On March 2, 2022, a drunk Jet Blue pilot was pulled off a plane. TSA agents began to think that something was wrong when they watched James Clifton during a security procedure before the flight. A breathalyzer showed that the alcohol in his blood was four times the legal limit. He may be facing serious federal charges.
You can read the police report here: Jet Blue Police Report
Let’s look at the first sentence:
On above date and time R/O responded to the TSA LEO door for a weapon check in.
Yikes! Most of those words are unnecessary. The date and time were already typed in boxes at the top of the report, along with the names of the officers. What are the chances that the officer went to the door at at a different time on a different date? Zero percent? Why the repetition?
And why R/O? The officers’ names are no secret – they’re listed on the report. Why not type the officer’s name? Suppose someone had a question about the check-in. Wouldn’t they need to know which officer it was?
And why responded? What does that even mean? I respond to pepper by sneezing. I respond to an insect bite by swatting the insect. How do you respond to…a door?
I suppose you could say that you went to the door. But is that even necessary? The TSA officer was doing a weapons check. Obviously he was in the security area designated for that procedure.
Here’s my version of the beginning of the report:
I did a weapons check for James Clifton. During the procedure, Clifton didn’t make eye contact or move out of the way. I finished the weapons check. The TSA Supervisor asked me if Clifton “seemed off.” I said yes.
This is a detailed and professional report. But it could be much shorter! Brevity is one of the essential qualities of a good report. Law enforcement personnel are busy people, with no time to waste.
