Failing Drug and Alcohol Tests
Photo Credit: poilitico.com The Transportation Security Administration is tasked with keeping millions of people safe every day at airports across the country. However, since the inception of TSA, controversy has surrounded their ability to do that job effectively and efficiently. A shocking new report revealing extensive drug and alcohol use among TSA employees, is creating even more concern.
From KGW Portland:
A KGW investigation found hundreds of Transportation Security Administration workers have failed drug and alcohol tests at airports around the country. Nationwide, 858 TSA workers tested positive for drugs or alcohol between 2010 and 2016, according to federal records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. The TSA conducts drug and alcohol tests randomly. Tests are also given if there is reasonable suspicion an employee is under the influence.
Per the report, some of the highest failure rates occurred at some of the nation’s busiest airports. Fifty-one TSA workers tested positive for drugs or alcohol at Los Angeles International Airport. John F. Kennedy International Airport had 40 employees test positive. Boston Logan International Airport had 35 failed tests.
The investigation also revealed more alarming instances of crimes committed by TSA employees. Those crimes range from cocaine use on the job, to more serious felonies like…
Human Trafficking and Child Pornography
Photo Credit; twitter.com
In March 2016, President Trump tweeted about TSA and our nations aiports. Just two months later, a July 2016 report from the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee found increased employee misconduct at the TSA. An agency spokesperson for the agency told KGW that employees who fail drug tests or are charged with a crime, are fired immediately.
However, how many instances of drug abuse go unchecked or unnoticed? Workers are tested for several illicit substances such as cocaine, marijuana, opiates, PCP, and amphetamines. In 2016, TSA randomly drug tested just 17, 649 of their 60,000+ employees-97 of them tested positive.
While that is a relatively small percentage, it leaves us wondering how many is too many when it comes to people who are supposed to be protecting the public? Homeland Security analyst, Scott Winegar, believes that total elimination of the problem is an “unreasonable expectation.”
