"Detroit airport police dispute grows"

Tuesday, April 1, 2003

Airport police dispute grows
Third of Metro force wants to transfer to Sheriff's Department
By Paul Egan
The Detroit (MI) News
 

ROMULUS -- More than one-third of the police officers at Detroit
Metropolitan Airport have given notice they want to leave the airport and
transfer to the Wayne County Sheriff's Department. 

It's the latest sign of conflict between management and police officers
since an independent authority took control of the airport last year. 

Under the state law that created the authority, airport employees had until
last week to say whether they wanted to transfer to county jobs. 

"The airport officials have just made working conditions out there a
nightmare," said Ryan Florios, president of Wayne County Sheriff's
Department and Airport Police Local 502. "The airport used to be a very
sought-after job." 

Besides general policing of the airport, the officers assist federal
officers in charge of security. 

About 40 of the roughly 110 airport police officers gave notice they want to
move to the county, Florios said. He blamed understaffing, poor equipment
and a lack of training. 

Under Local 502's contract, the airport must hire new police officers
through the sheriff's department, but nobody from the department wants to
transfer to the airport, he said. 

Airport managers say union leaders are unhappy about recent reductions in
overtime as a cost-control measure. 

The airport will let the officers go, but only as it hires new officers to
replace them, airport spokesman Brian Lassaline said. 

"The safety and security of the airport is going to be our first priority,"
he said. 

Airport managers are negotiating with the union. But if managers can't
resolve issues with the union to hire through the sheriff's department, they
are prepared to break the contract and hire elsewhere, Lassaline said. 

The airport recently eliminated about 14 airport police positions it was
using overtime to fill. 

Aside from police officers, about 40 of the airport's 700 employees have
asked to return to county jobs, Lassaline said. 

Don Cox, chief of operations for the sheriff's department, said it is
difficult to find volunteers to fill airport police vacancies.

Controversial solution

One idea proposed by Ryan Florios, president of Wayne County Sheriff's and
Airport Police Local 502, is to dissolve the airport police and have the
airport patrolled by the sheriff's department. That would return to the
situation prior to 1993 when then-Executive Edward H. McNamara evicted the
sheriff's department and created the airport police as part of a dispute
with then-Sheriff Robert Ficano. 

But airport spokesman Brian Lassaline said dissolving the airport police and
using the sheriff's department is a nonstarter. "It's important to have our
own dedicated police force," he said.


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