NCJ Number
193259
Date Published
October 2001
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This paper discusses why federalizing airport security is not the way to keep airports and air travelers safe and suggests an alternate solution.
Abstract
The paper claims that America needs a system that safeguards an entire airport, with one party held responsible for all aspects of its security. The Senate's plan to federalize passenger screening operations would do nothing about controlling access to the rest of the airport for the thousands of caterers, cleaners, and refuelers and many others who lack mandatory background checks or secure identification cards. Second, America needs a system that is flexible and forward-looking. Management must be able to discipline or fire employees who are incompetent or untrustworthy, which is difficult if they are Federal civil servants. Policymakers need to take account of the fact that passenger airports vary in size and design. The paper suggests that a wise approach would be for the Federal Government to set tough performance standards but allow each airport to tailor its security systems to its unique circumstances. This would allow the country's several hundred major airports to experiment with different approaches to determine what really does work best. In conclusion, the article emphasizes that America does not need a large new Federal civil service workforce for airport security. Rather, it needs much tougher Federal requirements that hold the airports fully responsible for all aspects of security, with significant fines and the threat of shutdown for airports that do not take their responsibilities seriously.