Airport Groups Oppose TSA Plan

WASHINGTON -- Three major airport groups, in a joint letter, are protesting a government proposal that they say could make terminals less secure by weakening the authority of airport police.

The groups ask the Transportation Security Administration to drop a proposal they say would undermine security by barring airport police from closing checkpoints in emergencies. Giving closure authority only to the TSA "may compromise the safety and security" of travelers, says the letter obtained by USA TODAY.

"Police shut down streets, they shut down buildings. You don't have time to wait around" for the TSA, said Tim Kimsey, president of the Airport Law Enforcement Agencies Network, a group of airport police departments. "If you have a person breach the checkpoint with a gun, you don't want another 200 people going through screening that could become hostages."

The network detailed its concerns in a four-page letter to the TSA written with the American Association of Airport Executives and the Airports Council International, which represent airport managers and directors. The February letter -- the second or third that Kimsey said the groups have written jointly to the TSA -- protests the agency's ongoing efforts to force security measures on airports.

"It's frustrating having them come down with directives that we feel are contrary to good law enforcement practices, that are extremely expensive and that impact airport operations," Kimsey said.

Charles Chambers, head of security for the airports council, said TSA leaders are also "going beyond their regulatory authority" with a separate proposal to require airports to prevent their stores from selling items barred from airplanes.

TSA Administrator Kip Hawley said the proposals would not weaken security but acknowledged extra cost and responsibility for airports. "It's a heck of a lot of money they're putting up, and they want to be sure their money is for effective security," he said.

The TSA is considering airports' comments and plans to finalize the proposal by May.

Hawley said the proposal aims to strengthen security, as the terrorism threat level for the airline sector has been high since August, when authorities said they had foiled a plot to bomb U.S.-bound planes. Hawley said he wants police and TSA security directors working together on decisions such as closing checkpoints.

The airport groups said security might also be weakened by a TSA proposal that they say would require airports to give written details about where and when their police patrol each day.

"That really flies in the face of basic law enforcement," Kimsey said. Police need to be unpredictable, and if they have to follow a schedule, "bad guys can figure out routines," Kimsey said.

Hawley said the TSA wants to avoid duplicating airport police actions. "To coordinate," he said, "we have to know what they are doing."