"TSA chief at Hartsfield-Jackson to be replaced"

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

TSA chief at Hartsfield-Jackson to be replaced
By JIM THARPE
The Atlanta (GA) Journal-Constitution


The federal agency that provides security at Hartsfield-Jackson
International Airport will soon put a new boss in charge of its operations
there.

Willie Williams, the head of the Transportation Security Administration's
Atlanta office, said Wednesday he is being reassigned and that a new interim
head of the local office will be named within a few days.

"I've sort of beat the record, being here 6 and 1/2 years," Williams told
the AJC. " I guess at 64 I'm just not ready to hang it up."

Williams said he will head a new national program to coordinate security in
airport operations other than checkpoints. The Aviation Vulnerability
Reduction program aims to strengthen coordination between the TSA, law
enforcement, airlines and airports. Williams said he makes about $160,000 a
year, which is top of scale, and will not get a raise.

The TSA is seeking a replacement in Atlanta for Williams, who'll remain in
the local post until July 7. The Federal Security Director in Atlanta
oversees 1,100 employees at the world's busiest airport. The TSA's Atlanta
operation is one of the agency's largest.

Williams and his counterpart in Boston are the only two original TSA airport
security directors still on the job, he said. They were hired in early 2002,
shortly after the agency was created in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist
hijackings. Williams had gained a national reputation as the top police
official in Los Angeles during the 1990s, though he had been out of that job
for several years when hired by the TSA.

Williams and the agency have come under periodic fire over for staffing
problems at Hartsfield-Jackson that have led to massive delays at security
gates. Wait times during peak periods have at times approached an hour.
Airport officials want security waits to be 15-20 minutes or less during the
busiest travel times.

Williams said Wednesday that those complaints have nothing to do with his
job change.

"The challenge here with the lines has been the configuration," Williams
said, pointing out that the airport is now adding additional security gates.
"With the new lanes I think that problem will go away."

This past winter, TSA chief Kip Hawley came to Atlanta to inspect the
security operation. Members of Georgia's congressional delegation recently
wrote Hawley demanding improvements.

Hartsfield-Jackson officials have complained that TSA does not properly
staff all security gates during peak travel times, and general manager Ben
DeCosta has traveled to Washington to meet with top TSA officials about the
issue.

About 89 million passengers a year use Hartsfield-Jackson

Most recently, the agency has shipped in personnel from other airports to
assist at Hartsfield-Jackson during the heaviest travel times.

Mo McGowan, TSA assistant administrator for Security Operations, said
Williams' experience makes him a logical choice to head the new national
program.

"Willie is truly one of the nation's leaders in law enforcement and an
experienced innovator in community policing," McGowan said in a statement.
"His specialized law enforcement experience and knowledge gained as security
director of the world's busiest airport make him uniquely suited for this
initiative."

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