Law officers flocking to transportation security agency

U.S. Mint Police Chief Bill Daddio is hurting. Forty-seven of his 300 police officers, who protect Mint employees at six facilities across the country, have turned in their badges and headed off to the Transportation Security Administration to work as air marshals.

After losing one in six cops in the last few months, Daddio is trying to fill in the gaps by working his remaining officers overtime. But he is worried about keeping the Mint's security levels up at Washington headquarters and in Philadelphia, San Francisco, Denver, West Point, N.Y., and Fort Knox, Ky. "We've been hit pretty hard," Daddio says. "If this continues in the future, we may have to start curtailing a few items. We may have to change how we do business."

The Mint police chief isn't the only one feeling insecure since the TSA started hiring air marshals, criminal investigators and other law enforcement officers after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Throughout government, federal law enforcement officials are scrambling to maintain security on the ground as their front-line officers leave in droves for the new Transportation agency.

An analysis conducted by Government Executive's Brien Friel for the June issue of the magazine shows that federal agencies lost more than 1,400 law enforcement officers and support personnel to the Transportation Security Administration between September and June.

Click here to read Brian Friel's full report on the law enforcement exodus.