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40 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, January 27, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 16, 2004 Airport gun incidents probed By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Three incidents since 2003 in which federal Transportation Security Administration employees allegedly brought firearms to work at the Medford airport have sparked investigations by government agencies. In October, one of the employees, Tom Owen, allegedly brought a handgun to work just before President George Bush came to visit Jackson County. That occurred about a year after Owen allegedly tried to take an undeclared gun onto an airplane flight. In a third incident, the acting TSA security director at the airport allegedly brought an "assault-style" weapon to work. In addition, two airport employees say they were disciplined for reporting the incident involving the acting security director. One was fired and the other remains on administrative leave. Airport director Bern Case, who notes he has no authority over federal TSA personnel, said the incident at the time of President Bush’s visit didn’t pose any danger to the president. Advertisement "He (the employee) was never anywhere near the president," Case said. Owen, who denies the allegations, has since resigned. That incident occurred almost a year after airport security screeners reported finding an undeclared firearm in Owen’s luggage on Nov. 18, 2003, as he was preparing to fly to Washington, D.C., according to the Medford Police Department. The case was treated as a policy violation and not a crime, but did prompt an internal investigation by the TSA, said Medford police Lt. Tim George. In May 2003, Andrew Niero, acting federal security director for TSA in Medford at the time, allegedly brought to work a newly purchased "assault-style" rifle resembling an M-16 to show three male colleagues, according to a former TSA worker and another employee who is on paid administrative leave during an investigation by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. The Office of Special Counsel prosecutes employment cases before the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, which acts as a labor relations board for federal employees and management. Niero continues to work for the TSA at the Medford airport. The TSA declined to comment on any of the incidents or investigations, citing privacy concerns. The Office of the Special Counsel has filed a complaint with the Merit Systems Protection Board against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in connection with the Niero incident. The special counsel alleges that a TSA employee was unfairly removed from her Medford airport job as a civil aviation security specialist in July 2003 in retaliation for her complaint about Niero bringing the weapon to work. She is currently on administrative leave. A document obtained by the Mail Tribune from the Merit Systems Protection Board said that the special counsel "established reasonable grounds to believe that (the employee’s) removal was taken as a result of reprisal for her protected disclosure." Later, in the same document, it stated the Office of Special Counsel "has been unable to complete the interviews of the individuals directly involved with the removal action, including Acting Federal Security Director Andrew Niero, who was the subject of (the employee’s) alleged disclosure." The investigation has been delayed because Niero had been ill, according to the document. None of the local TSA employees are authorized to carry a weapon as part of their regular duties at the airport. "The only people who have them (guns) are sheriff’s deputies," said Case. Sheriff Mike Winters said the TSA is a regulatory agency, adding, "They are not a law-enforcement branch." The incidents are the latest in a series of problems with security personnel at the Medford airport. Two night security guards hired by the airport (neither was a TSA employee) were fired earlier this year after they were found napping on the job. Another security employee was arrested after stealing a laptop computer from the lost and found last summer. The TSA placed the airport on probationary status after the incidents. Owen, a Medford resident, said he has consulted with an attorney. Citing "privacy act violations," he declined to go into detail about the allegations, which he denied. "I believe the statements in regards to these matters are incorrect," he said. "I won’t speculate as to what the motive is, but obviously there is some motive on the part of the individuals making these comments." Asked whether he ever brought a gun to work, he said, "No comment." Lt. George said Owen is licensed to carry a concealed weapon. Angela Wilhelms, a spokeswoman for U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., said information about the incidents has been passed on to the appropriate authorities for investigation. "We’re limited in what we can tell because of privacy reasons," she said. Catherine Deeds, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, said she couldn’t comment on any aspect of an ongoing investigation. The TSA employee who has been on administrative leave for a year and a half said she discovered the rifle when she entered a conference room in the TSA offices at the airport. The woman, who lives in Jackson County, asked that her name not be published. "It (the rifle) was his personal property," she said, referring to Niero, who was her boss. "I believe he had just bought it from a local gun shop." After she was rebuked for questioning whether weapons were allowed in the workplace, she decided to raise the matter with other officials at TSA. "I’m obligated to report violations like this, and here I’m the one put on administrative leave," said the woman, who had worked for Federal Aviation Administration for 15 years. The second woman, who has taken legal action to fight her dismissal and who also requested that her name be withheld, said she witnessed the same incident. "Every person knows you do not bring a weapon into the workplace," she said. "Every idiot knows that." The 53-year-old Medford woman said the men appeared to be taking Niero’s weapon apart and putting it back together. "I didn’t say anything," she said. "I was speechless." She said she also reported the incident to TSA authorities and alleges she was dismissed because of her action. She was a probationary employee at the time and her dismissal was effective immediately. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers