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 TSA's new policelike badges a sore point with
real cops By
Thomas Frank, USA TODAY WASHINGTON — Screeners at the nation's airport checkpoints are going to
start wearing police-style badges — but real officers aren't too happy about it. Some sworn officers fear airline passengers will mistake screeners for law-enforcement officials with arrest powers. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is starting to equip its 48,000 screeners with 3-inch-by-2-inch, silver-colored, copper and zinc badges that will be worn on new royal-blue police-style shirts. The attire aims to convey an image of authority to passengers, who have harassed, pushed and in a few instances punched screeners. "Some of our officers aren't respected," TSA spokeswoman Ellen Howe said. Actual airport police, who carry guns and have arrest powers, worry that their own authority will be undercut by screeners who look like police. Every major airport has its own police department or is patrolled by local police. "A lot of cops at airports are not real thrilled about it," said Duane McGray of the Airport Law Enforcement Agencies Network, an airport police association. "It's another way of saying (to airport police), 'You're not important.' " Network president Paul Mason, chief of the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport police, worries that passengers will mistake badge-wearing screeners for police and expect them to handle crimes. "There are going to be some growing pains on the part of the (screeners) and police," he said. Agencies often give badges to workers who aren't law-enforcement officers. At the TSA, badges are carried by 1,200 inspectors who check that airlines, airports and others comply with security rules. The Environmental Protection Agency gives badges to its 250 workers charged with overseeing cleanups of oil spills and other hazardous releases, EPA spokeswoman Roxanne Smith said. Airport screeners will get badges after finishing a two-day training program covering issues related to badges as well as how to talk to passengers in a calming manner. Unlike police, who often are required to carry their badges while off-duty, screeners will be barred from wearing them when they are not working, TSA Deputy Administrator Gale Rossides said. "We coupled the badges with the communications training to make it clear to our officers that they're there to facilitate our passengers," Rossides said. She said the TSA has no interest in giving screeners law-enforcement power. In April, Baltimore-Washington International Airport screeners became the first to get badges and blue shirts, which replace white shirts adorned with a yellow TSA patch. Screeners at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport will get them today. A.J. Castilla, a screener at Boston's Logan Airport and a spokesman for a screeners union, is eager to get a badge. "It'll go a long way to enhance the respect of this workforce," he said Park, Airport Police Departments Set to Merge with SAPD Details of the merger still to be worked out Thursday,
August 14, 2008 The city of San Antonio has long maintained three separate and completely independent police forces, but the city council is expected to move later this year to combine all three, under the authority of the san Antonio Police Department, 1200 WOAI news reports.
Currently the Airport Police reports to the Director of Aviation, and the Park Police reports to the Director of Parks and Recreation. Under the proposal, which has been approved by officers in both the Park and Airport police forces, the two would be merged into the SAPD and would come under the command of the Chief of Police and his top deputies.
But Park Police Officer Frank Gonzalez, who heads the San Antonio Park Police Officers Association, says the individual police forces would continue performing their specialized jobs.
"The Park Police will continue to patrol the parks, and they will hire park service officers to do the non law enforcement duties," Gonzalez said.
Those duties include opening and closing park gates, jobs currently performed by officers.
SAPD Chief Bill McManus confirmed Gonzalez's comments.
"I'm not going to put Park Police officers out doing traffic control on Interstate 10," McManus said.
Park and Airport Police are fully sworn and certified police officers, with all the authority of an SAPD officer.
Gonzalez says it would be a morale boost for his officers to be placed under the authority of a police officer instead of a civilian city department.
"His concerns would be police," Gonzalez said. "Park and Recreation has a lot of other duties, they're looking after the parks, looking after the rec centers, and they're not necessarily focused on law enforcement."
Gonzalez says no officers would lose their jobs in the merger, which could be completed this year. He says the Park and Airport police would adopt the SAPD standards and practices manual and train at the SAPD Academy.
He says still to be determined are things like whether Park and Airport police would wear the SAPD patch and badge, and whether Park and Airport police officers would become members of the powerful San Antonio Police Officers
Cleveland police union sues over airport staffing planLawsuit calls privatization plan unconstitutional Friday,
November 16, 2007 James F. McCarty Plain Dealer Reporter
The Cleveland police union sued the city Thursday to try to block a plan to hire private security workers to replace 45 police officers assigned to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Mayor
Frank Jackson said the police officers are needed more on the streets than at the airport, and the City Council approved the
one-year plan in October. Police union lawyer Patrick D'Angelo plans to argue in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court today that the city's privatization plan is unconstitutional. A hearing for a temporary restraining order is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. today before Judge Nancy Fuerst. D'Angelo contends that such a privatized police force would violate Ohio laws that require city officers to patrol the airport. He argued in the lawsuit that the ordinance gives illegal police power to the private officers and violates the city's charter. Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association President Stephen Loomis said the legality of the airport plan is only part of the problem. The safety of airport visitors is at stake, he said. "I don't think the city has a grasp of the gravity of the situation out there," Loomis said. "If something goes wrong at that airport with a private company, the implications will be huge to Cleveland and the entire region." Loomis said he fears that Hopkins will earn a reputation as a soft target among terrorists for its lack of a professional police presence there. According to the plan, 45 officers from the airport will be reassigned to work on street patrol duty. Their replacements will consist of full-time, certified officers hired by a yet-to-be-determined private security company. Bids from security companies seeking to take over the airport police force are scheduled to be opened Nov. 28. D'Angelo said he will ask the judge to prevent the city from implementing the plan and opening the bids.
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The vote clears the way for the mayor and Police Chief Michael McGrath to reassign 45 city police officers from Hopkins to the streets. The vote also allows airport Director Ricky Smith to select a security firm that will hire new, state-certified officers as replacements.
"The officers at the airport do a good job," Public Safety Director Martin Flask told council. "But when I measure what they do versus the needs of the community, to me, there's no question" that the officers would be more valuable in neighborhoods.
Even so, the concept was a tough sell. Stephen Loomis, president of the police union has argued the city cannot replace Cleveland police officers at Hopkins with officers hired by a privately managed firm.
Council members had their own concerns.
Councilman Michael Polensek voted against the plan. "To privatize this operation is totally unacceptable to me," he said.
Others were concerned about homeland security issues. Kevin Kelley, chairman of the Aviation and Transportation Committee, voted for the plan - but only after speaking with an official from the federal Transportation Security Administration.
Kelley said the official was "comfortable with the plan as it was laid out."
09:24 AM MDT on Wednesday, September 26, 2007
BOISE - In less than one week, 31 commissioned officers will join the Boise Police Department.
This after the city council approved the merger of the airport police with the Boise PD.
The merger that has been in the works for several months.
Boise Police Chief Mike Masterson says bringing the two departments together should improve public safety and save money.
Masterson says airport police officers will be part of a four year transition plan.
"They have four years to integrate into bpd which means they have to attend the Advanced Academy - a 12 week course and then they have to successfully complete a field training program,” Boise Police Chief Mike Masterson said.
Airport police officers have already gone through a 40-hour familiarization training course with the Boise Police Department.
This merger officially goes into effect on Monday October 1st , the same day the fiscal year begins for the city.
As of Monday the Boise Police Department will have 320 commissioned officers.