A Transportation Security Administration officer was arrested Tuesday at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, police said.
The officer is accused of having a firearm beyond the main security checkpoint. Atlanta police, the investigating agency, did not say if the officer, identified as Matthew Gilbert, was on duty at the time of his arrest.
Gilbert, 58, was booked into the Clayton County Jail on a charge of reckless conduct, authorities said. He was released from the jail on Tara Boulevard on Thursday.
Mark Howell, a spokesman for TSA, said Gilbert was “removed from screening status” and placed on leave until further action can be taken based on how his case is resolved. Gilbert has been employed by TSA since January 2021.
There are roughly 1,400 screening officers employed at Hartsfield-Jackson. Howell explained that each person undergoes a background check before hiring, with regular follow-up checks thereafter.
“TSA has zero tolerance for misconduct on or off duty,” Howell said, adding that “passenger and employee safety is top priority for TSA, and we are working closely with our Atlanta airport police partners on this incident.”
TSA officers are not issued a weapon and are not allowed to carry weapons on the job. The only TSA employees issued weapons are federal air marshals and investigators, both of whom are law enforcement officers, Howell said.
For the ninth year in a row, Hartsfield-Jackson had the most guns caught at security checkpoints in comparison to other airports in the country, according to TSA’s tally for 2024.
There were 440 firearms caught at the airport, far ahead of the 390 guns caught at second-place finisher Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. TSA said it caught an average of more than 18 guns per day across the country, including an average of more than one per day in Atlanta.
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