National Academies Press: OpenBook

Models for Law Enforcement at Airports (2020)

Chapter: Chapter 14 - Case Examples

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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 14 - Case Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Models for Law Enforcement at Airports. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25893.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 14 - Case Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Models for Law Enforcement at Airports. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25893.
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Page 56
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 14 - Case Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Models for Law Enforcement at Airports. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25893.
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Page 57
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 14 - Case Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Models for Law Enforcement at Airports. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25893.
×
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Page 58
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 14 - Case Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Models for Law Enforcement at Airports. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25893.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 14 - Case Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Models for Law Enforcement at Airports. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25893.
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54 Case Examples Airport Police The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport is a Category I airport. It is owned by an airport authority, the Kenton County Airport Board, and uses a single law enforcement model, the airport police department. The Airport Board has 12 board members and a chairman, with an executive team including the chief executive officer, chief operating officer (COO), chief financial officer, and chief information officer. The COO is the authority for airport operations, and the airport police fall under this umbrella of responsibility. The police chief is a direct report to the COO of the Airport Board. Management and Oversight The Airport Board has control and approval power over the airport police department’s budget and also exercises hiring approval for individual LEOs. However, only rarely is a new LEO suggested by the police chief and then not approved by the board. The airport police officers are hired after a rigorous internal airport police department hiring process. The airport police and chief have full determination of access to law enforcement equipment and full discretion over the selection and placement of officers stationed at the airport. Policy devel- opment by the airport police department does not necessarily require approval from the Airport Board, but those policies are approved by airport attorneys to accommodate legal and liability guidance. The airport police department at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport operates under a hierarchical management structure: The Police Chief (Colonel) is the highest-ranking official in the police department. There are two Assis- tant Chiefs (Lieutenant Colonel), Lt. Col of Operations Division and Lt. Col. of Protection Division. The Lt. Col of Operations is over the Patrol Section (1 Lieutenant, 3 Sergeants) and the Criminal Investiga- tions Section (1 Lieutenant, 1 Sergeant). The Lt. Col of Protection is over the Communications section (1 Lieutenant, 2 Telecommunicator Leads), the Airport Security Coordinator, the ID Badging Office, and the Police Special Operations Section (1 Lieutenant, 2 Sergeants). TSA The police chief and police command staff have an open and generally positive commu- nication and cooperative relationship with TSA, working closely with TSA K-9 handlers, trainers, and coordinators, especially. At the officer level, airport police work positively with TSA. Airport LEOs are not stationed (fixed post) at security checkpoints. Some airport security is contracted to a private company for checking ID badges and inspecting vehicles entering secure areas. C H A P T E R 1 4

Case Examples 55 Operations Each management rank (chief, assistant chief, lieutenant, sergeant, corporal) typically manages seven to eight LEOs or fewer. The airport police have a very high level of integration in daily airport operations. LEO responsibilities include any law enforcement of airport issues as well as airport security and operations. Airport police LEOs assist with wildlife management, customer service, baggage and conveyance system outages, airfield escorts, and even aircraft placement. The LEOs also respond to operational issues at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. Relationships In terms of jurisdiction, the airport is located in two separate counties, with an MOU with each county’s sheriff, providing jurisdiction for airport police in both counties. The airport police work closely with other local law enforcement agencies to conduct train- ing exercises and educational meetings on the airport’s emergency and incident responses. Through relationships with other agencies, airport police also have access to ancillary operations and resources, including bomb squads, explosive detection, hostage negotiations, and SWAT. Training By state law, all LEOs, including airport police, attend statewide basic training (20 weeks), followed by 15 weeks of patrol training. State law also dictates that all LEOs attend 40 hours of continuing service training annually. Airport police receive airport-specific training during 14 weeks of patrol training. This training includes airfield driving, airport ordinances, breach procedures, and security procedures, among other topics. In addition to the state-mandated continuing service training, airport officers receive continuing airport-specific training on federal regulations, including 14 CFR Part 139 inspections. Security Unlike airport security, the airport police LEOs at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Inter- national Airport have arrest authority, are sworn and authorized by the state, are armed, and can respond in emergency vehicles. Airfield Access The airport police LEOs are allowed to drive unescorted onto both the FAA-controlled AOA and the non–FAA-controlled AOA. City Police The Philadelphia International Airport is a Category X city-owned airport and has a city police department as its airport law enforcement model. The airport is both owned and operated by the City of Philadelphia, with the latter function executed by the City of Philadelphia Division of Aviation. The airport unit is within the overall city police department, and LEOs assigned to the airport unit include both sworn and nonsworn personnel who are assigned to the unit from the Philadelphia Police Department.

56 Models for Law Enforcement at Airports Management and Oversight Management and oversight power are characteristic of an employer-employee relation- ship in that all LEOs are City of Philadelphia employees who work for various city agencies and are assigned to the airport. The airport owner determines access to any and all airport equipment, including vehicles and airport-specific equipment. All firearms are purchased and owned by the Division of Aviation. The law enforcement policies, procedures, management, and reporting structure are those of the Philadelphia Police Department. LEOs are assigned to the airport by transfer, and in the current force, each LEO has over 13 years of law enforcement experience. The Police Department has discretion and control over the LEOs assigned to the airport unit. TSA The LEOs work closely together and with TSA, although the LEOs themselves and the TSA agents are each responsible for a unique and discrete set of tasks and roles. The LEOs are stationed at security checkpoints. Operations The LEOs at the airport work closely with all other law enforcement agency partners and airport operations to enforce applicable rules, regulations, and policies. Relationships The Philadelphia International Airport is geographically located in two separate counties and has an MOU with law enforcement in each county regarding arrests and charging procedures. In some cases, federal regulations supersede the Philadelphia Police Department’s Airport Unit. In these circumstances, the airport police collaborate and assist the federal agencies. The direct relationship with the Philadelphia Police Department and the indirect relationships with federal, state, and local partners provide additional law enforcement resources in the case of an emergency or an unusual incident. Through relationships with other agencies, the airport unit has access to bomb squads, K-9 units, explosive detection, hostage negotiations, and SWAT. Training The LEOs assigned to the airport receive additional supplemental training in security badges, procedures, airfield driving, and specific airport responsibilities. Security The LEOs are members of the Philadelphia Airport Police Unit and thus are publicly sworn officers with full arrest powers. The city does contract with some security guards in the Division of Aviation Contracts who cannot perform any law enforcement functions such as arrests. Airfield Access The LEOs may drive unescorted on the non–FAA-controlled AOA but not on the FAA- controlled AOA.

Case Examples 57 Liability Because all airport LEOs are employees of the City of Philadelphia Police Department, their liability and costs are indemnified ultimately by the City of Philadelphia. County Sheriff The Paine Field/Snohomish County Airport is a Category II airport owned by the county and using the county sheriff law enforcement model. The airport is an executive department within the county that reports to a county executive, an elected position. The sheriff is independent from the county executive but is also an elected official. The airport contracts directly with the sheriff’s office to provide law enforcement services at the airport. Management and Oversight The overall direction and priorities for the LEO duties performed by the county sheriff’s office are dictated by airport management. Thus, the airport owner and operator have a considerable amount of control over law enforcement in terms of access to equipment, budget, directions in the case of an emergency, and goals and priorities. Everyday law enforcement operations are left to the LEOs. TSA Interaction between the LEOs and TSA occurs daily at the operational level. Airport manage- ment and police command staff members meet directly with TSA as needed. Operations LEOs are embedded in the airport manager structure and as such share information freely, interact daily, attend meetings jointly, and work directly with the airport operations staff. Relationships In terms of jurisdiction, the airport is surrounded by two different cities. There is a high level of coordination among all three police agencies. Department of Public Safety The public safety model has been used successfully since the mid-1960s at BNA, which uses the DPS to provide law enforcement, aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF), and emergency medical services (Nashville International Airport, 2019). Officers at BNA are trained at both the fire and police academies (Nashville International Airport, 2019). The training standards for BNA LEOs are set by the Tennessee Police Standards and Training Commission (Nashville International Airport, 2019). The ARFF operation at BNA is specially equipped for airfield operations and consequently can respond much more quickly and effectively to airfield emergencies (Nashville International Airport, 2019). The BNA DPS uses multiple patrol modes—including bicycle, foot, and vehicular patrols— to provide the highest levels of safety (Nashville International Airport, 2019). Management and Oversight The DPS is led by the COO for strategic direction, and a chief leads a department of admin- istrative staff, commissioned officers, and traffic enforcement officers. The commissioned

58 Models for Law Enforcement at Airports officers are in place to meet 49 CFR Part 1542.217 requirements (Nashville International Airport, 2019). TSA The DPS works closely with TSA to execute its duties, providing safety to all airport stake- holders. Currently, TSA operates BNA’s K-9 explosive detection program. TSA supplies and trains the dogs. Both dogs and handlers are trained by TSA at the Lackland Air Force Base in a 12-week program designed to train participants in explosive detection in aircraft, baggage, buildings, cargo, and vehicles (Nashville International Airport, 2019). Operations The BNA DPS operates its own bicycle patrol units, criminal investigations division, crisis negotiation team, hazardous devices team, hostage negotiations unit, intelligence gathering, K-9 explosive detection teams, medical technician unit, and SWAT team (Nashville Inter- national Airport, 2019). Relationships The BNA DPS works in cooperation with multiple federal, local, and state agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), FAA, FBI, ICE, Internal Revenue Service, Metropolitan Nashville Office of Emergency Management, Metropolitan Nashville Police and Fire Departments, U.S. Secret Service, Department of State, TSA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and U.S. Postal Inspector (Nashville International Airport, 2019). The DPS also operates a Criminal Investigation Division that investigates any crime involving the airport. This division is led by a lieutenant with other investigators and operates as needed in partnership with the DHS; DEA; FBI; Metropolitan Nashville Police Department; Secret Service; and other federal, local, and state partners (Nashville International Airport, 2019). State Police Boston Logan International Airport in Boston, MA, is a Category X airport that is owned by Massport, with law enforcement provided by the state police (Troop F). Management and Oversight Airport management oversees all stakeholders, and the state police have direct control and management over all law enforcement functions and responses. Massport is in frequent com- munication with airport law enforcement and works together with law enforcement in a unified command structure when needed. Massport does not have direct control over specific job policies or equipment access but does exert influence and control over the Airport Security Program and LEO response and requirements policies. All LEO assets are controlled and managed by the Troop F major. LEOs are assigned to the airport by transfer, often based on seniority, with no airport-specific experience required. Operations The LEOs do not have a high level of integration with airport operations. Law enforcement is primarily focused on enforcing rules and regulations on both the secure and public sides of the

Case Examples 59 airport. The state police assigned to the airport have dedicated patrols for each shift, 24/7, and are directly commanded by supervisors and management. Relationships Law enforcement experiences strong relationships with the stakeholders at Logan and has had excellent coordinated responses from them when needed. The state police organization has access to assets from other troops and to local, city, and federal law enforcement resources. In terms of jurisdiction, some challenges have occurred in dealing with crimes reported while aircraft are in flight as this requires a federal agency response. While the state police are available upon landing, there can be delays in the federal response availability. Through relationships with other agencies, the LEOs have access to bomb squads, K-9 units, explosive detection, hostage negotiations, and SWAT. Training Airport-specific training is provided on a funds-available basis and includes training on active shooters, aerodrome violations, airport operations, behavior detection, EOD, emergency drills, hackney, K-9, specialty weapon training, and TSA role. Security LEOs are stationed at security checkpoints throughout Boston Logan International Airport. The LEOs are armed and have the authority to enforce state law while security personnel do not. Airfield Access The LEOs are trained to drive on the airfield but are only allowed to drive unescorted on the non–FAA-controlled AOA.

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Each airport and its law enforcement model have a unique set of relationships, operations, and resources.

The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Synthesis 107: Models for Law Enforcement at Airports provides a concise body of knowledge to assist airport management, operators, researchers, and users by detailing the varying types of law enforcement models available to them.

The types of airport law enforcement models include airport police, city police, county sheriffs, departments of public safety, and state police. Many airports operate by using layers of law enforcement responses composed of more than one law enforcement model.

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