Chicago aldermen on Monday approved an ordinance that prohibits any city employee, namely aviation security, from removing a person from a flight in the wake of a March incident after a passenger was injured while being dragged from a plane.
The ordinance aims to prevent incidents like the one that left a Kentucky doctor injured after he was dragged off a United Express plane by aviation officers while refusing to give up his seat so workers could board the full flight.
Video of the dragging incident was seen by millions after Dr. David Dao suffered serious injuries. The three aviation officers and a supervisor involved have all been suspended, pending an investigation by the city Inspector General.
Aviation officers are city employees, and the proposal before Chicago aldermen would rule no city employee can aid airline personnel in removing or blocking a passenger from a plane, unless a crime has been committed or there is a medical emergency.
"It will put our safety at risk. It will put the flying public at risk," Aviation security officer Johnny Jimmerson told NBC 5. "Its very hard to respect police as it is, but once you are down graded to security, its going to make the job very, very difficult."
The distinction came into question after aviation department officers, some wearing police vests, forcibly removed Dao from the flight last March.
Monday the committee approved an ordinance that prohibits any city employee from doing the same thing unless there is an emergency.
"In essence, our employees should not be assisting airline employees in doing their dirty work," said Ald. Ed Burke.
But alderman also wondered why the police designation had to be removed from aviation department officers.
"I just think its a bad idea," Ald. Nick Sposato said. "It's important they be recognized as police officers."
The officers say not using the word creates a danger for the flying public.
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"When you have a disturbance on a plane or in the gate aream, having a security guard say something and the police say something is like night and day," said aviation security officer Aurelius Cole.
