TSA Moves To Fire Bag Screeners At Logan

The Transportation Security Administration says it has moved to fire six bag-screeners at Logan International Airport in Boston who performed inadequate luggage checks because they were distracted by their cellphones or other electronic devices.

The agency says 14 others face suspension for inattention to duty.

The moves were prompted by a routine audit that showed some officers were not paying close attention to monitors that display the contents of each bag screened by an explosives detection machine. Others ignored protocols to hand-inspect bags that triggered alarms.

The TSA told The Boston Globe that no dangerous materials got through the detection system as a result.

All 20 employees facing dismissal or suspension, including two managers and a supervisor, worked in the same baggage room. They have seven days to appeal.