Models for Law Enforcement at Airports (2020)

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48 Fixed-Post Response versus Flexible Response Although the essence of this conversation centers around the law enforcement models themselves, a discussion of the operational methods for deploying the LEOs is helpful. One characteristic of such methods surrounds the response model used at the airport. The two response models are the fixed-post and flexible-response models. A fixed-post response refers to proprietary on-property LEOs while a flexible response often refers to off-property responders but in other cases to LEOs who may be on airport property with the ability to reach a security screening checkpoint in a specific response time window (Elias, 2010). In some airports, particularly those in Categories III and IV, LEOs may be stationed off airport grounds; more often, a flexible response is the policy for secondary or tertiary responders. Initially, under the Federal Aviation Act of 1958, LEOs were to be stationed and immediately available at the passenger screening point. The first Rule Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 107.4 was similarly interpreted to require the presence of LEOs during the entire passenger screening process (Sweet, 2009). Problems began to arise under this fixed-post model, including flight delays due to a halt in screening if an LEO was unavailable and a rather exorbitant cost associated with the stationary-response model (Sweet, 2009). Eventually, the cost-benefit ratio of the stationary response at each and every security checkpoint became imbalanced, and a flexible response was enacted for some LEO personnel (Sweet, 2009). Recently, TSA issued new recommendations to increase the law enforcement presence throughout airports, particularly at high-traffic locations such as at ticket counters, checkpoints, and peak travel times, but it stopped short of requiring fixed-post assignments at these checkpoints, even during peak travel time (Subcommittee on Transportation Security of the Committee on Homeland Security, 2014). Fixed-post and flexible responses as methods of LEO deployment exist on a continuum, and each law enforcement agency chooses the method or methods of operating that best fit its needs and cost structures. Fixed-post and flexible responses are not, therefore, mutually exclusive. Most airports use both fixed-post officers working at screening checkpoints and flexible-response officers patrolling the airport vicinity (Subcommittee on Transportation Security of the Committee on Homeland Security, 2014). For simplicity, fixed-post and flexible responses are addressed separately, followed by a case example of one airport and the way it uses both fixed-post and flexible responses. Fixed-Post Positioning Fixed-post positioning of law enforcement requires an LEO to be stationed at every passenger screening checkpoint. Fixed-post positioning provides visibility of law enforcement through- out the airport, with proponents suggesting that this method of stationing officers serves as a C H A P T E R 1 1

Fixed-Post Response versus Flexible Response 49 significant countermeasure for those individuals intent on doing harm, such as active shooters (Subcommittee on Transportation Security of the Committee on Homeland Security, 2014). Some law enforcement professionals, however, contend that because fixed-post LEOs are more visible and therefore predictable, they do not provide an effective countermeasure against dangerous situations, such as active shooting (Subcommittee on Transportation Security of the Committee on Homeland Security, 2014). In addition, the cost of stationing LEOs at each screening checkpoint is considered by many as too expensive (Subcommittee on Transportation Security of the Committee on Homeland Security, 2014). Flexible Response In the flexible-response law enforcement model, LEOs are not required on station at the screening checkpoint but must be capable of responding to the checkpoint within a maximum response time (Sweet, 2009). This method relieves law enforcement from the cost and staffing commitment of stationing an LEO at each screening area, affording more flexibility in response time and reducing the number of personnel required (Sweet, 2009). The more random nature of flexible-response patrolling by LEOs entails less predictability for would-be criminals as well as a valuable element of surprise (Subcommittee on Transportation Security of the Committee on Homeland Security, 2014). For example, after the active-shooter incident in 2013, LAWAPD implemented random patrols of teams of officers and K-9s to lower the ability of potential criminals to surveil and predict police presence around the airport (Los Angeles World Airports, 2014). The flexible-response method also gives LEOs the option of patrolling the areas of greatest need or volume, such as curbs, ticket counters, or baggage claim (Subcommittee on Transpor- tation Security of the Committee on Homeland Security, 2014). Similarly, some proponents of a flexible response see a stronger ability to deter and respond to incidents without committing an LEO to a single location, thereby magnifying the availability of personnel (Subcommittee on Transportation Security of the Committee on Homeland Security, 2014). Case Example While fixed-post and flexible responses are discussed in the previous section as two separate options, in practice, they most often are used simultaneously by the same law enforcement agency. For example, Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport uses a hybrid of flexible-response and fixed-post LEOs in and around the TSA screening areas (Subcommittee on Transportation Security of the Committee on Homeland Security, 2014). Employing a flexible response allows LEOs to patrol a larger area and to be stationed randomly, thereby creating a higher degree of unpredictability for would-be criminals or active shooters (Subcommittee on Transportation Security of the Committee on Homeland Security, 2014). The fixed-post LEOs are scheduled cost-effectively, using a “detail officer,” that is, an LEO working a shift outside of normal LEO duty hours. These detail officers work a fixed-post shift of 8 hours daily at each TSA passenger screening area (Subcommittee on Transportation Security of the Committee on Homeland Security, 2014). The detail officers also cost considerably less than a “loaded” officer, approximately 44% less in 2014 (Subcommittee on Transportation Security of the Committee on Homeland Security, 2014). Combining the fixed-post and flexible-response methods of stationing officers allows additional LEOs to be available at a lower total cost to the law enforcement agency (Subcommittee on Transportation Security of the Committee on Homeland Security, 2014).