Air Marshals Warn System Failures Threaten Security

In a coordinated series that broadcast in Denver, Atlanta, Las Vegas and Dallas, investigative reporter Tony Kovaleski of 7NEWS in Denver spoke to 17 Air Marshals from those four cities who believe current policies jepordize national security. Don Strange, a former director of the Air Marshal Service's Atlanta office, addressed his concerns in memos to Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff wherein he claimed current policies "unnecessarily enganger the lives of federal air marshals and the flying public." In addition, the marshals interviewed assert that innocent people are being placed on watch lists simply to meet expected monthly quotas which are tied to employment incentives.