MD80 had 2 armed INS agents escorting a prisoner, were not seated properly, were asleep in-flight, a...

Narrative:

Upon reaching the check-in desk at the gate, the passenger service agent told me that we had two armed INS agents escorting a prisoner on our flight to chicago. I went down the jetbridge with the three males following me so that the prisoner could be boarded prior to any passenger. The agent had already given the number one flight attendant a copy of the armed law enforcement officer forms. One form showed an agent and the prisoner in seat xx X and xx Y. The other agent assigned seat xx Z. The flight attendant said that she was not comfortable with the agents being separated from the prisoner and that she thought that it was required that they all be in the same row with the prisoner in between the two agents. I asked one of the agents why they were separated and he stated that it happens all the time and usually the two agents are spread out widely throughout the cabin. I went back out to the desk and asked the agent to assign all three men to row xx X, west, Y. She complied and stated that someone downstairs had assigned the original seating arrangement and she thought that it was not the logical way to do it. Half way through boarding, the number four flight attendant came to the cockpit and said that the prisoner was not handcuffed and that she thought he should have been. I told her that the agents had told me that the prisoner was a deportee and was a minimum risk individual. I also said that I didn't know if handcuffs were required in this situation and that the agents should follow their procedures. After reaching cruise altitude, I looked in the fom to check and see if there was a requirement for all three men to be seated in the same row with the prisoner in the middle. I found no requirement. I did see that all prisoners were required to be handcuffed. I then called the flight attendants on the interphone and asked them to check the prisoner to see if the agents had handcuffed him. They stated that the prisoner was wide awake and not handcuffed and that both the agents were sleeping. I then instructed that an agent be woken up and told to handcuff the prisoner. The flight attendant called back and stated that both agents said that they didn't have any handcuffs. I then instructed the flight attendant to give an agent her pair of flex cuffs to be placed on the prisoner. He complied and the flight arrived in chicago without incident. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the air carrier provides instructions for carriage of armed passenger, but does not provide any instructions when a prisoner is being escorted. The reporter did not think the INS officers escorting the prisoner were doing the job seriously. The captain said the flight attendants were upset, as they were on the front lines, and any problem would land in their laps. Having an out of control prisoner is something they are unable to cope with.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD80 HAD 2 ARMED INS AGENTS ESCORTING A PRISONER, WERE NOT SEATED PROPERLY, WERE ASLEEP INFLT, AND DID NOT HAVE HANDCUFFS IN THEIR POSSESSION. THE CREW HAD TO PROVIDE PLASTIC FLEXIBLE HANDCUFFS, SO THE PRISONER COULD BE HANDCUFFED IN ACCORDANCE WITH ACR FOM.

Narrative: UPON REACHING THE CHK-IN DESK AT THE GATE, THE PAX SERVICE AGENT TOLD ME THAT WE HAD TWO ARMED INS AGENTS ESCORTING A PRISONER ON OUR FLT TO CHICAGO. I WENT DOWN THE JETBRIDGE WITH THE THREE MALES FOLLOWING ME SO THAT THE PRISONER COULD BE BOARDED PRIOR TO ANY PAX. THE AGENT HAD ALREADY GIVEN THE NUMBER ONE FLT ATTENDANT A COPY OF THE ARMED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER FORMS. ONE FORM SHOWED AN AGENT AND THE PRISONER IN SEAT XX X AND XX Y. THE OTHER AGENT ASSIGNED SEAT XX Z. THE FLT ATTENDANT SAID THAT SHE WAS NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THE AGENTS BEING SEPARATED FROM THE PRISONER AND THAT SHE THOUGHT THAT IT WAS REQUIRED THAT THEY ALL BE IN THE SAME ROW WITH THE PRISONER IN BETWEEN THE TWO AGENTS. I ASKED ONE OF THE AGENTS WHY THEY WERE SEPARATED AND HE STATED THAT IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME AND USUALLY THE TWO AGENTS ARE SPREAD OUT WIDELY THROUGHOUT THE CABIN. I WENT BACK OUT TO THE DESK AND ASKED THE AGENT TO ASSIGN ALL THREE MEN TO ROW XX X, W, Y. SHE COMPLIED AND STATED THAT SOMEONE DOWNSTAIRS HAD ASSIGNED THE ORIGINAL SEATING ARRANGEMENT AND SHE THOUGHT THAT IT WAS NOT THE LOGICAL WAY TO DO IT. HALF WAY THROUGH BOARDING, THE NUMBER FOUR FLT ATTENDANT CAME TO THE COCKPIT AND SAID THAT THE PRISONER WAS NOT HANDCUFFED AND THAT SHE THOUGHT HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN. I TOLD HER THAT THE AGENTS HAD TOLD ME THAT THE PRISONER WAS A DEPORTEE AND WAS A MINIMUM RISK INDIVIDUAL. I ALSO SAID THAT I DIDN'T KNOW IF HANDCUFFS WERE REQUIRED IN THIS SIT AND THAT THE AGENTS SHOULD FOLLOW THEIR PROCS. AFTER REACHING CRUISE ALTITUDE, I LOOKED IN THE FOM TO CHK AND SEE IF THERE WAS A REQUIREMENT FOR ALL THREE MEN TO BE SEATED IN THE SAME ROW WITH THE PRISONER IN THE MIDDLE. I FOUND NO REQUIREMENT. I DID SEE THAT ALL PRISONERS WERE REQUIRED TO BE HANDCUFFED. I THEN CALLED THE FLT ATTENDANTS ON THE INTERPHONE AND ASKED THEM TO CHK THE PRISONER TO SEE IF THE AGENTS HAD HANDCUFFED HIM. THEY STATED THAT THE PRISONER WAS WIDE AWAKE AND NOT HANDCUFFED AND THAT BOTH THE AGENTS WERE SLEEPING. I THEN INSTRUCTED THAT AN AGENT BE WOKEN UP AND TOLD TO HANDCUFF THE PRISONER. THE FLT ATTENDANT CALLED BACK AND STATED THAT BOTH AGENTS SAID THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY HANDCUFFS. I THEN INSTRUCTED THE FLT ATTENDANT TO GIVE AN AGENT HER PAIR OF FLEX CUFFS TO BE PLACED ON THE PRISONER. HE COMPLIED AND THE FLT ARRIVED IN CHICAGO WITHOUT INCIDENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE ACR PROVIDES INSTRUCTIONS FOR CARRIAGE OF ARMED PAX, BUT DOES NOT PROVIDE ANY INSTRUCTIONS WHEN A PRISONER IS BEING ESCORTED. THE RPTR DID NOT THINK THE INS OFFICERS ESCORTING THE PRISONER WERE DOING THE JOB SERIOUSLY. THE CAPT SAID THE FLT ATTENDANTS WERE UPSET, AS THEY WERE ON THE FRONT LINES, AND ANY PROB WOULD LAND IN THEIR LAPS. HAVING AN OUT OF CONTROL PRISONER IS SOMETHING THEY ARE UNABLE TO COPE WITH.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

Attributes
ACN	601314
Time
Date	200312
Day	Tue
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : parked
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
ASRS Report	601314
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : far non adherence : company policies non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other flight crewb other other : 3 or 4
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Company
Primary Problem	Company

MD80 had 2 armed INS agents escorting a prisoner, were not seated properly, were asleep in-flight, and did not have handcuffs in their possession. The crew had to provide plastic flexible handcuffs, so the prisoner could be handcuffed in accordance with air carrier fom.