DFW airport security checkpoint left unmanned for 90 minutes

The Transportation Security Administration has launched an investigation into why a security checkpoint at Terminal E at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport was left unattended for about 90 minutes.

On Dec. 16, officers from the airport’s department of public safety found that the security checkpoint by gate E8 was “unsecured” and notified TSA immediately, the government agency said in a statement Thursday. TSA then sent personnel to secure the area.

“We reviewed the tapes and no one went through the checkpoint during that time,” said TSA spokeswoman Andrea McCauley, referring to the closed-circuit television video system used at the airport.

The security breach occurred at night as Terminal E was shutting down operations for the evening.

However, disciplinary action has been recommended for three TSA agents as the agency continues its investigation. The TSA called the security breach “unacceptable.”

News of the security breach comes as the government agency comes under intense scrutiny after the attempted terrorist attack on a Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas Day.

Source: Dallas Star Telegram