Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 4, 1994 TAG: 9406060152
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
It doesn't happen often- but often enough to be worrisome. Sometime between the time the airplane lands and the suitcase appears on the carousel, fast and sticky fingers dive inside the bag and glom onto jewelry, cameras and, now, computers.
This time the FBI was watching.
On Wednesday, the FBI arrested eight American Airlines baggage handlers at Washington's National Airport and charged them with conspiracy to steal valuables from baggage in interstate commerce. They are scheduled for a preliminary hearing June 21.
"We began to see at National, at certain periods of the day, an increase in the numbers of claims we were getting for lost items," said Al Becker, a spokesman for American Airlines. The airline notified the airport authority, which put in surveillance cameras.
Two months later, according to an FBI affidavit, the FBI put in its own video cameras and watched the baggage area for a month. It also planted "test baggage" to trap the thieves and recorded 29 instances of break-ins.
"The baggage handlers were helping each other in this endeavor by acting as lookouts, passing stolen items to each other, and arranging for one to unload baggage while another stole, all to avoid detection," agent Stanley H. Carr said in the affidavit.
Tim Neale, a spokesman for the Air Transport Association, said passengers should be aware that such things happen and take precautions such as not putting jewelry, cameras or cash inside their suitcases.
"That's the kind of thing they are after," he said. "They are not looking for your socks."
The ATA, which represents airlines, estimates that one bag in every 33,000 is pilfered. "From a statistical standpoint, that's small," Neale said, "but not if it's your bag that's broken into."
John H. Kundts, an FBI spokesman, said the bureau has had several investigations in major airports but finds the thefts are localized, not a nationwide ring.
"It doesn't happen very frequently, which points to the elaborate security we have in place around the system," Becker said. "But we are an airline of 94,000 employees, and we handle more than 150 million pieces of baggage every year."
He said 99 percent of that volume moves through the system with no problem, but that the remaining 1 percent still can represent a large number.
"No one is perfect," he said.
David Stempler, executive director of the International Airline Passengers Association, said the service organization gets more complaints about lost luggage than about theft.
Pilfering, unlike lost luggage, isn't noticed until the passenger gets the bag home, he said.
by CNB