Special report: How Obama cronyism threatens rail security
How Obama cronyism threatens rail security
by Michelle Malkin
Creators Syndicate
Copyright 2009
New Delhi. Mumbai. Chechnya. Madrid. London. The question isn’t whether America will suffer a jihadi attack on our passenger rail lines, but when. So, why has President Obama neutered the nation’s most highly-trained post-9/11 counterterrorism rail security team?
All signs point to business-as-usual cronyism and pandering to power-grabbing union bosses.
Amtrak’s Office of Security Strategy and Special Operations (OSSSO) grew out of a counterterrorism and intelligence unit developed by the Bush administration in the wake of global jihadi attacks on mass transit systems. The office was staffed with Special Forces veterans, law enforcement officers, railroad specialists, other military personnel, and experts who collectively possessed hundreds of years of experience fighting on the front lines against terrorism. Each member underwent at least 800 hours of rail security-related training, including advanced marksmanship, close quarters, and protective security exercises.
OSSSO’s mobile prevention teams acted as “force multipliers” working with local, state, and federal authorities across the country to detect, deter, and defend against criminal and terrorist attacks on mass transit. They conducted hundreds of show-of-force, uniformed, and rail marshal rides.
OSSSO also provided security services for President Bush, the Pope, the 2008 Democrat and Republican conventions, then-Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s campaign events, and then-Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden’s Amtrak whistle stop tours. The counterterrorism unit’s push to conduct random passenger and baggage screening earned predictable criticism from civil liberties absolutists, but also garnered bipartisan praise on Capitol Hill. Even Democrat Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas hailed the rail security team’s work last year:
“Let me congratulate them for being aware” of the threat to rail passengers, the chairman of a House Homeland Security subcommittee on transportation security, told USA Today in July 2008. “(But) this has to be the new standard for Amtrak.”
How will Congress react to the news that this high standard has been obliterated?
According to multiple government sources who declined to be identified for fear of retribution, OSSSO’s East Coast and West Coast teams have not worked in a counterterrorism capacity since the summer. Their long-arms were put under lock and key after the abrupt departures of Amtrak vice president for security strategy and special operations Bill Rooney and Amtrak Inspector General Fred Weiderhold.
Weiderhold played an instrumental role in creating OSSSO’s predecessor at Amtrak, the Counter-Terrorism Unit (CTU). He tapped Rooney to oversee the office. But Rooney was quietly given the “thank you for your service” heave-ho in May and Weiderhold was unexpectedly “retired” a few weeks later — just as the government-subsidized rail service faced mounting complaints about its meddling in financial audits and probes.
As I reported in June, Weiderhold had blown the whistle on intrusion of Amtrak’s Law Department into his financial audits and probes. A damning, 94-page report from an outside legal firm concluded that the “independence and effectiveness” of the Amtrak inspector general’s office were “being substantially impaired” by the Law Department – which happens to be headed by Eleanor Acheson, a close pal of Vice President Biden.
Biden, in turn, is tight with the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the powerful union that represents the Amtrak Police Department. According to OSSSO sources, the APD brass have been aggrieved over the non-unionized counterterrorism unit’s existence from its inception. A West Coast OSSSO team member told me that union leaders blocked police credentialing efforts by his office for more than a year. An East Coast OSSSO team member told me that the FOP recently filed a grievance against one of its counterterrorism officers for assisting a train conductor who asked for help in ejecting a ticketless passenger.
Unlike the highly-specialized officers at OSSSO, APD officers possess minimal counterterrorism training. Past studies show alarmingly low pass rates among APD patrolmen who have attended undergone basic special operations classes, according to government sources. The Amtrak FOP continues to squabble over turf with the rival Teamsters Union; its leaders can’t even agree on minimal physical fitness standards for its members that have yet to be implemented. Nevertheless, OSSSO is now under the command and control of the APD — and federal stimulus funding specifically earmarked for the counterterrorism unit has now been absorbed by the police department.
Amtrak did not respond to my questions about OSSSO by my column deadline Thursday afternoon.
Al Qaeda operatives have repeatedly plotted to wreak havoc on our mass transit systems. And they will try, try again. American jihadi Bryant Neal Vinas recently gave the feds details about a plot blow up a Long Island Rail Road commuter train in New York’s Penn Station. As America marks the September 11 anniversary and the “Never forget” mantra echoes, an OSSSO team member told me: “There is no room for internal protectionism, vested interests of unions, or asset-manipulating bureaucracies where the safety of our national passenger railroad is concerned.”
Does anyone else in Washington agree?
***
The RAND Corporation conducted an internal review of the Amtrak Police Department’s deficiencies in counterterrorism training, and made the following observations:
Although APD officers receive police training, they do not receive special counterterrorism training either as part of their initial training or in training activities after they join the APD. The lack of counterterrorism training might explain why every APD officer interviewed indicated that he or she saw no fundamental difference between police and counter-terror work.
(By counterterrorism training, we refer to knowledge and skills to conduct counter-surveillance, special training to respond to chemical, biological, radiation, and nuclear threats and familiarization with attack methods that might involve the use of these types of weapons, profiling techniques to identify suspicious behaviors, knowledge about protocols for security information sharing, and awareness of how to work with Federal Government agencies and other entities involved in counterterrorism.)
…Moreover, there are no metrics in the Amtrak Security Threat Level Response Plan against which to monitor compliance or to gauge the effectiveness of prescribed countermeasures. There are no performance metrics for the divisional security coordinators program either. RAND’s review of Amtrak security documents and interview responses also did not find any explicit criteria guiding the selection of additional or alternative countermeasures or shifts in response levels within the system. It was, thus, not clear what would guide the Chief of Amtrak Police’s decisions on these matters. In this connection, it is also not clear how management would know with high confidence that the response posture chosen by APD translates into reduced vulnerability for Amtrak….
***
Major Observations
Recruitment and retention issues severely impede capacity building for security preparedness
Counter-terrorism training for APD officers is inadequate
Deployment options for APD officers are impaired by jurisdictional and work rules issues
Close corporate oversight of APD is lacking
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- Sacrificing Our Safety To Reward The Unions « Tai-Chi Policy
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Unfortunately – tragically – the majority of voters won’t read this, or believe it.
No, in 2009 America the only thing that gets attention is when tragedy actually strikes.
I still remember the Seattle, WA. Police Union whining about being made to shoot 6 shots in under 30 seconds at 25 yds (once every six months) back in the early to mid ’90s by the Seattle Police department… This move by Obama to neuter an actually well-equipped, well-trained force in favor of union cronies is dumb as a brick.
Yep…Does anyone remember that Hillary’s husband Bill Clinton had the opportunity several times to axe Osama Bin Ladin, but didn’t because he was so worried about Osama’s civil rights (even though Osama was an enemy foreigner)?
People aren’t going to get it until enough people die, and it will be their own fault.
Allowing employees of the government (at any level and in ANY department) to unionize is one of the dumbest ideas ever to see the light of day. Does unionization result in ANY efficiencies and excellence? Not that I’ve ever seen. And I’ve ridden in public transit of all types in many cities, gone to the post office, dealt with DMVs in many states, and flown on airlines. I’ve never seen ANY evidence that unionization results in anything other than corruption and sloth and undeserved higher prices.
We’re in a typical liberal, Democratic cycle of disarming and decimating the United States defenses, both locally and internationally. Then a Republican has to be elected and spend tons of money bringing our defenses back to an effective level. Whereas the Democrats then scream bloody murder about the amount of money being spent by the “war-mongers”. The cycle then continues.
Sometimes I wish Cas Sunstein’s animals and trees could vote instead of the liberal idiots who propose such idiocy. At least they’d vote for self preservation.
What percent of the riders on trains are employed by unions????
Let’s hope that the current administration doesn’t find today a good day for another photo op over the Pentagon or lower Manhattan.
What dangerous buffoons.
I can think of only two words (or at least the only two words that I can post here without losing my commenting privileges – Just. Damn.
+1
I am not shocked to learn of this … pretty much par for the course.
Never have a Democrat on your flank.
Damn, I was so looking forward to a train ride while on vacation this week.
Leave it to the Democrats to make a hole in our defenses for our enemies to strike and strike hard.
And the next republican administration will reap what the Dems have sown. Today is a perfect reminder of that.
Ah unions, don’t you just love them? Always looking out for the common man.
I’m sure all those rail passengers will be comforted to know that all their healthcare needs will be met in the odd chance they get blown up.
OH and thanks Michelle for doing another fantastic job of reporting. I always know we the people can count on you and others in this medium to do what the MSM has decided to ignore.
My only worry is that those who follow a certain, ahem – religion of peace, would use this information to take advantage of the lack of security for unpeaceful means.
Nice.
I think I’ll pass on that job in the city that would require commuter rail.
Obama Lied!
America Died!
Hey, instead of a patch of their respective departments on the uniform, maybe law enforcement officers could just wear their union labels.
To Serve and Protect – brought ot you by…the FOP!
disclaimer:
No disrespect is meant to all the fine men and women who do their jobs without thanks. However, the unions have earned it.
It has become very obvious that the Unions and all the other “gimme” receivers are driving this country in the dirt.
How are we going to rectify this situation of the thieves, thugs and greedy ruling our country?
I am tired of my taxes going to the totally lazy and corrupt. This includes unions and welfare but not the truly disabled and needy.
The “Gimmes” have got to go or we, as a great country, will die a slow death like someone overcome with cancer. Cancer only takes, but never gives.
DemocRATS hate America. They want us Americans to die.
yep dumb as a brick but he’ll have a civilian force just as well trained and just as well armed….who’ll run the other way once the real fighting takes place…
But they’re not for fighting terrorist, they are for fighting us (white right wing racist terrorist).
Not surprising.
In Obama’s World…. quenching the unions’ thirst for authority and power is more important than the security of American citizens.
Yes… Obama is MORE concerned about how happy the unions are than he is about our safety. This is a fact. Don’t forget it.
unions are worthless and totally incompetent, frankly unions specialize in mediocrity, are paid way too much money for very little return.
Now I have a reason to not ride trains in addition to planes. Starting to think maybe it’s best if I just stay here in small town Wyoming and drive everywhere I need to go (until THE WON takes my truck away from me).
Axe him what? Oh, you meant kill him. Sometimes I get my English and Ebonics confused. /sarc
Not to mention the non-jihadi but equally depraved cultist attack on the Tokyo subway system with Sarin.
America is not looking for self preservation when it elects democrats.
How many democrats does it take to win a fight? There aren’t few enough democrats to do that.
What you said, I concur.
This isn’t what I needed to read today of all days; in 2001 I was just dropping someone off at United’s Logan airport terminal when we heard about the first plane.
Today I’m meeting that same person at the Amtrak station.
I never thought I would see the day when police Officers would have to wear a ” Omni Consumer Products ” patch -
Talk about a story without any teeth whatsoever. The “independent legal firm” was engaged by the Office of Inspector General to tell them that the duties of Office of Inspector General were being compromised. Anything self-serving about that?
Now check out the meat of the allegations:
Nothing self-serving here? MM says she asked only Amtrak for comment. Not the APD? Is there no other explanation for the changes other than those proferred by those who stand to lose from them? We don’t know, because Michelle Malkin won’t ask for answers that could discredit her theories.
michellemalkin.com is becoming another World Net Daily.
Heh. Remember the garment workers (IIRC) ad that ran on TV, with them all singing “So look for the union label…”?
Unions are labor organized against management. So when government employees unionize, they are organizing against We the People.
All government employee unions should be abolished ASAP.
Consider the police union on strike.
Then why not start your own blog and find out for yourself?
Here’s the beef:
Cronyism and unions go hand-in-hand.
What does the “A” in APD represent? How do you know that she didn’t try to talk to them?
If you wish to offer a contrary opinion, that’s fine. However, why are you so quick to destroy your credibility with unnecessary ad hominems?
Probably because he thinks it’s more fun to throw stones.
Salt & DBNinKY—lol
would you visit RSS’s blog?
Chicago is the railhub of the US. We have an extensive commuter system along with major hubs for industrial rail.
I think about this issue all the time.
The democrats need to wake up…NOW!
Well, it looks like RSS is the new lgm…
Uh, our intrepid host contacted Amtrak and they did not respond.
Uh, since APD stands for “Amtrak Police Department” wouldn’t they be part of the “Amtrack” that didn’t respond?
It never ceases to amaze me how people can twist any plainly-worded statement to suit their own agenda even when the twisting makes them look red-faced-stupid…
Because I have a job?
Actually, I thought he did have one once. I seem to remember visiting a blog with a star (?) in the middle of Alabama. However, I could be wrong. Maybe it wasn’t his.
IIRC, RSS lives in GA. That would be Geogia with a red star in it.
Georgia.
I’d rather eat barbed wire
Does that job constitute being a whinya$$ thumbsucker?
You should show your disapproval by deleting your account immediately. That would teach her!
It amazes me how many leftists there are in Georgia, North and South Carolina and Alabama these days.
You can chalk that up to 30 years of leftist indoctrination masquerading as “education.”
Northern Virginia is nearly as bad as Taxachusetts these days. In a few years they will just start calling Fairfax County “Southern Maryland.”
Ha! I can assure you, if I was swayed one way or the other due to my schooling, it would be to pledge allegiance to Lee Atwater.
We Dems might be in the minority, but we’re everywhere.
Catalog everything. I am becoming more of the mind that something as dreadful as the 9-11-01 attacks is going to happen before the race-allegiant, and other liberal sheeple realize what the people in power in Washington have done, and are doing to our country.
It’s not just Obama and his cadre of America-hating ideologues working behind the scenes, it’s everyone in Washington, our elected officials, who are, and have been allowing this to happen.
We, the people, have tread softly long enough, having misplaced our trust in people we believed worked for us. The Tea Party movement IS the America First movement, and it needs to grow in strength, bringing new patriots into the fold, and come election time, bring out the “big stick.”
That big stick is our constitutional right to elect our representatives. Don’t be swayed by rhetoric from either side of the aisle! Look at track records. This is especially true of representatives from the “blue dog” districts. You must be very critical of those who are now in office…watch what they do, and what they say. These closet liberals care only about one thing, and it is not representation.
Another day, another outrage. Corruption runs rampant in our country.
I think it’s too late for a ballot box Revolution.
I have hope that the American people will show up at the ballot box and do the right thing. Having said that, if things keep happening behind closed doors, with no oversight, and the continued violations of the constitution, I fear the only hope for true freedom may come from our military who are sworn to protect and defend the constitution of the United States from ALL enemies, both foreign and DOMESTIC. The key words being, enemies and domestic!
We are beginning to see just how many of them there are, and how much power and influence they have. This has less to do with politics than it does with money, greed, and power. Absolute power?
I pray we never have to go through another Civil War, but make no mistake, the lines are being drawn…
As in, “There’s a fungous among us!”
To be candid, I would not be surprised by a major terrorist attack at any time that will dwarf 9-11. The president has already done quite a lot to weaken and neuter both our military and intelligence agencies. I have a zero level of confidence in his ability to protect us.
What bothers me even more is that he will exploit any crisis as an excuse to grab even more power and erode our freedoms and constitution further.
The only thing I can do is stock up on food, water, supplies, and AMMO and be ready for the crisis as much as I can when it hits.
I wonder if Obama is that sure dumping on Israel and making speeches and Ramadan videos will make al Qaeda like us.
A terrorist attack may be bad for him politically, although I’m sure the Main Sheep Media can spin it as all Bush’s fault.
We are still in Afghanistan, which can’t make the Museelmen happy, although Sen. Carl Levin is demanding a cut-n-run strategy…
A police union with an appropriate acronym – fops.
Excellent report Michelle.
More proof that democrats are unfit to lead our country, even more so during a time of war. These corrupt, power-hungry Ba$tard$ and their union handlers should be place in a pillory and caned by we the people! I wonder what the honest members of the FOP think about this situation.
Reading comprehension please…here’s the meat:
I was thinking RSS is becoming another Debbie Schlussel…
What is wrong with Debbie Schlussel?
The reference is to her self-absorbed, anti-MM posts here that seem more cat-fight than anything else.
Yet another reason to use hand sanitizer and wash with lots of soap…
If NYC gets attacked again, they have no one but themselves to blame. Maybe the survivors will have longer memory spans than the ones who survived 9-11. This is of course doubtfull as they are predominently liberals. Talk about Darwin in action. Hey New Yorkers, give my regards to the Dodos.
I think that this is a subject that should not be politicized.
In the public safety realm there is a debate as to whether “Force multipliers” are the best utilization of limited resources. We should investigate how many of the existing OSSSO resources are being deployed within Amtrak or other agencies (Michelle’s article does not address this point).
This being said, the labor union IMHO is a aged relic that needs to be read aboutin history books not destroying the private and public sectors of our country.
Million-Dollar-Per-Head Bounties for Terrorists Here Would Save MegaBucks
I’m quite serious about this, a view I’ve had for a long, long while. Instead of just waiting for the horror to happen, use a fraction of the counterterrorism budget as million-dollar-per head bounties for uncovering a terrorist cell or activities in this country. Nip the damn bastards in the bud. I’m talking bounties, not putting anyone on any payroll — but we wouldn’t need to! Monetary incentives tend to produce very creative results! We can put to use otherwise unused quasi-law enforcement talents and resources of this country, from private investigators, retired and ex-military police/FBI/CIA professionals and even “re-possessor” types to ferret out these snakes in their holes and sewers. If this country could make a deal with organized crime during WWII for a heads-up on NAZI espionage, there’s no reason why we can’t use unorthodox methods and channels to thwart a potentially far more destructive enemy. I’d hate for a thousand Americans to die before the rest of us scratch our heads saying “Well, maybe we should’ve tried that!”
James Greenidge
Queens, NY
James,
Don’t you now. The free market is EVIL. Obama is protecting us from that kind of stuff. Didn’t you get the memo?
Amtrak should be defunded by the Federal Government and be forced to file bankruptcy. It runs a deficit of billions every year and should be closed to passenger traffic.
Sadly, it may take another attack. An attack on our railroad system, or somewhere Obama has changed the rules ,for many people to realize what a muttonheaded nimrod the president is.
Then maybe they will come together and ride him out of town on a rail, along with tarred and feathered democratic leadership.
The Oath of Office of the president requires him/her to swear to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. If our president deviates from this obligation, it is our constitutional duty to remove him.
The only thing I am shocked about is that Amtrak has not been hit yet. I have relatives that have ridden Amtrak, and every time I pick them up or drop them off, I see no security anywhere. No indication of passenger security, and no baggage security.
Maybe RSS and I can trade states – the Bog State is crawling with that fetid fungus – but the un-enrolled are becoming more and more numerous (not “Independents”; that is a recognized party affiliation in MA).
…and it would be the perfect opportunity for this common street thug to grab even more power.
I’m sure if something ever happened, they would instantly blame BUSH!!!
I have no confidence in Barrack Obama, his admonistration, Czars, etc., or the Democrats in Congress to protect us from Islamofascist Jihadi terror-homicide attacks or war of any kind from anyone, nor do I expect Obama to properly handle Ahmedinejad, Kim Joon Il of North Korea, Hugo Chavez, or any other dictator, thug, or whoever.
I also expect Obama to blow the operation and progress in Afghanistan big time and have it end up making Viet Nam look like a picnic with a happy ending.
What makes your statement actually distressing is that it is actually true, and it HAS happened, repeatedly.
Obama and his claques HAVE blamed George W. Bush for numeruos things even after Obama has been president for more than six months.
When Obama is 85 years of age he and his cronies and water carriers will blame George W. Bush for a rainy day, a mis placed sock, a stubbed toe, or if their favorite football team loses a game.
I hadn’t considered the effects of my Ebonics in my statement-ROFL!
The only thing Bill Clinton would have asked Obama-oops OSAMA-! is …where do you keep the harem? Can I play too?
(I’m COFL right now-convulsing on floor laughing)Thanks walterc