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Dress Code May Hinder Their Work, Air Marshals Say

Jul 18, 2004 7:47 am By Robert Spencer

Boy, is this stupid. Maybe the people in charge of the air marshals should watch Serpico or something — not for the corruption plot, but for the running subplot about the effectiveness of undercover ops. From the New York Times, with thanks to Ruth King.

WASHINGTON, July 16 – Beards are out. So are jeans and athletic shoes. Suit coats are in, even on the steamiest summer days.

That dress code, imposed by the Department of Homeland Security, makes federal air marshals uneasy – and not just because casual clothes are more comfortable in cramped airline seats. The marshals fear that their appearance makes it easier for terrorists to identify them, according to a professional group representing more than 1,300 air marshals.

“If a 12-year-old can pick them out, a trained terrorist has no problem picking them out,” said John D. Amat, a spokesman for the group, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association.

Documents and memorandums issued by the Department of Homeland Security and field offices of the Federal Air Marshal Service say air marshals must “present a professional image” and “blend unnoticed into their environment.” Some air marshals have argued that the two requirements are contradictory.

Federal air marshals must have neatly trimmed hair and men must be clean-shaven, the documents say. Some of the service’s 21 field offices have mandated that male officers wear suits, ties and dress shoes while on duty, even in summer heat. Women are required to wear blouses and skirts or dress slacks. Jeans, athletic shoes and noncollared shirts are prohibited….

Andrea Houck, 52, who was traveling through New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport this week, said that she thought federal air marshals should be “totally undercover.”

“Look around you,” Ms. Houck said as she pointed to other passengers waiting in the food court. “Most people are traveling in T-shirts, sweatshirts and khakis.” She added: “If I was a terrorist and I spotted someone dressed like an air marshal in a suit, I wouldn’t get on that flight. I would get on another one.”

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