US: Rahm Emanuel casts doubt on future of aviation security force

Viral video of a bloodied man being dragged off a United Airlines flight underscores why the city’s aviation security officers should not be armed, Mayor Rahm Emanuel maintained Monday, saying he would await the outcome of a broader review to determine whether the city force should exist at all. In his first public comment about the embarrassing fiasco, Emanuel branded the incident involving Dr David Dao as “totally, all-around unacceptable.” The mayor praised Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans for placing three aviation security officers who boarded the plane — even though they are not supposed to get involved in customer service complaints — on paid administrative leave. “There’s been some question by some people over the last couple of years about allowing those aviation officers to carry a gun. … My administration has opposed that. I think that’s pretty clear that’s wrong,” the mayor said. The mayor was careful not to criticize United — not when city employees were partly to blame for the fiasco. “We have our work ahead of us. My focus is making sure that, what we do at aviation is the correct thing to do. Ginger did the right thing by suspending the three employees that violated the rules and second, having a top to bottom review of what the rules are going forward,” the mayor said.<br/>