Study: Federal Air Marshals often "sleep deprived " " Medicated"

[SLG]

The Air Marshals would be a great place for a ton of part timers. Much like many of the folks working courthouses for the US Marshals Service. I think it would provide a lot of relief to the full time guys who could be utilized for truly high threat flights and missions and using contract FAMS for some of the more routine stuff. Having a bunch of retired LEO's who live near major airports who could work both undercover for TSA in the airports and on flights from those locations would likely work for their mission.

There is a ton wrong with the current program, no question.

[TAZ]

The Air Marshals would be a great place for a ton of part timers. Much like many of the folks working courthouses for the US Marshals Service. I think it would provide a lot of relief to the full time guys who could be utilized for truly high threat flights and missions and using contract FAMS for some of the more routine stuff. Having a bunch of retired LEO's who live near major airports who could work both undercover for TSA in the airports and on flights from those locations would likely work for their mission.

Yes, but that line of thinking entails common sense and there is little chance of it being used. Remember, 0.000000000001 seconds after the birth of a beurocracy its sole function becomes to protect and grow its management not to accomplish its cover duties. There is no money in solving the airline safety issue (if it is an actual issue).

Heck, give me and my immediate family a deep discount on airfare and I'd join a part time crew. I'd take my wife and kids around the country on long weekends and such. Uncle sugar wouldn't even have to pay me.

[Drang]

ISTR that, when I was determining that I was too old for the program (which I was 95% sure of beforehand, since I was 42 when I hung up my soldier suit) as part of my research I learned that, on September 11 2001, there were a total of 10 /A/i/r/ Sky Marshals. (Sometimes that "strikeout" button is pretty handy. Just sayin'.)
Don't know how many there are now, and if I had a Need to Know, I would probably be prosecuted for saying it here, but it seems obvious that if you take a program like that and expand it ~1000%, there are going to be problems.
Doesn't excuse any of the problems, they should have identified and fixed them NLT Year 2, but under the circumstances only a government bureaucrat would be surprised to learn that everything wasn't just peachy.

[Dagga Boy]

Yes, but that line of thinking entails common sense and there is little chance of it being used. Remember, 0.000000000001 seconds after the birth of a beurocracy its sole function becomes to protect and grow its management not to accomplish its cover duties. There is no money in solving the airline safety issue (if it is an actual issue).

Heck, give me and my immediate family a deep discount on airfare and I'd join a part time crew. I'd take my wife and kids around the country on long weekends and such. Uncle sugar wouldn't even have to pay me.

My dad, who is a big business guy, suggested the same thing of using off-duty cops in exchange for flight credits. I had to explain that I would not want most LEO's in the air with a gun tasked with having to make surgical shots in chaos at 30,000 feet. This is why I would prefer to see a dedicated, paid, contract program with solid standards for shooting and arrest and control. I worked a contract position with the US Marshal's in the past. The background standards were tough and the pay sucked, but it was a rewarding job that I enjoyed. With that said, many of the folks I worked with were Federal LEO's from obscure agencies who essentially got the job because they were already in the Federal system and were terrible.

[TCinVA]

Part time/contract FAMS is an interesting concept...but it has a fatal flaw.

It would be much more difficult to force those employees into meetings where everyone stares at a power point presentation while someone from management drones on endlessly in the most monotone voice possible. And that, in my experience with government employment, is the thing employers value most from their workforce.

[Poconnor]

Adding part time retired law enforcement ( shooters not the gun carriers) would be the smart way to really up their performance. I am sure there are plenty of retired cops that moved and would love to fly and visit friends and family

[OldRunner/CSAT Neighbor]

*Somewhat* surprised our PF FAM hasn't weighed in here, sorta.

After having a few classes w/ him @ DB/Wayne's, plus other FAM's @ Paul's, they like to remain below the surface, can't blame 'em.

[SLG]

This is a topic that my team and I gave a lot of thought to, post 9/11. I think having part time cops or contract guys do the work is not the best way to go. At this point though, it's a wash and just doesn't matter.

Had they really wanted to do things correctly from the beginning, and they almost did, they should have had every federal agency send a percentage of their guys tdy to the fams (lets say 5%) Put them through the fams pistol training and some other, minor, relevant stuff (I've worked with the fams quite a bit and don't mean to diminish what they need to know/do/train on, but we're talking exigent circumstances here) and then put them on planes for 3 or 4 month tdy's. That gives the fams time to train the next batch of feds more thoroughly, as well as conduct an appropriate, small, long term hire and management update. On a much smaller scale than they are now. Allow the other fed agencies to hire another 5% to back fill (they already have long term hiring practices in place) This gives the fams free manpower until they are more functional, as well as training most of our feds to a higher shooting standard (or at least exposing them, many might not make it) and cross training them on another job. The other agencies get more agents, and the fams get experienced agents to do the job, tdy forever. That is, in 3 month increments. The average agent might go tdy once every few years, unless the program was set up to encourage those who wanted to do it more often. No long term burn out issues. Win win for everyone and doesn't cost the taxpayers nearly as much as it did. I'd like to say more on this, but I don't want to be prosecuted;-)

[TGS]

This is a topic that my team and I gave a lot of thought to, post 9/11. I think having part time cops or contract guys do the work is not the best way to go. At this point though, it's a wash and just doesn't matter.

Had they really wanted to do things correctly from the beginning, and they almost did, they should have had every federal agency send a percentage of their guys tdy to the fams (lets say 5%) Put them through the fams pistol training and some other, minor, relevant stuff (I've worked with the fams quite a bit and don't mean to diminish what they need to know/do/train on, but we're talking exigent circumstances here) and then put them on planes for 3 or 4 month tdy's. That gives the fams time to train the next batch of feds more thoroughly, as well as conduct an appropriate, small, long term hire and management update. On a much smaller scale than they are now. Allow the other fed agencies to hire another 5% to back fill (they already have long term hiring practices in place) This gives the fams free manpower until they are more functional, as well as training most of our feds to a higher shooting standard (or at least exposing them, many might not make it) and cross training them on another job. The other agencies get more agents, and the fams get experienced agents to do the job, tdy forever. That is, in 3 month increments. The average agent might go tdy once every few years, unless the program was set up to encourage those who wanted to do it more often. No long term burn out issues. Win win for everyone and doesn't cost the taxpayers nearly as much as it did. I'd like to say more on this, but I don't want to be prosecuted;-)

I always thought a shared services agreement with TDY federal agents to make up the bulk of the duties would work out well. I mean, hey, if UNGA can happen every year with shared services.....

This would also be a huge manpower pool to choose from. Besides the special agents in various agencies, there's a LOT of federal police officers, border patrol, customs, ect, that I bet would sign up for a TDY just to do some extra training and break up their usual routine.

To me, it seems ridiculous that we allow any federal LEO to fly armed, and require they do so if on duty, but we won't tap that same manpower pool for the purpose of securing the airplane. Cognitive dissonance.

[TAZ]

My dad, who is a big business guy, suggested the same thing of using off-duty cops in exchange for flight credits. I had to explain that I would not want most LEO's in the air with a gun tasked with having to make surgical shots in chaos at 30,000 feet. This is why I would prefer to see a dedicated, paid, contract program with solid standards for shooting and arrest and control. I worked a contract position with the US Marshal's in the past. The background standards were tough and the pay sucked, but it was a rewarding job that I enjoyed. With that said, many of the folks I worked with were Federal LEO's from obscure agencies who essentially got the job because they were already in the Federal system and were terrible.

The srandards need not change. There are hundreds of thousand or more active, retired LEO, mil, and CHL holders out there. Of those I am certain many can meet standards the full time FAM are held to. Why not make use of them for some measly airline credits? My guess is it has more to do with control than actual safety, but then I have a warped sense when it comes to government beurocrats.