"Hartsfield security breach studied"

Saturday, July 23, 2005

Airport security breach studied
By KIRSTEN TAGAMI
The Atlanta (GA) Journal-Constitution


Authorities are looking into how seven people were able to bypass security
screening by walking through an unlocked door at Hartsfield-Jackson
International Airport early Friday.

Two of the people were never found, so all 50 passengers who were in the
airport's T concourse at about 1:45 a.m. were rescreened through the main
security checkpoint, said Christopher White, spokesman for the
Transportation Security Administration.

The breach happened at 1:38 a.m. when the seven, which included a family of
four, walked through a door on the south side of the main terminal to the T
concourse, White said. A security screener saw at least one of them on the
wrong side of the door and notified his bosses, who shut down the main
checkpoint at 1:45 a.m. They reviewed a security tape to determine how many
had gone through the door, said White.

"We don't think there's any malicious intent," said White.

The breach didn't cause any flight delays, and the security checkpoint
re-opened at 4:15 a.m.

President Bush landed at the airport at midmorning, but his route didn't
take him through the main terminal.

A year ago, airport and federal security officials held meetings to improve
the security of airport doors after a man walked through a door onto the
tarmac and drove a baggage tug down an active taxiway. He was caught by
aircraft mechanics in a Delta Air Lines maintenance hangar.

Airport Spokeswoman Felicia Browder said she didn't know why the door's
alarm didn't sound, but that it may have been a problem with the alarm
system.


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