To whom it may concern,
In May, I passed through Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport with my son en route to Denver.
On showing our passports, Lead TSA Officer Daniel Gomez addressed my six-year-old son to ask who I was. After confirming I was the father, we were allowed to continue. My son and I do not share the same last name, and we were traveling without his mother. Yet in the preceding days, we had boarded flights and crossed the U.S. border without being asked about our relationship.
I would like to commend Officer Gomez for his professionalism and courtesy. In my opinion, he was correct to identify the situation as one that merited an additional question or two to protect the child, and he carried this out in a way that was direct, effective, and non-threatening. The simple and friendly question to my son indicated a commitment to protecting children like my own from abduction, and I appreciate his work.
Please accept my commendation and thanks for a job well done.
Avram Heilman