Cooperative Security - The Airline-Industry Response to Cargo Theft (From Controlling Cargo Theft - A Handbook of Transportation Security, P 449-465, 1983, Louis A Tyska and Lawrence J Fennelly, ed. - See NCJ-88969)

• NCJ Number: 88979
• Author(s): H J Murphy
• Date Published: 1983
• Length: 17 pages
• Sale Source: Butterworth-Heinemann
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The Security Committee of the Air Transport Association (ATA), composed of the security directors of the scheduled air carriers in the United States, has developed security policy agreements, facilitated the development of local security committees, analyzed theft patterns, and created liaisons with various security personnel and organizations.

Abstract

The Security Committee of the ATA found a need to set security policy and develop a cargo security system that will counter security vulnerabilities. There was policy agreement on giving priority to prevention, sharing effective security approaches among carriers, developing security awareness in airline and airport employees, and the creation of security procedures that do not unduly hamper cargo flow procedures. The security directors analyzed security vulnerabilities and found them to be in the categories of administrative, personnel, physical, and operational. Further, the ATA Security Committee found that nearly all the security problems were at the large hub airports. The security directors established local ATA security committees at 12 of the largest airports. The network eventually expanded to 50 airports. These committees, composed of representatives of every carrier using the airport, meet monthly to consider security concerns. The parent ATA Security Committee conducts an annual workshop for the new chairpersons of the local security committees. Liaisons are encouraged between security directors and the freight claims examiners of the airlines, the National Cargo Security Council, the International Association of Airline Security Officers, the American Society for Industrial Security, and with public law enforcement. As a result of an intense and cooperative focus on security, security awareness has increased among personnel and sound operational and security procedures are in place. Further, in 1969 and 1970, about 66 percent of claims were theft-related and 34 percent were from damage or delay. In the last few years, the percentage of theft-related claims have dropped to a little under 50 percent. Tabular data are provided on freight claims for airlines from 1969-80.