"Airport police have 'dual role,' says Hartsfield chief"

Wednesday, December 22, 2004

Police have 'dual role,' says airport chief
By KIRSTEN TAGAMI, BILL MONTGOMERY
The Atlanta (GA) Journal-Constitution


Ben DeCosta, general manager at -Jackson International Airport, is looking
for a little more customer service both inside and outside the terminal as
the seasonal rush of passengers arrives this week.

The airport received national attention after a Stockbridge woman was thrown
to the pavement by an Atlanta police officer last month during an arrest on
traffic-related violations.

The incident was caught on the airport's security cameras, and the tape was
shown on ABC-TV's "Good Morning America."

Mayor Shirley Franklin has ordered DeCosta and police Chief Richard
Pennington to look into "allegations of police brutality" at the airport.
The mayor said this week she is still waiting to hear back from Pennington
and DeCosta.

DeCosta indicated recently that one of the things he will seek is more
customer service training for police at the airport.

"I intend to have a conversation with Chief Pennington about that," DeCosta
said. "Police officers have a dual role. They enforce laws and protect us,
and they are usually very strong in that role.

"At the airport, especially, they also have a role in providing customer
service - seeking out ways of assisting people. I want to have a
conversation with Chief Pennington about that role."

The two had not met as of last week, DeCosta said. Pennington could not be
reached for comment.

Atlanta officer Terence Alexander remains on medical leave after his Nov. 2
confrontation with Diana Dietrich-Barnes of Stockbridge, according to the
officer's lawyer, Tecora Bowen.

Alexander threw Dietrich-Barnes to the pavement in an effort to arrest her
for a traffic violation while she was dropping off her mother at the
airport.

After reviewing an airport security videotape of the incident, Alexander's
supervisors dropped charges of illegal parking, battery and obstruction that
he had filed against Dietrich-Barnes.

The officer, who said he was injured by the woman, then tried to get three
felony charges filed against her in Clayton County, where the airport is
located. Clayton Magistrate Gloria Darty Reed refused to hear the case.

The officer returned briefly to work after being cleared by a workers'
compensation physician but now is back on medical leave, the attorney said.

The police department continues to investigate the incident, a spokesman
said.


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