February9,2007

PAGEONE
SKYPATROL
U.S.AirMarshalService
NavigatesTurbulentTimes
ArmedSecretAgents
HaveGripesAfter9/11
DressCodesBlewCover
ByLAURAMECKLERandSUSANCAREY
February9,2007PageA1
OnSept.11,2001,theFederalAirMarshalServiceanundercoversquad
trainedtostoporkillhijackersonU.S.carriersconsistedofjust33agents
scatteredonmorethan26,000dailyflightsaroundtheglobe.
Nonewereaboardanyofthehijackedplaneson9/11.Sixdayslater,Congress
passedlegislationcallingforamassiveexpansionofthelawenforcement
serviceaspartofthenation'smobilizationagainstterrorism.Morethan200,000
peopleappliedtobecomeagents.Soon,thousandsofrecruitswerequietly
traininginhandtohandcombat,advancedmarksmanshipandtechniquesfor
discreetlydefusingonboarddisturbanceswithouteveridentifyingthemselvesas
marshals.
Theserviceswelledtoacurrentforcesomewherebetweenanestimated2,500
and4,000.(Theexactnumberofmarshalsisclassified.)Theirpresence,
combinedwithnewprovisionsallowingU.S.pilotstocarrygunsinthecockpit,
haschangedtheequationofonboardsecurity.Wouldbeterroristsnowmust
enterintotheircalculationsafairchancethatafellowpassengerisawelltrained
policemanconcealingasemiautomaticweapon.
RELATEDREADING

"Thecheckinandboardingprocedures
currentlyemployedbyFAMSare
unacceptabletoensuringtheanonymityof
federalairmarshals."
Inareportthisspring,theHouseJudiciary
Committee
1
washighlycriticalofthe
marshalprogram.

***
"Theshootingdeathislegallyjustified
inlightofthesurroundingcircumstances
presentedtotheairmarshals.Itshouldbe
notedthatbothairmarshalsdemonstrated
remarkablerestraint."
InaMay2006report
2
,theMiamiState
Attorney'sofficedeterminedthatthe
December2005shootingofanAmerican
Airlinespassengerbyfederalairmarshals
waslegallyjustified.

***
"Peopleareterrestrialcreaturessuited
forsurfaceliving.Whentheyventureabove
thesurfaceoftheearth,theyencounter
certaindifficulties.Thosearemostdirectly
relatedtoflyingandthechangein
barometricpressure."
Amarshalintheprogram'sCharlotte,
N.C.,fieldofficefiledareport
3
criticalofthe
program'shandlingofhealthissuesinJuly
2005.

***
"Themannerofdressshouldallowyou
toblendinandnotdirectattentionto
yourself,aswellasbesufficientlyfunctional
toenableyoutoconductyourlaw
enforcementresponsibilities,andeffectively
concealyourdutyequipment."
Intwoemailssenttomarshalsinthe
summerof2006,DanaBrown,thedirector
oftheprogram,discusseslowmorale
4
amongthemarshalsandannouncesa
changeintheprogram'shotelpolicyand
dresscode
5
.

***
"I'mveryappreciativeofthetimethatso
manyofyouhavededicatedtohelpingme
Butbuildingandmaintainingtheforceinrecentyears
hasbeenanuneasyride.Marshalshavegripedthatit's
unhealthyflyingfourormoreflightsadayandsaythe
jobisamonotonousrutthatdoesn'tleadto
advancement.Anotherbigcomplaint:Theircovercanbe
easilyblown,particularlywhentheygothroughspecial
boardingprocedures.
Budget
issues
ledtoahiringfreeze,andinsomecases
resultedinheavierschedulesandfewer
flightscovered.Governmentoversight
bodies,includingtheHouseJudiciary
CommitteeandHomelandSecurity's
InspectorGeneral,raisedconcernsasto
whetherthemarshalswereabletodo
theirjobseffectively.
Somemarshalssaymanyoftheir
colleagueshavequit,althoughagency
officialssaydefectionshavebeen
minimal.ButDanaBrown,thecurrent
director,concedesthattheprogram's
$700millionbudgetwasn'tenoughto
sustainanynewhiresbetweenJuly2002
andfall2006.
Inaninterview,Mr.Brownsaidtheagency
challengesarelargelyduetogrowing
pains."It'stheequivalentofhavinga
momandpoporgoodsmallbusinessthat
workedverywellandovernightitturned
intoalargeFortune500typecorporation
withmanymoreissuesthanithad
previously,"hesaid.Mr.Brownisnow
takingstepstoaddressthemarshals'
complaints.
Thejobisastressfulmixtureoftedium
andhighpressure.Marshalshavemade
59arrestssince2001anddrawntheir
weaponsonlytwiceonceshootinga
mandead.Intheend,noneofthe
incidentswerefoundtoberelatedto
terrorism.
Lastsummer,theirsecretiveoperations
cameintorarepublicviewafterNorthwest
AirlinesFlight42liftedofffrom
Amsterdam'sSchipholAirportonAug.23
foranearlyninehourflighttoMumbai,
India.Lessthantwoweeksearlier,British
authoritieshadfoiledanallegedtrans
Atlanticairlinerbombingplot,andofficials
wereonhighalert.
Agroupof11IndianpassengersonFlight
42attractedtheattentionofflight
attendantsandoneundercovermarshal
whentheyallegedlydidn'tfollowcrew
memberinstructionswhileboarding.
ShortlyaftertheDC10lefttherunway,
throughthelastninemonths."
Attheendof2006,Mr.Brownsenta
letter
6
toairmarshalsexplainingwhathe
haddoneinhisfirstninemonthsonthejob
toimprovetheirworkingconditions.

oneoftheIndianmenallegedlyhanded
severalcellphonestoanother,whilea
thirdmemberofthegroupappearedtobe
deliberatelyobstructingtheviewofwhat
washappening.
Withinminutes,astheplanecontinuedto
climb,threeairmarshalsonboardbroke
coverandtookcontrolofthecabin,
movingintotheaisles,revealingbadgesandassumingdefensivepositionsaccordingtoaninternalFederalAir
MarshalServicereportontheincidentandaccountsfrompassengersandcrew.ApairofDutchF16fighterjets
scrambledtoescorttheplanebacktoAmsterdam.Halfanhouraftertakeoff,Flight42touchedbackdown,and
theIndianmenweredetainedbyNetherlandslawenforcement.
Theincidentwasaclassicdemonstrationofthemarshals'daunting,andoftenimprecise,task.Apotentially
dangeroussituationwasdefusedwithnoinjuries.Butintheend,therehadbeennosecurityriskatall.The
cellphoneswerejustcellphones.Allofthesuspectswerequicklyreleased.Somepassengers,particularlyIndian
nationals,believedthemarshalsoverreactedtoplainlyinnocentconduct.
"Wewerenotpassingcellphones,"saidShakilChhotani,a33yearoldMumbaiexporterofwomen'sgarments
whowasamongthearrestedmen."Justbecauseoneofuswaswearingkurtapajamasandfourorfiveofushad
abeard,theythoughtwewereterrorists."
Mr.Brownbackeduphisofficers'actions."I'mcomfortablethatthefederalairmarshalsdidexactlywhatthey
thoughttheyshoulddounderthecircumstances,"hesaid,notingthatthedecisionwasmadeinconsultationwith
thecrew.
PresidentKennedylaunchedtheairmarshalprogramin1961,inresponsetoawaveofhijackingsofU.S.flights
toCuba.Intheyearspriorto9/11,itsranksroseandfell,amidvariousthreatlevelsandbureaucraticshuffling.
Today,afterobtainingtopsecretsecurityclearance,marshalsundergo15weeksofpreparationforthejob,
dividedbetweenfacilitiesinArtesia,N.M.,andAtlanticCity,N.J.EachisissuedaSigSauersidearm,asmallbut
powerful,Swissdesignedweaponpopularinlawenforcement.
Theyaretrainedtoshootinsmallareasthatreplicateairlinecabins,practicingwithlowpoweredpaintballs.They
drillrepeatedlythroughscenariostheymightencounter.
Theflyingforceismorethan95%male,andincludesrecruitsfromtheSecretService,theBorderPatrol,the
BureauofPrisonsandthemilitary.Thefulltimepositionspaysalariesstartingatabout$36,000andaveragejust
under$62,000ayear,withapremiumforworkingincertaincities.Marshalstravelinteamsofatleasttwo,often
sittinginfirstclasstobenearthecockpitdoor.Routesconsideredtobehighriskaregivenpriority.
AttheMissionOperationsCenteroutsideWashington,starsdotadigitalmapoftheU.S.loominglargeoverthe
controlroom,eachonerepresentingaplanewithamarshalonboard.Officialshererelayintelligencetomarshals
inthefieldandarepoisedtoredeploymarshalsifneedbe.
Whilemarshalstrainforthemostdangerouscriminalscenarios,thejobisusuallyuneventful.Manyspendtheir
hoursintheskyreading.Atthesametime,theymuststayconstantlyalert.
Marshalssaythatafterflyingfourormoreflightsinasingleday,theyexperiencefatigue,headaches,andother
maladies.Compoundingtheirfrustrations,marshalsmostlyintheir20sand30shavelittleopportunityto
advanceinordiversifytheircareers."Federalairmarshalscannotsustainacareerinanairborneposition,based
onsuchfactorsasthefrequencyofflying,theirirregularschedules,andthemonotonyofflyingrepetitive
assignments,"theGovernmentAccountabilityOfficeconcludedinNovember2005report.
Sincethepost9/11expansion,marshalshaveprotestedthattheiranonymityhasn'tbeenadequatelyprotected.
Agentsarerequiredtocheckinatairportticketcounters,andinmostcasesdisplayoversizedcredentials.Until
recently,ajacketandtiedresscodewasmandatedonallflights,eventhosefilledwithtouristsheadedforDisney
World.Theyalsowereinstructedtostayindesignatedhotels,wheretheyhadtodisplaytheirmarshalcredentials
tosecureadiscountedrate.
Tobypasssecuritycheckpoints,wherenoticewouldobviouslybetakenoftheirguns,marshalstypicallyenter
concoursesthroughtheexitlanes.ButtheyoftenwaitforseveralminuteswhileasecurityguardcheckstheirIDs
aprocessthatsometimesdrawsattentionfrompassengers.Insomecases,theymustenterviaalarmedexit
doors."Thelightsandsirensgooff.Everyoneturnsandlooks,"onemarshalsaidinaninterview.
Atthegate,atleastonemarshalmustboardtheplane10or15minutesbeforepassengerstocheckforhidden
weaponsandmeetbrieflywiththecrew.Marshalsreportbeingthankedandgiventhe"thumbsup"from
passengerswhohadobviouslyfiguredoutwhotheywere.
"Withoutanonymity,anairmarshalisreducedtoatargetthatneedonlybeambushedandeliminatedoran
obstaclethatcanbeeasilyavoided,"wroteformerairmarshalWilliamMearesinaletterresigningfromthe
servicein2004."Thereisnoquestionthatterrorists,usingknowntacticsandmethods,caneasilydetermine
whetherornotaparticularflightiscoveredbyairmarshals."
DonStrange,theagentformerlyinchargeoftheAtlantafieldoffice,saysherepeatedlycomplainedaboutthe
stuffydresscodeinternallyandtotheHouseJudiciaryCommittee."Myviewswerenotwellreceived,"hesaidin
aninterview.Mr.Strangewassubsequentlydismissed,inOctober2005.TheFederalAirMarshalService
wouldn'tcommentonMr.Strange'stermination.
Federallawprohibitsmarshalsfromunionizing.Butin2003,mountingdiscontentpromptedthemtoorganizeand
seekaffiliationwiththeFederalLawEnforcementOfficersAssociation.Thatgavethemaunifiedvoicetodealwith
management.InOctober2003,FrankTerreri,thegroup'snewlyelectedpresident,wrotetotheagency'sthen
director,ThomasQuinn,complainingaboutissuesincludingboardingprocedures,dresscode,transferpolicyand
scheduling.Inthespringof2004,theHouseJudiciaryCommitteelauncheditsinvestigationintotheservice.
Mr.Quinn,aretiredSecretServiceagentwhotookovertheserviceafewmonthsafter9/11,toldthecommittee
thattheproblemswereexaggeratedandthatcomplainerswere"disgruntledamateurs"whowerebringingthe
wholeorganizationdown.
InFebruary2006,Mr.Quinnretiredfromthefederalgovernment.Threemonthslater,theJudiciaryCommittee
issueditsfindings,sayingthatMr.Quinnincluded"factualinaccuracies"inhisresponsestothecommittee.The
committeealsoconcludedthatthecheckinandboardingprocedureswere"unacceptabletoensuringthe
anonymityofFederalAirMarshals"andcriticizedtheformaldresscodeandhotelpolicy.
Nowaprivatesecurityconsultant,Mr.Quinndismissedthereport.Inaninterview,hecalledthosewhovoiced
complaints"insurgents"and"organizationalterrorists."
Sofar,fewmarshalsorsecurityexpertsbelievethatthetensionsinsidetheagencyhaveaffectedthe
performanceoftheagents'flightsortheirjudgmentinthemostcriticalquestiontheyface:whentoblowcoverand
interveneinasituationonboard.Thedecisionismoreartthanscience.Oneairmarshalsaysthatofficersget
drawnintoonboardconflictssooftentheyseemmorelikeinflightsecurityguards.Saysanother:"Youhaveto
waituntilitseemsbadbeforeyoudoanything.You'renotabouncer."
Falsealarmsaresometimesinevitable.Marshalsmustquicklyjudgeifsuspiciousbehavioriscriminalorjustodd.
Theyalsohavetoweightheneedtoremainundercoveraslongaspossibleagainsttheneedsofpassengerswho
mightbeunderdistress.
"Wedon'twantto...bedrawnoutonlytofindouttherewasasituationdesignedspecificallyforthatpurposeand
nowourpresence,ourpositionshavebeencompromised,"saysMr.Brown.Butevenifasituationisnot
necessarilylifethreatening,"We'renotgoingtoletanyonegethurtonthataircraft."
Inthefirstofthetwoincidentswhenmarshalsdrewtheirweapons,inAugust2002,anagentheldtheentirecoach
sectionofaDeltaflighttoPhiladelphiaatgunpointwhilehispartnerrestrainedanunrulypassenger.Oncethe
planelanded,thedisruptivepassengerandasecondflierweredetainedbyauthoritiesbutlaterreleasedandnot
charged.
ThesecondcameinDecember2005,whenRigobertoAlpizar,a44yearoldpaintsalesmanfromMaitland,Fla.,
franticallyranoffanAmericanAirlinesflightabouttoleaveMiami,withhisbackpackstrappedtohischest."I'm
goingtoblowupthisbomb,"hesaidashereachedintothepack,accordingtotwoairmarshalswhowereon
board.
Whentheman,laterdeterminedtohavebeenmentallyill,advancedtowardthemarshals,theyshothimnine
times,killinghim.Stateprosecutorslaterconcludedthattheshootingwaslegallyjustified.CallstoMr.Alpizar's
widow,AnneBuechner,weren'treturned.
AfterFlight42fromAmsterdam,theairmarshalservice'sinvestigativeandtrainingdivisionsreviewedthe
incident,accordingtostandardpolicy,anddeterminedthatithadbeenproperlyhandled,accordingtoafederal
officialfamiliarwiththeprocess."Itwastextbook,thatwasreallythebottomline,"theofficialsaid.
Mr.Brown,a25yearveteranoftheU.S.SecretService,tookoverafterMr.Quinn'sretirement.Heinitiallysaw
thecomplaintsfrommarshalsmuchashisformerbosshad.Butsoonaftertakingoffice,hebeganinviting
marshalstosmalldinnersinWashington,andsooncametoadifferentunderstanding.InJuly,hesentanemailto
allairmarshals."Candidly,themoralewasmuchworsethanIthought,"hewrote.
Mr.Brownhasbeguntakingstepstodealwithsomeofthediscord.InAugust,heloosenedthedresscode,
instructingmarshalsto"dressatyourdiscretion."Anewpilotprogramallowsthemtocheckinforflightsatairports
usingkiosks,ratherthanticketcounters.Themarshalsarealsofreetochoosetheirownhotels.Mr.Brownhas
setup29workinggroupstoaddresssuchmattersasschedulingandpromotions.He'salsoopenedupadialogue
withtheofficers'association,meetingwithitsleaderstoheartheircomplaints.
Still,hesaidhehasn'tfoundawaytochangetheboardingprocedures.InaDecembermemo,henotedthatthe
agencywasabletoreachitshiringgoalfortheyear,butdidn'tspecifyhowmanynewmarshalswererecruited.
Meanwhile,somemarshalswhohadbeenhighlycriticalofmanagement"aremoreoptimisticthatthingsaregoing
togetbetter,"saysMr.Terreri.
DanielMichaelsandBinnySabharwalcontributedtothisarticle.
WritetoLauraMeckleratlaura.meckler@wsj.com
7
andSusanCareyatsusan.carey@wsj.com
8

URLforthisarticle:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117096584805802687.html

HyperlinksinthisArticle:
(1)http://judiciary.house.gov/media/pdfs/FAMSRpt060606.pdf
(2)http://www.miamisao.com/publications/press/2006/airmarshalshooting.pdf
(3)http://online.wsj.com/documents/marshalhealth02092007.pdf
(4)http://online.wsj.com/documents/marshalmorale02092007.pdf
(5)http://online.wsj.com/documents/marshaldress02092007.pdf
(6)http://online.wsj.com/documents/marshalyearend02092007.pdf
(7)mailto:laura.meckler@wsj.com
(8)mailto:susan.carey@wsj.com
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