Lawsuit linked to dragged passenger incident

CHICAGO — Nearly 300 aviation security officers have filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois, claiming they were unfairly stripped of their law enforcement background after a passenger was forcibly removed from a United Airlines flight last year.

Since 1993, the Chicago Aviation Police have been recognized by the state as law enforcement officers. Though they didn’t carry firearms, the officers were required to graduate from the Chicago Police Academy or the Cook County Sheriff’s Training Academy.

With state-sanctioned law enforcement officer status, they could supplement their incomes working part time as police officers in other jurisdictions, join other law enforcement agencies without retraining and get perks based on seniority.

In Wednesday’s complaint, attorneys representing the security officers say those privileges became a casualty of political pressure brought on by a highly publicized incident in April 2017, when passengers captured video of Dr. David Dao being dragged off of an overbooked United flight at O’Hare International Airport.

In the following months, city Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans said aviation officers “are not the designated law enforcement authority at our airports” and the state board notified Chicago officials that aviation security was no longer observed as a law enforcement agency. The state subsequently removed its officers from its registry of law enforcement officers.

Attorneys representing the security officers acknowledged the city and state’s right to strip an agency’s policing powers. However, they argue that action can’t expunge the security officers’ work histories, because, in doing so, that would deny them job prospects and potential earnings.