A TSA officer was arrested on the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport on Tuesday after police acquired a report of an officer with a firearm past the safety checkpoint. Atlanta police say that the officer, who was recognized as 58-year-old Matthew Gilbert, was charged with reckless conduct. It’s unclear why Gilbert was allegedly carrying a firearm.
Gilbert was taken to Clayton County Jail and has since been launched, based on Fox 5 Atlanta. The native outlet added that Gilbert isn’t alone in the case of airport staff carrying firearms, noting that police say dozens have been caught.
A Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) agent’s patch is seen as she helps vacationers place their baggage by way of the 3D scanner on the Miami Worldwide Airport on Might 21, 2019, in Miami, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Photos)
“We don’t want weapons within the secured space of the airport,” stated Capt. Toya Younger of Atlanta Police instructed Fox 5 Atlanta. “Previous to attending to the secured space, you are free to hold, however when you’re getting into right into a secured space, it’s in opposition to the regulation to hold a firearm.”
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Vacationers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport (ATL) in Atlanta, Georgia, Oct. 2, 2023. (Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg by way of Getty Photos)
A graphic on the TSA’s web site signifies that officers confiscated 440 firearms at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport, greater than every other within the nation. The company claims it intercepted greater than 6,670 firearms in 2024.
“One firearm at a checkpoint is just too many,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske stated in a press release. “Firearms current a security danger for our staff and everybody else on the checkpoint. It’s additionally pricey and slows down operations.”
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Individuals stroll as much as safety check-in on the airport forward of the Thanksgiving Vacation at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport, in Atlanta, Georgia, Nov. 27, 2024. (REUTERS/Megan Varner)
For individuals who should journey with firearms, the TSA has clear directions on methods to legally accomplish that. Nevertheless, TSA says there are “restricted exceptions for regulation enforcement officers” in the case of touring with firearms.
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When requested for remark, a TSA spokesperson instructed Fox Information Digital, “TSA is conscious of the arrest of an officer at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport (ATL) on Tuesday morning.”
“TSA has zero tolerance for misconduct on or off obligation and the officer concerned has been faraway from screening standing, positioned on go away pending additional motion, primarily based on decision of the case. Passenger and worker security is prime precedence for TSA, and we’re working carefully with our Atlanta Airport Police companions on this incident.”
Fox Information Digital reached out to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport, however has but to obtain a response.
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