Newswatch

TSA, lack of staff cited in lax screening

An investigation into why Hono­lulu Airport security officers failed to screen some checked bags for explosives says the slip-up might not have happened if Transportation Security Administration supervisors did a better job of overseeing the officers.

The probe from the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general’s office says the incident two years ago may also have been avoided if adequate staff and screening equipment had been provided.

A report on the investigation recommends that the TSA revise job descriptions for checked-baggage supervisors and managers to clarify their responsibilities. It says the TSA should ensure supervisors and managers are trained on their responsibilities to ensure screening is done as required.

The TSA last year fired or suspended more than 40 employees, including the top security official at the airport. Twelve of the suspended employees later returned to work.

TSA spokesman Nico Melen­dez said the agency has started a new training course to help supervisors in their role as leaders and also technical training to support security screening measures. He said TSA has also begun to develop a method of evaluating the supervision of checked-baggage areas.

Bill to save pets from euthanization fails

A second attempt to force the Hawaiian Humane Society to announce publicly its intent to euthanize animals failed to garner enough support before the City Council Parks and Recreation Committee on Tuesday.

Two committee members supported Bill 57 while two others rejected it.

Councilman Tom Berg, who introduced the bill, said he wants to give animals scheduled to be put to death a chance to be saved by animal shelter organizations. Several groups testified for the bill.

But members Romy Cachola and Breene Hari­moto sided with Humane Society official Keoni Vaughn, who said the bill would impose an unreasonable financial burden. Vaughn also argued that many of the no-kill groups, while well-intentioned, are ill-equipped to handle an influx of animals that often do not interact well with humans.

Last month the committee also failed to move the bill.

FBI looks for man in sex photos with children

The FBI is seeking the public’s help in identifying a man suspected of child sexual exploitation, possibly on Hawaii island between 2008 and 2010.

A photograph of the man and an informational poster are being displayed to the public, the FBI said Tuesday.

The suspect first came to the FBI’s attention in 2010 when a series of photographs surfaced on the Internet showing him apparently engaging in graphic sexual acts with a girl about 4 years old and a boy about 9 years old, the FBI said. The photos were circulated widely among various illegal Internet forums for the sharing of child pornography.

Investigators for the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children enhanced one of the photos to develop an image of what appears to be a 2008 Hawaiian Telcom phone book for Hawaii island in the background, the FBI said. The image led investigators to believe that the photos were taken between 2008 and 2010.

A desktop computer in the background of another photo led investigators to conclude that the photo was likely not taken in a hotel room, according to the FBI. There are no other details linking the suspect to Hawaii.

The suspect appears to be a white male in his 40s with brown-gray hair and blue eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to call the local FBI office at 566-4300.