He’s a 54-year-old grandfather, a former Air Force master sergeant and
an ex-police officer from South Carolina. And now, John Thomas is on a
master terrorist list.
The news came as a shock to the Scottsdale resident and surveillance
supervisor at a Valley casino, who was apprised of his newfound
terrorist status while trying to board an America West flight from
Phoenix to Orange County, Calif., last March after a nearly two-hour
delay at check-in.
It wouldn’t be the only time Thomas would encounter snares.
Over the past year, Thomas said he would have similar run-ins on other
America West and Southwest airlines flights. He said his boarding passes
would be tagged, he would wait long periods for check-ins and at times,
he said, get harassed because his name landed on a list, maintained by
the Transportation Security Authority and the Federal Aviation
Administration. The lists, the No-Fly list and selectee lists targets
people considered a threat to national security.
"I fought in a war and I'm being treated like a criminal,“ the Vietnam
veteran said. “I've served the public as a police officer.”
To clear his name, Thomas was informed he needed to contact the TSA and
the FAA along with his state representative. He was also advised to have
his name changed from Johnny Thomas – the name on the list -- to John
Thomas, to eliminate any confusion. Thomas said he spent $300
petitioning for the name change.
A few weeks later, Thomas launched a letter-writing campaign to Sen.
John McCain’s office and the TSA. While the TSA responded and even
produced documents for Thomas to show at check-in, Thomas said he has
still undergoes extensive screening. Despite the hassles, Thomas, said
so far, he has had never encountered the police and has never been
denied boarding. Still, he’s not happy.
“I think I have been done an injustice,” he said.
While Thomas may consider his airport encounters an injustice, Janice
Monahan, spokeswoman for America West Airlines said the additional
screening is a matter of TSA protocol, and although Thomas presents the
TSA letter, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee a hassle-free check-in.
“The letter is not to hold up and say here’s my letter and that waives
everything,” Monahan said. “The letter is for him to know that they have
updated the system.”
But whether the system has actually been updated in Thomas’ case is
still in question.
Oregon murders may have fueled Valley man's problems
It seems that Thomas' problems may date back to Christmas 2001, and stem
from the murders of an Oregon woman and her three children.
According to a Federal Bureau of Investigation press release, Christian
Longo was put on the agency's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in January
2002 for murdering his wife and three children and disposing of their
bodies in an ocean inlet. Longo, who had a long criminal history,
apparently used the alias “Johnny Thomas Christopher.”
A few days later, the FBI announced that the 28-year-old Longo had been
captured on a beach near Cancun, Mexico. He was extradited to the U.S.
without incident, and after a six-week trial and five hours of
deliberation, Longo was sentenced for the crimes and is now one of 27
men sitting on Oregon's death row.
How a common criminal’s name wound up on the TSA’s list is unclear. More
puzzling still is why after two years and a conviction, Longo’s name and
alias haven’t been removed.
Beth Ann Steele, an FBI spokeswoman in Portland said generally the FBI
lists are “updated as people are caught.” Yet, Thomas runs into problems.
Mike Fierberg, public affairs manager for the Rocky Mountain region of
the TSA, said he couldn’t speak to the discrepancy. Citing security
issues, Fierberg said he also couldn’t discuss the criteria for how one
ends up on the No-Fly List. Fierberg did say, however, the agency is
looking to add more identifying information, such as birth dates to the
agency’s lists to help eliminate “false positives” such as in Thomas’
case.
With regards to the treatment Thomas receives much of the time he flies,
Fierberg said it’s up to the discretion of each airline.
“This is part of the reason we're trying to change the whole system ...
We're trying to change the system to the point where it's one uniform
system that's consistent,” said Fierberg, referring to the agency’s
proposed Computer-Assisted Passenger Screening or CAPS program.
Thomas corroborates Fierberg’s claim. Thomas said he hasn’t experienced
any problems flying with American Airlines.
“Here’s one (airline) that lost a couple of its planes and they’re not
treating me like that,” Thomas said referring to the Sept. 11 attacks.
Also under the new CAPS plan, Fierberg said that false positives like
that of Thomas could have redress. Right now, passengers who run into
trouble are asked to contact the TSA’s ombudsman’s office. An Office of
Passenger Advocacy would be established to help passengers deal with
problems related to the No-Fly List, Fierberg said.
No timeline has been set for the implementation of the program, Fierberg
said, adding that airline policy has delayed possible improvements.
“The airlines will not give us any data,” Fierberg said. “They have the
passenger records. As our undersecretary has said, it may be necessary
for us to legally require them to turn over the data.”
An FBI spokeswoman, who asked not to be identified, said that the Terror
Screening Center created by the Homeland Security Department last fall
was designed to be a catch-all for those associated with specific
terrorist activities. Right now, about a dozen agencies including the
FBI and Immigration and Naturalization Services may place someone on the
TSA’s list for different reasons.
In the meantime, Thomas said he has filed a complaint with the American
Civil Liberties Union. Two weeks ago, the ACLU announced it’s filing a
class-action lawsuit challenging the list of travelers that the
government has barred from flying because they're considered a threat.
The civil rights group is representing seven plaintiffs, so far.
One of those plaintiffs is, like Thomas, a master sergeant.
Some people on the No-Fly List have found it impossible to get off,
acknowledges David Sobel, general counsel for the Electronic Privacy
Information Center.
"There doesn't seem to be any reliable way to resolve the problem that
these people continuously confront," Sobel said.
Separately, the TSA said it is seeking proposals from companies to run a
pilot "registered traveler" program in which low-risk frequent fliers
could avoid extra security inspections at airports by submitting to
background checks, according to a report by The Associated Press.
Companies are being asked to show how they'd manage the program, as well
as their capabilities in biometric identification and computer
technology.
Securitas