Over 800 TSA Agents Tested Positive for Drugs or Alcohol Since 2010

Lines of travelers snake past TSA agents at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport last fall.

Study of Freedom of Information Act requests suggests security workers were on the job while under the influence.

Over 800 employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have tested positive for either drugs or alcohol when randomly tested over the past six years, including a high number at America’s busy airports. The information was discovered after an investigation by Portland, Ore. NBC affiliate KGW-TV.

As a result of records requested through the Freedom of Information Act, a total of 858 TSA employees were reported to test positive for either drugs or alcohol between 2010 and 2016. Among those, 51 positive-testing workers were at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), 40 positive results were discovered at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York, while Boston-Logan International Airport (BOS) had 35 positive results. Across the study period, the most positive results came in 2012, when 144 TSA employees tested positive across the agency. Positive tests came to a low in 2015, when only 88 positive tests were discovered – before spiking to 132 positive results in 2016.

According to a TSA spokesperson e-mailing to KGW, employees who test positive for drugs or alcohol on the job are terminated from service. The agency listed several drugs they test for, including cocaine, marijuana, opiates and amphetamines.

However, the test results come at a difficult time for the TSA and their transition under a new administration. Previous reports about the TSA have likened the culture to the novel Lord of the Flies, while other organizations have accused the security group of racially profiling flyers. Previous TSA administrator and retired Coast Guard admiral Peter Neffenger left the agency at the end of the Obama administration, despite requests to hold his position until a successor could be named.

As a result, more oversight for rank-and-file TSA agents could be coming. Under the “Strengthening Oversight of TSA Employee Misconduct Act,” introduced in March 2017 by Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), senior TSA officials would be given full discretion over disciplinary actions against TSA agents and supervisors.

[Photo: Shutterstock]