with fake documents they should have and hopefully were the ones who notified the real police. There is no master list in SABRE of what every LEO badge and credential looks like. How many flight attendants have seen a FAA inspectors badge and credentials and took it, and never verified by comparing it to the example in the inflight manuel?
 
FA Mikey said:
Only against the FAM's. The agent wouldn't necessarily know that Fisher Island did or did not have a police dept. He flashed a badge saying Chief of Police Fisher Island, its as valid and useful as the one that say Sheriff Dodge city. I think the part about being an FAM was more likely him boasting he was working with them in some way. If an agent took a look at a badge saying Chief of police and then let someone on who claimed to have a second job as a FAM, needs to be retrained or let go for lack of common sense.
One Impersonating an law enforcement officer 3rd degree felony in FL.(5 years state prison)
They left only minutes late with out regard to an additional security precautions. I doubt they even knew what had really transpired.
Again it wasn't really the agents. Once they knew someone tried to board with with fake documents they should have and hopefully were the ones who notified the real police. There is no master list in SABRE of what every LEO badge and credential looks like. How many flight attendants have seen a FAA inspectors badge and credentials and took it, and never verified by comparing it to the example in the inflight manuel?
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Before any passenger can be boarded, they must be verified by the agent. If one is armed, there is paperwork to accompany them. No one can just flash a badge and get on an aircraft, never mind cause a door to be reopened. The agent should have checked his RES/PNR for verification and checked his credentials due to the weapon issue.
 
youbetcha said:
Before any passenger can be boarded, they must be verified by the agent. If one is armed, there is paperwork to accompany them. No one can just flash a badge and get on an aircraft, never mind cause a door to be reopened. The agent should have checked his RES/PNR for verification and checked his credentials due to the weapon issue.
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Yes but just because you have a badge it does not mean you are armed. Many police officers travel unarmed. Police department policy dictates if can travel on a plane armed. FYI the FAMS do not have to show or carry any paperwork regarding being armed.
 
FA Mikey said:
Yes but just because you have a badge it does not mean you are armed. Many police officers travel unarmed. Police department policy dictates if can travel on a plane armed. FYI the FAMS do not have to show or carry any paperwork regarding being armed.
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I'm don't know the policy at American, but where I work, a local (i.e. non-federal) law enforcement officer must have a letter from his/her superior, stating that they are performing a duty while flying that neccessitates them being armed. The only instance I can recall of this being the case was a local LEO escorting a prisoner on the flight in question. If the LEO was flying to pick up the prisoner (no prisoner on the flt. over, therefore no need to be armed on the flt. over), his weapon had to be checked. Local dept. policy may be that their officers be armed at all times; that doesn't mean they're getting on an airplane armed.
 
FA Mikey said:
Yes but just because you have a badge it does not mean you are armed. Many police officers travel unarmed. Police department policy dictates if can travel on a plane armed. FYI the FAMS do not have to show or carry any paperwork regarding being armed.
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FAMs are always armed and the cockpit and FAs must know about them and where they are seated. Also, any other armed persons must be made known to the FAMS along with the cockpit and FAs.
 
While the story is a valuable in it's highlighting the need to remain vigilant, I think a little too much information is being discussed regarding security procedures.

For example, the internet now knows that if you want information on the location of an armed passenger, please go see the FA who is alone in one of the galleys. See the problem?
 
I would have to agree....Moderator: Please close, and remove this topic Immediately!....Too much security information is being posted on this that the general public does not need to see.
 
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