'Stop with the napping': TSA workers caught sleeping on the job

At a House hearing on TSA integrity and misconduct by airport security personnel, Chairman Jeff Duncan (R-SC) called upon them to "stop with the napping, the stealing, the tardiness, and the disrespect. Earn Americans' trust and confidence."

By Matthew DeLuca, Staff Writer, NBC News

The chairman of a congressional subcommittee on oversight and management efficiency Wednesday called on the Transportation Security Administration to crack down on ?the napping, the stealing, the tardiness, and the disrespect? a day after a watchdog?s report revealed a spike in TSA misconduct.

The TSA investigated and closed 9,622 cases of employee misconduct?between the years 2010 and 2012, according to a report released Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office.

The figure marked a 26 percent increase in misconduct cases in a three-year period.

Thirty-two percent of the cases involved problems with workers showing up for their jobs, according to the report, and 20 percent had to do with security and screening.?

The report was released ahead of a hearing before the House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday morning that included representatives from the TSA and GAO.

In one case mentioned in the GAO report, an employee left an assigned checkpoint to help a family member get a bag -- later found to contain "numerous prohibited items" -- past screening. The employee was suspended for seven days, according to the report.

In another case from January 2012, two former employees of the TSA were sentenced to six months in jail after they admitted to have stolen $40,000 from a bag at John F. Kennedy Airport, NBC New York reported.

Of the more than 9,000 misconduct cases closed by the TSA over the three-year period, nearly half resulted in a letter of reprimand, while employees were suspended in 31 percent of cases, according to the report. Only 17 percent of the employees found to have engaged in misconduct were removed from their jobs.

Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., the chairman of the subcommittee on oversight and management efficiency, said on Wednesday that a few bad employees contributed to a poor public perception for the agency.

?While I know that there are many thousands of hardworking, dedicated employees working at airports throughout the country, and it?s unfair to generalize to the whole workforce, unfortunately a few bad apples can ruin the bunch,? Duncan said. ?These findings are especially hard to stomach since so many Americans todays are sick of being groped, interrogated, and treated like criminals when passing through checkpoints.?

?If integrity is truly a core value, then, TSA, it?s time to prove it. Stop with the napping, the stealing, the tardiness, and the disrespect, and earn America?s trust and confidence,? Duncan said.

TSA Deputy Administrator John Halinski said that in cases where it can be immediately proved that an employee committed a form of misconduct, ?I?m going to walk him out the door.? Most cases of alleged wrongdoing require an investigation, he said.

The agency is nearly 12 years old, and has 55,000 employees and a budget of more than $7.5 billion.

The need for strict guidelines on how to discipline employee infractions had led to inconsistencies, said Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.

?The bulk of employee misconduct cases are handled at the airport level, meaning that what happens at one airport may differ from what happens at another,? Thompson said in an opening statement.

The variety of workplaces involved ?underscores the need to have clearly defined and consistently applied procedures? regarding employee discipline, Stephen Lord, GAO director of forensic audits and investigative services, said at the hearing on Wednesday.

The GAO report included four recommendations for executive action, all of which have been endorsed by the TSA, Lord said on Wednesday. The recommendations include developing guidelines to record and report misconduct for TSA officials at all airports and establish a review process for all allegations of misbehavior.

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Eagles' Riley Cooper apologizes for racial slur

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? Saying he was "ashamed and disgusted" with himself, Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper apologized repeatedly for making a racial slur at a Kenny Chesney concert that was caught on video and led to him getting fined.

The video of Cooper using the N-word surfaced Wednesday on the Internet. Cooper issued a statement of apology then met with reporters outside the team's practice facility.

"This is the lowest of lows," Cooper said. "This is not the type of person I want to be portrayed as. This isn't the type of person I am. I'm extremely sorry."

Cooper said he was drinking when he directed the slur at an African-American security guard at the concert in June.

"That's no excuse for what I said. I don't use that term," he said. "I was raised better than that. I have a great mom and dad and they're disgusted with my actions."

Cooper said he was fined a significant amount of money by the Eagles.

"We are shocked and appalled by Riley Cooper's words," Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said. "This sort of behavior or attitude from anyone has no role in a civil society. He has accepted responsibility for his words and his actions. He has been fined for this incident."

The league released the following statement: "The NFL stands for diversity and inclusion. Comments like this are wrong, offensive, and unacceptable."

A fifth-round pick out of Florida, Cooper is entering his fourth season in the NFL. He has 46 catches and five touchdowns in three years with the Eagles.

Cooper had tentatively moved into a starting role after Jeremy Maclin tore his right ACL in practice last Saturday. Still, he's not guaranteed a roster spot in Chip Kelly's new offense.

"I'm willing to accept all consequences," Cooper said. "I know no one in Philadelphia is happy with me right now. I accept that. I hope they see the true me and accept my apology. I know it will take a while."

Cooper apologized to teammates after talking to the media.

"As a team we understood because we all make mistakes in life and we all do and say things that maybe we do mean and maybe we don't mean," Eagles quarterback Michael Vick said. "But as a teammate I forgave him. We understand the magnitude of the situation. We understand a lot of people may be hurt and offended, but I know Riley Cooper. I know him as a man. I've been with him for the last three years and I know what type of person he is. That's what makes it easy, and at the same time, hard to understand. But easy to forgive him."

Vick also rebuked his brother, Marcus Vick, for profanity-laced tweets, including one offering a $1,000 bounty for any player who lays Cooper out in a game. Marcus Vick later deleted all the tweets.

"To address my brother's situation and what he's saying, I don't think it's really relevant," Vick said. "You can't allow yourself to be encumbered in what's going on. I don't agree with what my brother is saying. Riley is still my teammate and he just stood in front of us and apologized for what he said. Somewhere deep down you've got to find some level of respect for that. To people in the outside world who don't know how we're dealing with it, they're going to forge their own opinions, but my brother has to not show a certain level of ignorance himself."

___

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org

___

Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_RobMaaddi

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/eagles-riley-cooper-apologizes-racial-slur-001746229.html

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The Hudson County Sheriff's office says 48-year-old Idowu Daramola of New York was charged with death by auto, reckless driving and using a cellphone while operating a vehicle.

The accident happened Tuesday in West New York. Authorities say the bus struck a lamppost, which fell onto a stroller. The bus then hit a tree, another lamppost and a parked car, which struck three other parked vehicles.

Eight-month-old Angela Paredes was killed. Seven other people were sent to hospitals.

On Wednesday morning, lit candles, teddy bears and flowers were placed at a makeshift memorial as utility crews worked to reinstall the light pole.

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