TSA fires 3, suspends 23 at Newark airport

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Twenty-six baggage screeners at Newark Liberty Airport were fired or suspended recently as part of an investigation into lax security procedures, the Transportation Security Administration said Friday.

Three screeners were fired and 23 others were suspended at the conclusion of disciplinary proceedings this week. Seventeen of those suspended had initially been targeted for firing.

That brought the total number of firings to four and the total suspensions to 32 since the TSA announced the investigation in October. One screener resigned and six others were cleared of wrongdoing. One case is pending.

"The decision to take disciplinary actions as a result of a thorough investigation reaffirms our strong commitment to hold all of our employees to the highest standards of conduct and accountability, regardless of their rank in the agency," TSA spokesman Lisa Farbstein said in a statement. "It also goes to TSA's commitment to its due process procedures and demonstrates the agency's dedication to treating employees in a fair and just manner."

The alleged screening failures were uncovered late in 2011 after surveillance cameras were installed in one of the airport's 25 screening rooms to check for possible thefts. The TSA announced in October that it was seeking to fire 25 screeners and suspend 19 more.