Love Field Police Officer Files Suit After Seeking Investigation Into Security Concerns

Feb. 7--A former police sergeant at Dallas Love Field filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit Monday, saying that he was transferred after speaking up about security flaws and overtime abuse at the airport, his attorney said.

The lawsuit filed by Sgt. Robert Crider alleges that:

--Love Field police officers failed to increase random ID checks in the airport's secure areas despite a 2004 directive from the city aviation director to do so. Documents obtained by The Dallas Morning News appear to support the allegation.

--Police supervisors billed the Dallas Aviation Department for needless overtime hours that could have been reduced by rescheduling officers.

--Important security posts went unmanned while officers participated in in-house training exercises designed to thwart terrorism.

Sgt. Crider requested an internal affairs investigation in early June. Detectives concluded in November that there wasn't enough evidence to prove Sgt. Crider's allegations. Soon after, he was transferred to the Dallas County jail unit.

His complaint "constitutes a matter of public concern because airport security is vital to the protection of the public," his attorney Doug Larson said in the lawsuit.

Police Chief David Kunkle and the officer in charge of Love Field police, Lt. E.W. Smith, could not be reached for comment Monday. Lt. Smith told internal affairs investigators that Sgt. Crider's claims were unfair and that Love Field officers have exceeded expectations.

"I had three thoughts when I heard of the allegations. These thoughts were of frustration, shock and disappointment," he said, according to the report. "The shock came about because of Sergeant Crider's apparent lack of knowledge or his intentional distortion of facts regarding policies and procedures."

Transportation Security Administration officials said they have full confidence in the Police Department and would cooperate with any court proceeding.

"We have no reason to think that what he says is true," said Mike Restovich, the TSA's security director at the airport until he was promoted this fall.

Sgt. Crider worked at Love Field for 11 years and commanded operations during President Bush's visit in March 2004. His performance reviews were positive, and in December 2004, he was selected officer of the month.

Dallas officers assigned to Love Field are required to conduct random ID checks of flight attendants, mechanics and other employees in secure areas.

Violation reports obtained by The News show that visitors to the airport occasionally get onto the airfield accidentally when gates are left open. And officers have found that employees sometimes forget their security badges at home or borrow IDs from co-workers to get into secure areas.

In July 2004, the TSA requested that the aviation department increase the number of checks. In response, Dallas aviation director Kenneth Gwyn promised that police officers and aviation staff would increase checks by 50 percent, from 15 daily to 22, according to department memos.

But from January 2005 to June, Love Field officers conducted an average of 10.2 checks a day, according to monthly logs. The checks increased after Sgt. Crider made his complaint.

During the same period, the Police Department billed the city aviation department for reimbursement of thousands of hours of overtime. Sgt. Crider said the overtime was excessive and could have been reduced by using reserve officers, rescheduling days off or using a low-level supervisor to patrol.

But internal affairs investigators said that the Love Field unit is authorized to use overtime to ensure airport security.

Mr. Gwyn said he couldn't comment about the specifics of the lawsuit, but he praised the airport officers.

Internal affairs investigators did not find that posts were unmanned during training, and they said the courses -- dealing with airplane hijackings, terminal evacuations and weapons of mass destruction -- have better prepared the officers.

The report credited Lt. Smith with modernizing the department after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. When he took over in 1997, the unit was composed of civilians with little training, no formal budget and outdated security procedures, it said.

E-mail [email protected]