RAY LONG AND JOHN BYRNE ON MAY 2, 2017
SOURCE: MCCLATCHY, SecurityInfoWatch.com

April 28--The city fired the head of security at O'Hare and Midway airports Thursday for what City Hall sources said was his failure to disclose critical details of his prior employment at the Illinois Tollway, after a confidential memo obtained by the Tribune revealed numerous allegations of sexual harassment against him.

Find out how YOU can become a Certified Protection Officer with the IFPO!

The Tribune reported last week that Jeffrey Redding, the city's deputy aviation commissioner of security, was fired from the Tollway in 2015 after a female employee alleged that Redding sought sex and money in exchange for work-related favors. He denied any coercion and maintained that his relationship with the woman, a toll collector, was consensual.

Redding, 54, had been a point person in the investigation of the April 9 United Airlines passenger-dragging fiasco at O'Hare International Airport. He oversaw the officers who forcibly removed the passenger, Dr. David Dao, from his seat after he was bumped from the flight. On Thursday, Redding did not return messages left by phone and email.

May Special: 15% Discount on Certified Protection Officer (CPO) Program

Redding was fired the same day United settled with Dao, who suffered a broken nose and lost teeth, for an undisclosed amount. The settlement also released the city from responsibility, according to Dao's attorneys. United also pledged to limit use of law enforcement to remove passengers from flights to safety and security issues, reduce overbooking, provide additional employee training and pay passengers on overbooked flights up to $10,000 to volunteer for a later flight. But sources said Redding's firing was not related to that incident.

The city confirmed Redding's dismissal on Thursday through a statement by aviation spokesperson Lauren Huffman: "Jeffrey Redding has been terminated from his duties at the Chicago Department of Aviation." Security Assistant Commissioner Kevin Zator will oversee safety and security operations in the interim, she wrote.

Membership has its privileges! JOIN the IFPO and see the benefits!

Last week, City Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans told the Tribune she didn't know about the confidential Tollway memo concerning the allegations when she interviewed Redding, a former Chicago policeman, for the job. She said she recalled his explanation for leaving the Tollway, where he was chief of toll operations, was that he was swept out by an incoming administration.

However, the Tollway, in response to Tribune questions, said Redding was fired "after multiple violations of Illinois Tollway personnel policy and procedures were identified and disclosed to him including improper communications and a complete disregard for his position."

Read the rest of the story here.