DHS chief commends TSA on swift action in misconduct

WASHINGTON – The heads of the Department Homeland Security and Transportation Security Administration said Thursday they took swift action to fire an officer charged with molesting a traveler at New York’s LaGuardia airport, and that misconduct is very rare.

The former TSA officer, Maxie Oquendo, 40, was arrested Aug.  27 and charged with molesting a 21-year-old woman two days earlier after she got off a flight from Salt Lake City, according to Port Authority police.

Oquendo allegedly brought her to a bathroom for “secondary security screening,” police said. He was charged with unlawful imprisonment, sexual abuse and other charges.

TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger told reporters Thursday at an event about rail security that the agency fired the officer and is cooperating with police in the investigation.

“The reason we have high standards is so when we find people who are acting inappropriately, you can take the appropriate action to terminate them if necessary,” said Neffenger, a former admiral in the Coast Guard who was sworn in July 6 to head the agency.

He said every organization can have “some bad apples,” but that “the vast majority of people” at TSA are performing challenging jobs well.

“I have a great deal of faith in the workforce,” Neffenger said. “What we do in the long run is train across the organization -- a consistent, foundational training -- in the standards that we expect people to adhere to, our core values to treat the traveling public with the dignity and respect you’d expect to be treated with yourself.”

Jeh Johnson, secretary of Homeland Security, commended Neffenger on implementing his 10-point plan to improve TSA. He called allegations against TSA workers “truly exceptions and he responded very swiftly and very firmly to the incident at the airport.”

“Adm. Neffenger has taken a firm hand in the leadership of TSA,” Johnson said. “The president and I have tremendous confidence in him and the job he is doing.”