Air Marshal Sues Homeland Security Chief
By JEREMIAH MARQUEZ, Associated Press Writer
Thursday, April 21, 2005
(04-21) 19:23 PDT Los Angeles (AP) --
A federal air marshal on Thursday sued Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to block government rules that prevent him from speaking out about possible security lapses.
The federal complaint, filed in Riverside by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, claims the rules infringe on Frank Terreri's free speech rights.
Terreri, 38, objects to policies he believes threaten aviation security, lawyers said. Among his concerns are visible flight check-in procedures and a formal dress code that could compromise marshals' undercover status, and news stories approved by federal administrators about training and tactics.
Restrictions imposed in August 2002 prohibit airline security agents from criticizing other Federal Air Marshal Service employees, speaking publicly and releasing information about the agency, the lawsuit said.
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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/04/21/national/w192341D61.DTL