US air marshalls: we report innocents as terrorists to fulfil management quota

[amadeus]

North King, there's a lot more money on the speaking circuit and book-signing tours than there is in being an air marshall. If I had an opportunity like this, I'd put my name everywhere.

 

[downtown]

Our local cops have a quota system, and so do others in Ohio, if that means anything

 

[De Lorimier]

Amen brother, I've never known a Government Law Enforcement job that had a quota. And since when did Government employees get performance bonuses? It's time in grade thew the "G" grade system. The longer you are there the more you make, deserve it or not. I think the Denver Post might be a tad left.

There's no quota per say, but you have to take enforcement actions otherwise your evaluation will make you look like an incompetent idiot. Sadly, to some bad employees, it means crap like this (if it's indeed true). Wouldn't surprize me the least if someone would work like this, but I'm sure it's not policy.

 

[North King]

North King, there's a lot more money on the speaking circuit and book-signing tours than there is in being an air marshall. If I had an opportunity like this, I'd put my name everywhere.

And yet, not everyone is motivated solely by money.

 

[.Shane.]

North King, there's a lot more money on the speaking circuit and book-signing tours than there is in being an air marshall. If I had an opportunity like this, I'd put my name everywhere.

Or maybe, like most leakers, you care very much about what you do. So much in fact that you risk losing your job by exposing something horrible that is being done.

Now, this story may or may not pan out. But I don't dismiss whistle blowers out of hand.

 

[Leatherneck]

Our local cops have a quota system, and so do others in Ohio, if that means anything

This is Federal though, different rules and reg from State. It's possible it could happen anything is ... the thing that makes me go hmmmm, is the no raise, no bonus, no awards and no special assignments bit ... like I said raises at the Federal Law Enforcement doesn't give those things based on how many people you book. Often it's test and time in grade. Otherwise you'd have crap like this, booking/arresting people just to get a raise ... nope I don't think so, it doesn't work that way. Now granted if you never ever made an arrest there be some questions to answer, but a quota per say I really doubt it. Time will tell, just have to hide and watch.

 

[MobBoss]

I was wondering how someone would defend this.

Who says I am defending anything? I am saying come forth and put your face along with your comments.

Tell me, MobBoss. If your career, reputation, and everything was on the line, and you had the choice not to reveal your identity, wouldn't you do it?

First of all, if you have to complain constantly about quotas and such its not much of a career is it? Also, these guys dont have any more "on the line" than your average street cops and we dont expect anonymity from them, so whats the big deal? I have a hard time believing that their "career, rep and everything" is on the line here.

 

[Xenocrates]

Ordinary people are competitive. These marshalls will swap stories about how many 'bad guys' they've tackled in the canteen, they'll boost their reputation with their employers and each other by exagerating the job that they're doing, even if the employers don't absolutely require them to.

How do I know this? Because in every job I've had, even in manufacturing, a large proportion of the workers recorded BS figures on their productivity sheets.

That some innocents will knowingly be wrongly 'watch listed' is true is obvious, since it's exactly human nature. The burden of proof is on the detractors!

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

I don't know much about planes, but when you shoot a gun on a plane and it hits the cabin wall doesn't it make a hole in the plane, resulting in loss of pressure and temperature (generally bad)?

No, there is no such thing as "Explosive Decompression" like we see in the movies. If you shoot the wall of a plane, you have a little hole that makes a whooshing sound, thats really about it.
Now, if you were to open the hatch of the plane at 30,000 feet, that's a different story, more along the lines of what you're thinking. That'll suck you right out of the plane, but a bullet hole in the side of a plane, even several miles up, won'y do a thing.
The same thing is true in space. If you've seen Apollo 13, that dream he has, where that hole just tears open: it wouldn't happen. Now in space I would reccomend closing that hole quickly, since there's no air flowing back into the ship like on a plane, but it won't destroy the vessel or any crap like that.

 

[Shylock]

The TSA and Air Marshall corps should be arrested for treason.
As well as most of the DHS brass

 

[Norseman2]

Our local cops have a quota system, and so do others in Ohio, if that means anything

The same is true here in California.

 

[William GBTW]

I know that the US spies on civilians (Bush confessed) I know its unconstitutional & I find Bush Dictator for signing statements (now defend that!) & other things. I've been put on the local Gestapo list...do I care? Well I'm honored!

 

[Left]

whooshing sound, thats really about it.

The cabin will begin to decompress and thats not good.

 

[nonconformist]

I don't know much about planes, but when you shoot a gun on a plane and it hits the cabin wall doesn't it make a hole in the plane, resulting in loss of pressure and temperature (generally bad)?

Air marshalls use fragmenting bullets, that disintegrate when the enter flesh.

 

[eyrei]

I really hope this isn't true. These guys need to fully come forward before that question can be answered though...

 

[HawkeyeGS]

This reminds me of Stalin and his purge quotas. "Another 600" he would write so the NKVD would simply go out and round up another 600 people.

As always fighting terrorism with terror. If we are going to win these idelogical wars and be better off for it we really shouldd at least have a stratagy other than imitate the other guys. I mean the war on totalitarian regimes during the cold war we start banning political parties and destroying freedom. We start a war on terror and syddenly we have to scare our own populations to death. Can't wait for the war on suicide though.

 

[ArneHD]

Dilbert has struck again!

 

[IglooDame]

This is Federal though, different rules and reg from State. It's possible it could happen anything is ... the thing that makes me go hmmmm, is the no raise, no bonus, no awards and no special assignments bit ... like I said raises at the Federal Law Enforcement doesn't give those things based on how many people you book. Often it's test and time in grade. Otherwise you'd have crap like this, booking/arresting people just to get a raise ... nope I don't think so, it doesn't work that way. Now granted if you never ever made an arrest there be some questions to answer, but a quota per say I really doubt it. Time will tell, just have to hide and watch.

First off, as you and MobBoss have largely conceded anyway, state/county/local police do have traffic ticket quotas, officially or otherwise.

I do wonder just how one would manage and evaluate Air Marshalls' performance. It is pretty much their job for the public not to recognize them as law enforcement, and (unlike undercover police) they aren't making a lot of arrests or frequently asserting their authority, and there's not going to be much supervision. Time in grade and testing doesn't show whether they're sleeping through every flight and layover they have, instead of keeping alert for suspicious activity.

 

[Leatherneck]

I do wonder just how one would manage and evaluate Air Marshalls' performance. It is pretty much their job for the public not to recognize them as law enforcement, and (unlike undercover police) they aren't making a lot of arrests or frequently asserting their authority, and there's not going to be much supervision. Time in grade and testing doesn't show whether they're sleeping through every flight and layover they have, instead of keeping alert for suspicious activity.

I would say by the meer fact that the flight arrives safely, would be a clue. If planes are not be hijacked then it would be safe to say they're working by there presents alone. It just silly to say, how are you know there working and not sleeping? But the lack of hijackings ... jeez.

 

[IglooDame]

I would say by the meer fact that the flight arrives safely, would be a clue. If planes are not be hijacked then it would be safe to say they're working by there presents alone. It just silly to say, how are you know there working and not sleeping? But the lack of hijackings ... jeez.

I'm guessing the overwhelming majority of flights that arrive safely do so because there are no potential hijackers on board, rather than because there are alert Air Marshalls on board that have thwarted the hijackers plans, wouldn't you agree?