"McCarran says it's safe"

Tuesday, September 25, 2001

McCarran says it's safe
Decentralized security tightened at airport
By Jace Radke 
THE LAS VEGAS (NV) SUN


Is McCarran International Airport secure? Is it safe for passengers?

The answer to both of those questions is a resounding "Yes," according
to Clark County Aviation Director Randy Walker. He is confident in that
assessment even though McCarran relies on a three-pronged security
system with no central authority.

Security at McCarran, as well as at all other airports in this country,
is decentralized because that is the way the system was designed by the
Federal Aviation Administration. At McCarran security falls under three
distinct divisions of authority:

The Clark County Aviation Department, which operates McCarran, maintains
its own security administration at the airport with responsibility for
security badges issued to airport and airline employees.

Metro Police, which has a substation at the airport, is charged with
apprehending individuals who breach airport security or cause
disruptions on flights.

The airlines that use McCarran are responsible for screening baggage and
all other items that go onto the airplane. They also are responsible for
scanning passengers and carry-on baggage that pass through security
checkpoints at the entrance of terminals. At McCarran, the airlines have
hired Argenbright Security of Atlanta to perform the checkpoint
security.

"Overall, aviation transportation is very safe, and with the increased
security measures since those despicable acts, there is a very high
level of security," Walker said.

Two federal task forces -- one focusing on airlines, the other on
airport security -- are scheduled to forward recommendations Monday to
Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta that could make McCarran and
other airports even safer.

The FAA, which has a local security office to make sure McCarran and its
airlines follow federal security guidelines, initially reacted to the
terrorism by barring curbside baggage check-in and parking within 300
feet of a terminal building, and by barring passengers from carrying any
sharp objects aboard the planes.

The task forces are expected to make additional recommendations that
will likely address armed air marshals aboard planes, cockpit access and
federal control of security checkpoints.

The FAA's current regulations provide only a baseline for security,
leaving airports and airlines to decide how they will protect
passengers. Security procedures outlined in Federal Aviation Regulations
107 and 108, which deal with airline and airport security, are
"purposefully vague," FAA spokesman Jerry Snyder said.

Airports and airlines have been left to tailor their own security plans,
which are then submitted to the FAA for approval and kept confidential.
Because of the secrecy surrounding the plans, it's difficult to compare
plans among airports or even among airlines.

"A lot of that information, should it get in the hands of someone who
wants to thwart security, would be valuable," Snyder said.

The FAA serves as a watchdog to make sure that airlines and airports
follow their plans.

"Once the plan is approved, we go through and test it, but that doesn't
mean that every airport or airline has the same security," Snyder said.
"Within the security community, there are forums and meetings that allow
for ideas to be shared, and when the FAA finds things that work, we make
recommendations."

McCarran had no violations of its plan from 1997 through 2000, according
to FAA records. However, it's impossible to determine whether airlines
were cited for violations at McCarran, because when the FAA cites
airlines, it does not release at which airports the violations occurred.

McCarran's largest carrier, Southwest Airlines, had a
greater-than-average history of security violations between 1997 and
2000. It led all airlines in the amount of fines it paid for violations
per million passenger miles flown: $10.37, compared with an industry
average of about $7, according to the FAA.

Southwest spokeswoman Kristen Nelson, said that the numbers do not give
a true picture of security at Southwest, because airline fines are
filtered down through the largest carrier at an airport. The system is
similar to when a group of friends go out to dinner and the individuals
pay their portion of the tab to one of the friends, who then pays the
bill with a credit card.

"Security is a shared responsibility," Nelson said. "Every carrier is
responsible for their own security, but as a matter of convenience the
FAA usually sends a fine to the largest carrier at the airport. The
other airlines then pay the fines through the biggest carrier at the
airport."

McCarran security

The front line for security at McCarran starts with clip-on badges that
give the 12,000 airport and airline employees access to various parts of
the airport, from the terminals to the runways. The badges are issued by
the county aviation department's security division.

All of the badges include picture identification with coded strips on
the back. McCarran, in fact, became the nation's first airport to use
computerized identification badges in 1990.

Three colors of badges provide different levels of access.

Food servers and employees at the various shops in the airport receive
white badges, which allow them access through employee-only entrances
into their shops.

Green badges, the middle security level, are given to employees who need
to get out on the ramp and around the planes, such as custodians,
mechanics and baggage handlers.

Red cards allow access to the entire runway and are used by police
officers, firefighters and some maintenance and repair personnel.

All individuals with passes have to go through security checkpoints in
the airport building, though workers wearing red passes can get to the
runways through entrances that bypass the metal detectors.

Airport administrators decide whether to issue badges to potential
employees based on a lengthy process.

McCarran security administrators first verify employment histories of
the past 10 years. Metro Police then conducts criminal background
checks, also going back 10 years. Now all criminal checks are being
redone, after the the FAA on Monday ordered that precaution, Metro
airport unit Sgt. Robert Bullard said.

"Everybody gets the same check, so we can see if they are wanted in any
jurisdictions," Bullard said. "There is a list of about 20 crimes that
the FAA sets out as automatic disqualifiers if committed in the 10 years
prior to the check."

Some of the crimes on the FAA's list include murder, assault, espionage,
kidnapping, rape or sexual abuse, armed robbery, felony arson and
various aircraft-related crimes, including piracy.

A felony conviction will get applicants rejected in most cases. But some
felonies, such as burglaries and possession of controlled substances
without intent to distribute, are not on the list of crimes that call
for automatic denial of security clearance.

"There are some crimes that aren't on the list, like burglary, but if
applicants have been convicted of those crimes, they can still be
denied," Bullard said. "It's a case-by-case basis. We've denied people
with misdemeanors."

While other states don't require it, in Nevada all security
consultants,including Argenbright, must have a state-issued work card,
according to Carol Hanna, executive director of the Nevada Private
Investigators Licensing Board."No one with a felony conviction or a
record of dangerous weapons offense and crimes involving moral
turpitude, can get a work card," Hanna said.

Once applicants pass the background check, they must take a one-hour
class on airport security and score 100 percent on a written exam
covering what they learned.

McCarran's security administrator, Al Krisch, oversees those measures.
Krisch has a military background, piloting experience and is a former
air operations coordinator at McCarran, airport spokeswoman Debbie
Millett said, though she added that the county would not release his
resume.

Hired in January 1992, Krisch makes about $56,600 annually. The minimum
requirements for his job, according to county records, include the
equivalent of a bachelor's degree in business or public administration
and at least three years of experience in airport security. Law
enforcement experience also is preferable.

Krisch's office maintains an emergency response plan that details the
responsibilities of law enforcement agencies, airport security and
rescue personnel in case of a calamity at McCarran. The document, which
is not public, is on file with the FAA.

Members of the airport security team meet monthly with Metro,
Argenbright and, if necessary, the FBI, U.S. Customs Service and
Immigration and Naturalization Service to discuss security issues. Since
the recent attacks, those meetings have occurred daily.

"They've had more meetings than I can count," Walker said. "I've had
staff meet until 3 in the morning. At the moment the goal is to do what
is necessary."

Metro Police

While McCarran's security function is largely administrative, its staff
relies heavily on Metro Police stationed at the airport to give security
regulations teeth.

If someone runs through a security checkpoint or goes into an
unauthorized area, Metro officers are dispatched. Unruly passengers and
fights either in airplanes or in the airport also get a Metro response.

FAA rules require the Metro officers stationed at McCarran to get
training in airport security beyond their police academy training,
including the "courteous and efficient treatment of persons subject to
inspection, detention, search, arrest and other aviation security
activities."

The 39 officers, six sergeants and one lieutenant who are assigned to
the airport police detachment consider the airport a small community,
Lt. Bill Cavagnaro, who leads Metro's airport section.

"Like any community, there is going to be some criminal activity and
disturbances," Cavagnaro said.

Since the recent attacks, Metro's presence has increased, with all
officers assigned to the airport working five 12-hour days a week
instead of the normal four 10-hour days, Cavagnaro said. Their salaries
are paid by the county's aviation department.

Metro officials and McCarran administrators are discussing whether to
increase Metro's contingent at the airport, but no decisions have been
made yet.

Metro officers are the only security members allowed to carry firearms
in the airport, with the exception of federal air marshals, who already
have started boarding planes.

Airline security

FAA guidelines require airlines to cover two major areas of security:
baggage handling and security checkpoints. The airlines at McCarran have
contracted with Argenbright, an Atlanta-based company owned by
international security provider Securicor, to staff the checkpoints.

The largest carrier at an airport -- it's Southwest at McCarran -- is
responsible for choosing the firm to check the passengers and their
carry-on bags, and the other airlines pay their share of the contract.

Argenbright has provided checkpoint security at McCarran for 12 years
and provides security at about 40 percent of the nation's airports,
including 17 of the 20 largest airports in the country, according to
Securicor's website.

Argenbright runs checkpoints at Washington Dulles and Newark, N.J.,
airports, where two of the four hijacked planes originated on Sept. 11.
The company has about 16,000 employees in the U.S. and 4,000 employees
in Europe, where the firm operates as ADI, and provides security
services at London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports among others.

Last year the company was fined $1 million after pleading guilty to
charges of conducting inadequate training, testing and background checks
on employees who staffed checkpoints at the Philadelphia airport from
1995 to 1998.

When asked about the number of security employees at McCarran and the
training they receive, an Argenbright spokesman initially promised to
provide the information, but did not return numerous follow-up calls
from the Sun.

According to Nevada Private Investigator Licensing Boardrecords
Argenbright has about 100 contract security workers statewide.

A spokeswoman for the board did not know how many were stationed at
McCarran, and added that there have been no complaints about Argenbright
to her office.

The FAA requires screeners to have at least a high school degree or
general equivalency diploma, and they must possess proper color
perception, physical coordination and motor skills. All screeners are
subject to annual evaluations.

Who should be doing the screening at the nation's airports is the focus
of much of the debate on airport security, with many elected officials,
including Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., calling for federal agents to take
over the security checkpoints.

Walker said that he doesn't see too many arguing with that idea.

"It's fairly universal that we need to find another way to do the
security screening that is not the airlines," Walker said. "The airlines
are a business, and a business always looks at the bottom line. When
they bid out, they tend to go with the lowest bidder.

"They think price first, and I think what we need to do is reverse it
and think safety first."

Walker said one alternative is that the local governments that run the
airports could take charge of the screening process, but it would have
to happen industry-wide.

"That could be something that could be talked about, but the discussion
I hear most is to federalize it."

The Air Transport Association, a trade association representing 22
airlines, has asked the FAA to study turning the screening process over
to the federal government.

The FAA has estimated that putting the federal government in charge of
baggage and passenger screening could cost taxpayers as much as $2
billion a year.

All items that go onto the airplanes besides passengers and their
carry-on bags are screened by airline employees or others hired by the
airline. That includes checked baggage, food, gasoline and even blankets
and pillows.

Spokeswomen from both Southwest and America West, McCarran's second
largest carrier, said that checked baggage is screened in large rooms
behind the ticketing counters, but the exact nature of that screening is
confidential.

Since the attacks, Southwest Airlines also has had screeners examine the
contents of checked baggage at the ticket counter, Southwest spokeswoman
Kristen Nelson said.

Once checked, the baggage continues to be handled by airline employees,
known as ramp agents, until it is loaded onto the airplane.

The FAA requires ramp agents to undergo the same background checks as
other airport employees but does not lay out training they should
receive.

Southwest's ramp agents receive all of their training from Southwest,
Nelson said. America West declined to comment about training it requires
of its ramp agents.

Airlines also are responsible for keeping the planes secure while at the
airport, and must conduct a security inspection before placing an
airplane into service or after it has been left unattended.

"We meticulously enforce all security procedures, and there are
precautions and checks that go on between the counter and the plane,"
Nelson said. "Safety is always our first priority, and we will work with
the government to implement the best safety precautions and procedures."

Attached Photo's:

Skycap Henry Cluess searches an American Airlines passenger's suitcase
at McCarran International Airport on Wednesday.

Aviation Director Randy Walker, shown last week at a news conference at
the George Federal Courthouse, said of airport security, "Overall,
aviation transportation is very safe, and with the increased security
measures since those despicable acts, there is a very high level of
security."

CARS ARE BLOCKED from parking curbside as people unload their belongings
at McCarran International Airport on Wednesday. After the terrorist acts
on Sept. 11, the Federal Aviation Administration barred curbside baggage
check-in and parking within 300 feet of a terminal building.

mccarran_skycap.jpg

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