Former O’Hare and Midway Security Chief James Maurer says he was fired from his job last September because he kept raising security issues that his superiors didn't want to hear or address, says a Chicago Sun Time report.

In a lawsuit, Maurer called O'Hare International the "least secure airport in the country," and took aim at Aviation Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino for being more interested in modernizing the airport than securing it. He said he wasn't fired over a heated, physical argument last fall, but rather as retaliation for his tenacity on security issues. "Every time I would bring up a security issue, they didn't want to hear about it. It all cost money. It interfered with their O'Hare Modernization Program," he said.

 

Specifically, Maurer says airport security is flawed in several areas: the communications center is too close to the terminals, there isn't enough manpower to adequately secure the facility and private vehicles are allowed to park on the secure side of the airfield.

 

Mauer's lawsuit is seeking reinstatement, back pay and unspecified damages.