"Children can identify us"
 

This story, in tandem with other stations across the country (links to the other stories are on the bottom of the attached page.

In a nutshell, it's a renewed call for changes in the FAM program.

Disturbing.

FAM should...

1. Not carry or show a badge
2. Dress like other passengers (to the extent possible, within reason)
3. Not be known to the airline (just look like a ticketed passenger on the manifest)
4. Board with the other passengers in their zone
5. Enter the secure area of the airport either by other means, or have some way of getting their weapons through in their carry on
6. It would be best for them to go through the security lines with the other pax. Maybe a marked carry on or some kind of discreet signal to TSA that they are FAMs.

The badge is pretty cool.
I've never saw one and, actually, I hope I never see one in person.

{Deleted "show" as I agree with that, too.}

I agree with the rest, but, not carry a badge? Why?
How are they to prove they are who they say they are should there be an incident? They have ID cards, but those can be easily faked. ID + badge is seemingly the best way for them to ID themselves.

Except for number 2 and 4, these ideas create new vulnerabilities that probably outweigh any positive effect on passenger safety that the FAMs arguably have. I don't even no where to start.

That badge will no longer be used in the very near future. New badges have been distributed to the FAMS and they look even cooler. So do the wallet credentials.

Well

1. They don't flash them to the passengers now. Flight crews should know who the armed passengers are.

2. Of course! Would you want them in a FAM uniform?

3. Never happen. Even today LEO on business with weapons check in with the flight crew. This is good.

4. Yes. They would not attract attention that way.

5. They do now.

6. Not sure how they get to the secured area but it happens today somehow.

They just need to be a little less obvious.

So people should be able to show up at airports with guns and get right on planes? Not sure that's a good idea.

What happens if a pax or FA realizes or suspects or discovers that someone has a gun? If the crew can't verify who the person is, they'll have to assume it's an imminent threat, won't they?

Probably don't want to send an FA over to say, "sir, do you have a gun?" in that situation. Since you don't want FAMs to have any ID, even if the FA said that a legit FAM couldn't prove that he was legit. You also don't think they should be listed on the manifest. If I'm a pilot and I hear a pax has a gun and we have no idea whether he's a terrorist or FAM, I'm putting the plane down right away.

Seems like this would be pretty easy for hijackers to exploit.

The fact that none of us know what one of these badges is supposed to look like is concerning. Not that a badge provides much security (because it's easily fakeable), but up until I saw the link above a "FAM" could flash a badge drawn on the back of a matchbook and I'd have really no choice but to believe it's real (because the penalty for giving them guff would probably be worse than having my plane be hijacked).