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THE CITY OF Chicago has announced that it fired two airport police officers in connection with the controversial removal of a passenger from a United Airlines plane earlier this year.
A video of the April incident went viral online, showing airport officers dragging a bloodied David Dao off a full plane to make room for airline crew needing to be repositioned for future flights.
Inspector General Joseph Ferguson, who heads the midwestern US city’s watchdog office, had been pursuing an internal probe of the officers’ actions.
Ferguson revealed that two of the four had been fired and the other two suspended but did not specify when the disciplinary actions were taken nor reveal the officers’ identities.
“Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) employees mishandled a non-threatening situation that resulted in the physically violent forcible removal of a passenger,” the inspector general’s public report stated.
The fired employees were the officer who initially pulled Dao from his seat on the flight to Louisville, Kentucky and the supervisor who engaged in “the deliberate removal of facts from an employee report,” the inspector general said.
Two other officers, one who “made misleading statements in two reports” and another who “made material omissions in a report”, were handed five-day suspensions.
One of the suspended officers chose to resign. The other challenged his suspension, which was reduced to two days.
Dao’s lawyer Thomas Demetrio said his client was “neither vindictive nor happy about Mr Ferguson’s findings”.
There is a lesson to be learned here for police officers at all levels. Do not state something that is clearly contrary to video viewed by the world.
Forcible removal
The incident had stemmed from what would normally have been a fairly routine occurrence.
In the event of an overfull flight, an airline may entice passengers with compensation to voluntarily give up seats, and, if there are not enough volunteers, may “bump” passengers.
The process usually takes place at the gate before passengers board the plane.
But on the Chicago-Louisville flight, passengers had already boarded when Dao was involuntarily bumped and refused to give up his seat.
The airline crew called airport police, who forcibly pulled Dao from his seat, causing him to slam his face on an armrest, suffering a broken nose and losing two teeth.
The viral video of the bloody encounter caused an international uproar and a firestorm of negative publicity for United.
After initially mishandling the aftermath, the airline repeatedly apologised, settled with Dao for an undisclosed sum, and announced a series of operational changes.
United was not the only airline to modify its practices, as the incident’s aftermath reverberated throughout the industry.
Both United and American Airlines ended the practice of asking passengers already seated on planes to give up their seats.
Delta Airlines increased to $10,000 the top amount it would pay for volunteers to get off overbooked flights. United followed with a similar policy.
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Lack of proportionality, excessive force and brutally treating a fellow human being who obviously posed no threat are not compatible with the execution of police functions in a democracy. Disciplinary action and consequences were merited.
@Fiona deFreyne: And yet people continue to ignore this guys behaviour that lead to him being “assaulted”. He was actually lucky it being US he wasn’t shot- he hysterical manner and fighting off the armed security trying to remove him was only scaring other people on the plane . Other customers up and left without issue but this guy became an instant millionaire from his reckless actions. Not defending the security excessive actions but this guy pushed them to the point they had to intervene urgently
@Brian: What are you on about? He politely refused to give up a seat he had paid for. He never became physical. The worst thing you could say about him was him being a stubborn git for refusing to give up a fully paid for seat.
@SolvableKnave: The he airline is totally within its legal right to remove him if needed as It’s in their terms and conditions . Why are people like you Still going on about his entitlement to stay in the plane – he wasn’t . All the other passengers asked to leave went so without incident although rightly furious about it . This guy refused getting more worked up to the point security have to come on to the plane . Even then when trying to remove he wouldn’t go, he was totally hysterical at that point. I’m not defending the physical assault but he played an incredibly dangerous game and got hurt . He was far from a innocent bystander
@Brian: He didn’t volunteer so they picked him. From what I remember he had patients booked for later that day and couldn’t take a later flight. PS even airport police think you’re wrong. Mháthair dangerous game did he play? Sitting still?
@Brian: No it isn’t. Go and read it.
It’s absolutely astonishing that even after United admit liability, pay compensation, apologise and sack the people involved, some people are still blaming the victim. Apparently there is no sort of behaviour which is not acceptable if done by someone with a badge.
@Fiona deFreyne: Yes Fiona I agree but as usual the Security Personnel were vilified and then sacked after an ‘lnternal investigation’. I will wager that management and CEO are still in their jobs. Remember Security were carrying out company policy at the time of the incident.
@Brian: get a grip Brian.. this man wasn’t reckless… this was no way to treat a human being who was innocent.. he wasn’t a threat… this is another symptom of what’s wrong with a America…
Surely its the airline who is at fault here??
@timmy one eye: 100%
@timmy one eye: so the police officers did not use excessive force in the removal of the passenger, is that what you are implying? The airline are not responsible for how the police effect paasenger removals
@timmy one eye:
How?
The terms & conditions state the airline can have a passenger removed from an aircraft and they followed the correct process and asked airport police to remove the passenger to remove the passenger and the police made a complete mess of it.
Yes there is a moral problem here with the what happened and a PR nightmare for the airline but legally they did absolutely nothing wrong.
@Zx5vZulB: the police became the airlines agents effectively
@Gus Sheridan:
Surely the same can be said for every action the police take.
How would you Effect Passenger Removal?
@timmy one eye: you get the matching bedside lamps … well done
Just me but if you do no wrong why lie about it in your report nice to see video contradicted there evidence and this was part of reason for losing there job not like our garda standing up in court and lying under oath with no censure with video proofing they lied
You state that UA have ended the practice of asking anyone who is seated to give up their seats. Not true. Was on a flight out of Houston in June and they got a man removed against his will. All because of their own mistake at the gate. He was 1st on standby list and they let him on. When he wouldn’t leave we missed our slot and everyone ended up getting off the plane which was then delayed for a few hours. They are an absolute joke of an airline who should be allowed to fly cargo only.
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