Armed flying issue raised

The Clarion-Ledger, 6/10/8

A former state employee exceeded his authority when he wrote his own authorization letter so he could fly armed on a flight out of Jackson, Department of Public Safety Commissioner Steve Simpson said.

Mike Vick, former director of the Law Enforcement Liaison Office, was stopped at the Portland, Ore., airport in April carrying a gun on his return flight to Jackson.

Simpson said Monday that Vick was not acting as a law enforcement officer at the time. Vick could not be reached for comment.

The incident is the latest to raise questions about the U.S. Transportation Security Administration’s armed-flying program and how that program is being monitored at Jackson-Evers International Airport.