WASHINGTON, 25 July 2007 — US airports are operating under orange, or high alert, status under the Department of Homeland Security national threat advisory system. Orange represents the second most serious level of potential danger after red.

But some people are worried that the alert status has a double standard. On Monday, the Transportation Security Administration put its Phoenix security director on administrative leave after a television station showed video of an airport security guard letting workers into secure areas without searching them or their bags.

The video was taken during early morning hours when Sky Harbor International Airport security guards, not federal inspectors, check employees going into secure areas. The ABC television affiliate reported that a guard routinely let workers pass after they showed their badges, while TSA inspectors who went on duty later conducted more complete screenings.

The television station, which last Friday evening aired the first of several reports on Sky Harbor’s security, said it used hidden cameras to monitor airport access points on multiple nights.

The footage, shot during the past two weeks, showed airport employees breezing past guards. Backpacks, suitcases, coolers, a bicycle and even a large cart of newspapers went uninspected. According to KNXV-TV’s report, metal detectors and X-ray equipment were turned off, and guards sometimes snoozed on the job.

The ABC report published on July 20 said, “We’ve discovered a 4.5 hour time frame each night when virtually anything can be brought into the secure side of Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. There’s no metal detector, no X-ray machine, and it’s apparently not a problem.” One longtime Tampa airport employee, who asked to remain anonymous, told reporters that late at night, the airport’s security procedures changed. TSA agents left, and airport security guards took over. Only an employee badge was necessary for an all-access pass for four hours, every night. Reacting quickly, TSA said in a statement Monday that it will screen all airport employees 24-hours a day while the agency and Sky Harbor review the airport’s procedures.

TSA added that Paul Armes, its security director in Phoenix, has been placed on administrative leave.