The Badging Office is getting ready to start accepting online badge applications and is slowly starting to roll out training opportunities for airport businesses.
The move to online badge applications for new employees and renewals will streamline the process and eventually eliminate paperwork. Additional information about the new online applications is found here.
Employees will still need to come to the Badging Office to have their application processed and again when it’s time to pick up their badge.
Currently, some airport companies are testing the new online technology, and will soon provide feedback to the Badging Office. Other airport businesses will then have the opportunity to be trained on the new system. Watch your email inbox for instructions on how and when to get your training.
Paper applications are still accepted at the Badging Office, and that will continue.
|
The Badging Office continues to see more airport employees coming in for new and renewed badges as MSP Airport experiences rebounding passenger traffic.
Currently, the first available appointments are one week into the future. Your employees should not count on the walk-in queue as it has been filling up quickly most days.
Please tell your employees to visit the badging website’s appointments page to make the best use of their time as they plan their Badging Office visit.
|
As we mentioned in a recent monthly bulletin, every security badge at the airport has a microchip in it. The Badging Office’s vendor is having difficulty acquiring computer chips.
The global shortage of computer chips remains an issue for the Badging Office, which is asking that businesses pay closer attention to what type of badge your employees need before they arrive to get a security badge.
Getting badge applications right the first time will help ensure the Badging Office has an adequate supply of microchips for badges.
The Badging Office continues to see businesses request one type of badge for applicants, and soon after request a different badge type for the same employee – such as one with a customs seal or an escort designation.
The Badging Office is also hearing that it will become more difficult to get security cards with chips, and that it could become a year-long wait. Badges that have been issued to an employee can’t be reused – they are replaced with new cards, and new chips.
Airport businesses can help by making sure that the badge they are requesting for an employee has all the designations required the first time through the application process, and that the addition of a customs seal has been approved.
|
Badge holders contact the Airport Police Department (APD) occasionally about doors that will not open even after their card is scanned.
Frequently, user error is involved, and APD officers are being dispatched too often for door alarms. Here are some tips to pass on to employees that will help them navigate their way to the secure side of the airport.
Best Practices for badge use:
- Hold your badge steady up to the reader; give it time to read the chip. The more you move it around the less effective the reader. There is no need to touch the badge on the reader -- doing so may cause a button to be inadvertently hit and a wrong-pin-number error could occur.
- If the badge doesn’t work at a door the first time, wait 10 seconds and try again.
- When using a door with a biometric reader (fingerprint), you must use the same finger that was captured in the Badging Office at the time of issue.
- Wait for a green light on the indicator lights above/adjacent to the reader before attempting to open the door. We have seen an increase in door alarms triggered by employees trying to open the door before getting the green light from the badge reader.
- If a door is forced and an alarm sounds, you must wait for an officer to arrive.
- Report door malfunctions/issues to the Communications Center at 612-726-5577
The TSA is continuing to experience a surge in aviation worker applications, and that’s causing some delays in the Security Threat Assessment (background check) process.
That part of the badge-clearing process occurs at the federal level, and the delay can affect all badge applications.
Most background checks are processed by the TSA in less than 15 days. Some cases require a manual review by the TSA that may take up to 30 days or more. The TSA continues to monitor processing times for those checks and will prioritize resources to shorten processing times.
Quick Links
Badging Webpage
Authorized Signer Information
Badging Application Signer Guide
MyMSP News
Archive of Badging Bulletins
|
