"Las Vegas airport chief not sold on private screeners"

Thursday, June 24, 2004

Airport chief not sold on private screeners
By Jace Radke 
THE LAS VEGAS (NV) SUN


Clark County Aviation Director Randy Walker said he doesn't know what
the benefit would be in replacing federal screeners with private
security forces at McCarran International Airport.

Walker was one of hundreds of airport executives who heard about the new
plan to allow airports the option of privatizing screening during a
speech by Homeland Security Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson at the Las
Vegas Hilton on Wednesday.

The plan would allow airports to apply to use private screeners
beginning Nov. 19, but the Transportation Security Administration will
choose the security company and manage and pay the screeners.

"If they (the TSA) are going to dictate the number of screeners and
dictate the salaries then what's the point of opting out?" Walker asked.
"We need to look at the rules and structure what is being planned and
weigh the positives and negatives of it before we make a conclusive
decision.

"We need to see what flexibility we would have, but if the federal
government is going to dictate I'm not really sure where the benefits
are."

Hutchinson outlined the plan at the American Association of Airport
Executives Conference and said he didn't know if a switch to private
screeners would be advantageous to airports.

"It gives airports a choice," Hutchinson said. "We believe that the
federal screener workforce has performed admirably, but it's important
to have a legitimate option for airports to consider."

Hutchinson said that airports could give advice as to what security
provider would be used, but that the TSA would make the choice.

"We will maintain authority and insure compliance with screening
standards," Hutchinson said. "We will have direct management of the
screeners."

Hutchinson said that studies conducted in San Francisco, Kansas City,
Rochester, N.Y., Jackson Hole, Wyo., and Tupelo, Miss., the cities with
airports that have been testing private security screeners, show that
federal screeners and private workers are roughly equivalent when it
comes to cost, effectiveness and security.

Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., chairman of the House transportation aviation
subcommittee, has estimated that as much as 25 percent of the nation's
429 airports will opt for private security. Hutchinson cautioned that if
that were to happen the federal screeners at those airports would not be
reshuffled to airports in need of additional screeners like McCarran.

There is a cap of 45,000 screeners nationwide, and the TSA is only
budgeted to pay for that many screeners whether they are private or
federal.

A second option for airports looking to opt out of federal screeners is
for the airport to apply to create its own security force in the form of
a new for-profit business, but that is not an option at McCarran, Walker
said.

A public agency, like the Clark County Department of Aviation, is
prohibited by the state constitution from operating a for-profit
business, Walker said.

The TSA released a 20-page document Wednesday with a basic outline of
the steps airports need to take to apply to opt out of federal
screening.

"It's a work in progress at this point," Walker said. "My expectation is
that when I read it there are going to be a lot of unanswered
questions."


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