Training Crucial to Firearm Discoveries
News & Happenings
February 18, 2008
TSOs Tod Bennett (left) and Travis
Thompson
Two recent firearm discoveries by security officers at Port Columbus (Ohio) International Airport underscore the importance of training.
In the first incident, Transportation Security Officer Travis Thompson saw what appeared to be a firearm inside a gym bag. Law enforcement discovered a loaded .40-caliber handgun.
A few weeks later, TSO Tod Bennett noticed an opaque object inside a passenger's duffel bag and re-sent the bag through the X-ray machine. Bennett identified the firearm – confirmed to be a loaded 9 mm.
"Both of these incidents serve to remind us of the skills and professionalism that all of our security officers possess and use on a daily basis, and reaffirms that the emphasis TSA places on training continues to make a difference in keeping the traveling public safe," said Mike York, assistant federal security director-screening.
