Report: TSA hires thieves, pedophiles - WMC Action News 5 - Memphis, Tennessee

(WMC-TV) - A new report by a Tennessee congresswoman reveals the Transportation Security Administration is hiring child pornographers and pedophiles.

The report originated out of Tennessee Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn's office.

Blackburn said America needs to know if the people who are supposed to keep air travel safe are dangerous themselves.

Moments before heading through airport security, Memphis traveler LaDonna Jones admitted this report gave her an uncomfortable feeling about the possibility of a pat-down.

Blackburn's report entitled "Not on My Watch: 50 Failures of TSA's Transportation Security Officers" shows photos and criminal records of the TSA's worst offenders, from statutory rape to murder.

"Many of them have committed the crimes while in their TSA uniforms," said Congresswoman Blackburn.

The crimes date back to 2005 and include several offenders from the tri-state area.

One of the former TSA agents was recently convicted for stealing someone's laptop at the Memphis airport.  The theft happened in the baggage claim area while the agent was on break.

Blackburn said her office put out the report following complaints.

"No pre-employment checks, no criminal background checks, things of that nature. We thought this was something that needed to be addressed," she said.

Blackburn filed a bill to strip transportation security "officers" of the title, if they do not have proper federal law enforcement training.

Travelers say the revelations are eye-opening.

"I'm surprised they're not doing more background checks on people who are responsible for our safety," said Jones.

The TSA released the following statement:

"TSA has no tolerance for criminal activity among our ranks. This attempt to cast our highly dedicated workforce as criminals is not an accurate portrayal of our employees."

According to a TSA spokesperson, job candidates undergo thorough background checks, and their fingerprints are submitted to the FBI.

Read Blakburn's full report by clicking here.

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