An off-duty California police officer managed to slip through security at Los Angeles International Airport with a gun she unwittingly left in her hand luggage as she was traveling for vacation to Thailand with her family.
Officer Noell Grant was detained during her layover in Taiwan after she alerted authorities about the weapon herself on April 13, Lt. Saul Rodriguez, of the Santa Monica Police Department, told AFP.
He said Grant mistakenly left her personal handgun in a carry-on bag and has been barred from leaving Taiwan until the matter is resolved, although she was free to move about.
Federal officials on Thursday acknowledged that proper security procedures at the Los Angeles airport were clearly not followed given that Grant was able to board the flight with a gun without anyone stopping her.
Nico Melendez, of the Transportation Security Administration, said authorities had “determined standard procedures were not followed and a police officer did in fact pass through the (airport) checkpoint with a firearm.”
He added that the agency in charge of security at U.S. airports “expects every employee to follow procedures and holds its workforce appropriately accountable.”
Rodriguez said it was unclear whether Grant would face disciplinary measures on her return to California.
“We’re just working on getting her home safely right now,” he said.
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