Having served in the public sector for 30 years, John Pistole is stepping down from his position as director of the Transportation Security Administration in favor of a job in academia.

The number of federal workers fired every year by agencies fell from 0.57 percent in FY 2009 to 0.46 percent in 2013, according to data from the Office of Personnel Management and compiled by Federal Times. In comparison, the private sector fires nearly six times as many employees – about 3.2 percent.

The Transportation Security Administration could save $17.5 million over five years if the agency had less-expensive workers conducting internal investigations, agency officials told the House’s Homeland Security subcommittee on transportation security Tuesday.

Little more than a month after the killing of Transportation Security Administration officer Geraldo I. Hernandez at Los Angeles International Airport, 59 percent of those polled by a conservative think tank say TSA agents should be armed, LA Times reports.

The Transportation Security Administration recently issued a solicitation for “Credential Authentication Technology” (CAT) which would ensure that only legitimate airport personnel, airline crews, non-traveling passengers using a gate pass, law enforcement officers and Federal Air Marshals can be granted access to sterile airport areas.