FAA suspends security rule after inspector arrested having been discovered with firearm

At La Guardia Airport, New York, a US FAA inspector was arrested after a firearm was alleged to have been found in one of his bags at a TSA checkpoint, as was revealed by ABC news on Saturday. It would appear the Atlanta-based inspector used a Security Identification Display Area badge allowing him to bypass security at Atlanta Airport earlier in his trip, despite it being discovered at a standard security checkpoint at La Guardia. As a result, the FAA has chosen to suspend the rule where its inspectors were allowed to bypass security checkpoints. Additionally the FAA’s Administrator, Michael Huerta, has been prompted to increase the amount of training its security inspectors undergo now that rule has been suspended for the time being, an agency statement has revealed. The rule in question allowed inspectors to skip checkpoints yet affords them access to secure areas of airports while they carry out their usual duties. Despite the inspector being arrested, the agency has confirmed that he is still with the FAA , though now performing “non-safety related duties”. The TSA stated that it was now investigating the incident in full in conjunction with the Port Authority police and the FAA.