At Orlando Airport -- FAA Badge Theft Could Cause Serious Trouble

Investigators continue to work on a case that could be a possible security problem at Orlando International Airport in Orlando, Florida An official from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had his badge stolen November 10 while his car was parked in the employee parking lot of the FAA building near the airport. The badge has a photo of the employee on it with a hologram for added protection against tampering. A spokeswoman with the southern region of the FAA issued a statement saying: “It would be difficult and unlikely that someone would be able to use the stolen badge to get in secured areas of the airport. I’m unaware of any specific protocol regarding places the badge can or cannot be kept, just that the employee is required to keep it secure.” The FAA and police are investigating the criminal aspects of the case, but they are not necessarily investigating the employee. They said the official was not careless to leave the badge in his car. While the FAA does not consider the theft a serious concern, a security expert said the theft could actually be quite serious. “There is a great concern about what could be done with this badge,” he said, pointing out that while it may be difficult to use the badge at an airport, “It is a federal badge and could be used outside the airport.”