Sacramento Airport Metal Detector Left Unattended

Published February 25, 2012 9:54PM (EST)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Federal transportation officials have removed two officers from screening duties at Sacramento International Airport after a metal detector was left unattended and five people were suspected of going through unscreened.

Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Ann Davis says the checkpoint at Terminal B was closed around 9 a.m. Saturday, as the five people were located and rescreened.

Davis says video surveillance footage showed all five — four passengers and an airport vendor — had in fact walked through the metal detector earlier without setting it off. But the detector was unattended for less than a minute at the time.

The TSA is investigating what led the detector to be unstaffed. The closure lasted about an hour.

Airport officials say 12 flights were delayed. Operations were back to normal by the afternoon.


By Salon Staff

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