Full Notification

For Immediate Release
February 13, 2017

Media Contact:
Bobby Egbert
(201) 871-2100
[email protected]

AThe DOJ's federal indictment of 12 current and former TSA employees for smuggling cocaine through an airport from 1998 until 2016, as well as a recent report by the House Homeland Security Committee (https://homeland.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Americas-Airports-The-Threat-From-Within.pdf) that found current vetting procedures for airport employees are insufficient, reinforces AAAPO's calls for total airport employee screening.

"What is it going to take for our airports to get a better grip on employee security?" asks Marshall McClain, co-founder of AAAPO and President of the Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers Association. "We are repeatedly hearing stories of airport employees smuggling drugs or guns through our airports and doing lots of other criminal activity that jeopardizes airport safety, but most major airports refuse to enact 100% employee screening. If airline passengers are subject to screening, why can't and why shouldn't we do this for all airport employees?"

In 2012, AAAPO sent a letter to then TSA Administrator John Pistole (https://laapoa.com/docs/Letter-to-Administrator-Pistole.pdf) recommending total screening of every airport employee and their property as one of the most effective ways to keep the public safe. This message has repeatedly fallen on deaf ears at TSA, but AAAPO is hopeful that the new administration and Congress will reevaluate this proposal and implement total screening of airport employees.

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The American Alliance of Airport Police Officers (AAAPO) is composed of rank-and-file airport police officers (including many dual police/aircraft rescue firefighters) who stand as the first line of defense against terrorist attacks, hijackings and other criminal activity at our nation’s airports. We seek to promote security and safety for the traveling public, visitors and airport employees by highlighting best practices and identifying areas for improvement and proposed solutions for our nation’s airport security deployment. AAAPO focuses on regulatory issues that promote our efforts to provide the most advanced and cutting-edge service innovations and security processes in our nation and the world. Our organization represents thousands of sworn law enforcement officers across the United States beholden only to this mission. We are unencumbered by neither political nor managerial constraints that would prevent us from promoting sound public safety policy.

The founding members of the American Alliance of Airport Police Officers are composed of numerous rank-and-file airport police officers from John F. Kennedy International Airport; LaGuardia Airport; Los Angeles International Airport; Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport; LA/Ontario International Airport; Newark Liberty International Airport; Van Nuys Airport; Stewart International Airport; and Teterboro Airport.