Tuesday, September 12, 2006
7News Investigates: DIA
Airport Security
Airport Can Deny Badges Only For Felony
Convictions
KMGH-TV Ch 7 (ABC), Denver (CO)
DENVER -- Since 9/11
we have all seen major changes in airport security, including more extensive
passenger screening and barriers at curbside.
But what about the people
who work at the airport? How are they checked?
7News Investigator John
Ferrugia found a Denver International Airport worker was recently stopped after
driving on a runway; a worker who shouldn't have had an airport security
pass.
Those who are granted passes to drive inside the secure airport
perimeter have access to aircraft and runways.
"How could airport
security officials give such a permit to someone who had his driver's license
revoked years ago and who had a warrant out for his arrest?" asked
Ferrugia.
Travis Gustin worked almost a year for a contractor at DIA that
recycles the de-icer used on airplanes. Gustin not only had a security pass, he
was granted privileges to drive his personal car inside the secure areas of the
airport, including around aircraft and runways.
In April, he encountered
airport construction
"I started going the directions they had given me
and there's all these dirt roads that lead up to the runways and none of them
were marked and there was no road names on the directions that were given to
me," said Gustin. "So I'd gone up there and turned around figuring this was the
wrong way. So I just pulled off to the side completely away from everybody. At
that point, a bunch of Denver police had swarmed me like I was about to -- Like
I was a terrorist or something."
According to the Federal Aviation
Administration, aircraft were landing at DIA when an approaching United airliner
reported that a maroon car was close to the runway without a
beacon.
According to the FAA, a radar check showed that a car was driving
across an active runway. It was Travis Gustin, trying to "take a shortcut to get
to his place of employment."
The report said the "driver was arrested due
to outstanding warrants."
Records show Gustin lost his driver's license
in 2003 after a driving under the influence arrest and he never completed
requirements of his sentence. Jeferson County issued a warrant for his arrest
almost three years ago.
John Ferrugia: "How did you get a pass to drive
on the airport if you lost your license in 2003?
Travis Gustin: "I have no
idea … I'm surprised that I got the job."
Mark Nagel is the assistant
director of DIA security.
John Ferrugia: "If you had known he had a
warrant and didn't have a driver's license, would you have given him an airport
pass?"
Mike Nagel: "No … When we did the background check there were no
outstanding warrants for him on the records that we saw."
John Ferrugia:
"Which were what records?"
Mike Nagel: "The records we get from the FBI.
Also they match the CBI records."
Nagel said that even with those given
passes to drive on the airport, DIA is limited by federal law in what records it
can access.
Mike Nagel: "We had no reason to believe that was a suspended
or inactive license at the time."
John Ferrugia: "But you didn't
check?"
Mike Nagel: "Correct."
John Ferrugia: "Do you have the
right on anybody who comes to get a badge here, a security badge, to check the
department of motor vehicle to see if their license is valid?"
Mike
Nagel: "Currently that's not under our jurisdiction or in our privy so to
speak."
That means DIA must rely on the contractors who hire people like
Travis Gustin to check motor vehicle records and even warrants to insure they
are qualified to work at the airport.
Because of such restrictions, the
City of Denver is now exploring new language in its contracts with vendors that
would make it mandatory they submit driving records to DIA security.
The
city wants significant consequences should there be a problem like the one we
uncovered.
The bottom line: DIA cannot, by law, deny a badge to an
employee for anything other than a felony defined in federal
regulations.
"This particular issue is not about national security, it is
about public safety," said Ferrugia.
There are many crimes, even though
misdemeanors, which would seem to disqualify someone from certain airport jobs.
Airport officials agree. For instance: do you want someone with a history of
multiple DUI's fueling airplanes or working on aircraft engines? Wouldn't that
indicate they could be working while impaired? What about misdemeanor theft or
arson, or violent crimes?
In all these cases, DIA security officials
currently have no choice but to issue a pass.
Click or paste the link to
view the video:
http://mfile.akamai.com/12930/wmv/vod.ibsys.com/2006/0912/9828881.200k.asx