Sounds like a bad idea to me. They want to move ‘em to the cheap seats.

“The Transportation Security Administration is planning to change up its operations in the middle of the holiday season by shifting some federal air marshals to the rear of planes.

The undercover air marshals, up to now seated towards the front of planes, will be seeing their seating arrangements change on December 28, ABC News reports, and the Federal Air Marshal Service is not happy about it.

'The TSA wants to change the way operations are carried out, and the men and women of the Federal Air Marshal Service do not support these changes,' air marshals representative to the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, Brian Borek said…”

https://mol.im/a/6524783

I think the back of the room, facing everyone else...and the door, is the best place to be.

Maybe I've watched too many westerns, but it is always where I place myself.

Protecting the cockpit is tougher from the back than it is the front.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
I think the back of the room, facing everyone else...and the door, is the best place to be.

Maybe I've watched too many westerns, but it is always where I place myself.

I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t sit with his back to the crowd.

I agree with the premise of in the back and back to a wall. Sometimes that is not always the best or impossible to achieve. However, if something goes so bad and rounds are sent downrange from the Air Marshal and they are in the back of the aircraft downrange is the cockpit.

They’ve been trained for years to protect the flight deck from the front. Meanwhile crew are constantly observing passengers during the flight anyway. Another big factor is the comfort level of the marshals. They should spend their workday in a basic economy seat? I think the airlines are getting so cheap they don’t even want to give up a business class seat for the occasional marshal who may be assigned to the flight. I predict you will see a lot of transfers to other federal agencies.

You cannot hijack or control a plane from the back of the plane. Even if the bad guys kill passengers in the back, the front of the plane goes where the pilot flies it.

The tactical ramifications of this decision stagger the mind. If a passenger in the front is intent on causing trouble how will a FAM get there to stop it without placing everyone in danger?

I have to assume that the airlines are placing political pressure on TSA to give up the high value seats in the front. They have done it before. TSA Management, not FAM Management, has little concern for front-line direct action tactics.

It should also be a shell game. You don't want the bad guys to be able to figure out where the good guy is.

Nah, it's the insurance company. Better surviveability in the back of the airplane if the airplane crashes.

Makes little sense to me. It also makes little sense to me as to why this is even public knowledge and being printed in a newspaper.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Marshals are only supposed to get involved in the direst of circumstances. They don't get involved with unruly or drunken passengers, or any other disturbances until the plane is threatened. That will be extremely difficult from the rear of the aircraft. The closer to the cockpit they are, the better the chances of handling emergencies.

Once again, TSA is exposing itself for the retards they are.

Thankless and grueling job. My understanding the FAM program has the highest turn-over rate of any of the Fed LEO agencies. I would've expected at least one in the front and another either in the middle or, closer to the rear of the aircraft.

Any predator knows the safest place in a room is in the back corner.

quote:

Originally posted by ulsterman:
Protecting the cockpit is tougher from the back than it is the front.

Yup, end of story. They have every reason to be pissed. This is stupid.

“The Transportation Security Administration is planning to change up its operations in the middle of the holiday season by shifting some federal air marshals to the rear of planes."

quote:

Originally posted by badcopnodonut!!:

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
I think the back of the room, facing everyone else...and the door, is the best place to be.

Maybe I've watched too many westerns, but it is always where I place myself.

I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t sit with his back to the crowd.

My BF is a cop, and I always allow him to position himself facing the door.

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by 0658:
I have to assume that the airlines are placing political pressure on TSA to give up the high value seats in the front. They have done it before. TSA Management, not FAM Management, has little concern for front-line direct action tactics.

Quick fix--put the high-value seats at the rear of the plane. Those folks get on and off first, anyway, so it should not matter where their seats are.

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by badcopnodonut!!:

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
I think the back of the room, facing everyone else...and the door, is the best place to be.

Maybe I've watched too many westerns, but it is always where I place myself.

I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t sit with his back to the crowd.

Count me in that collection as well. Having the marshals somewhere up front seems to me to be less than smart, but not surprising.

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Marshals are only supposed to get involved in the direst of circumstances. They don't get involved with unruly or drunken passengers, or any other disturbances until the plane is threatened. That will be extremely difficult from the rear of the aircraft. The closer to the cockpit they are, the better the chances of handling emergencies.

Once again, TSA is exposing itself for the retards they are.

And what happens when that marshal, up front, engages some dirtbag and dirtbag's accomplice behind the marshal opens up? Marshal dead, dirt bags still in charge.

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
Once again, TSA is exposing itself for the retards they are.

^^^This. Can we all just agree that if TSA believes this is a good idea, its something that should never be considered?

Of course if hijackers know where they always sit, it makes them easier to deal with.