Federal authorities acknowledged Thursday that security procedures at Los Angeles International Airport were not followed when an off- duty Santa Monica police officer boarded a flight to Taiwan with a personal handgun in her carry-on bag.
Officer Noell Grant entered Taiwan April 13 and was barred from leaving the country after the handgun was discovered in her possession, according to Nico Melendez of the Transportation Security Administration.
The TSA “has determined standard procedures were not followed and a police officer did in fact pass through the (LAX) checkpoint with a firearm,” Melendez said, adding that the agency “expects every employee to follow procedures and holds its workforce appropriately accountable.”
Grant was en route to Thailand for a vacation and was on a layover in Taiwan when the firearm — a personal, not department weapon — was found, Santa Monica police Lt. Saul Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez could not say if Grant had been arrested or charged with a crime in that country, but said she is not in custody and is able to move around, but cannot leave Taiwan until the situation is resolved.
He said the matter will be the subject of a department administrative review once Grant returns to the United States.
“Our priority right now is to get her home safely,” Rodriguez said.
