Sep 12, 2007 10:57 am US/Eastern
New Security Measure Eyes Airport Staffers
by Joe Shortsleeve
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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Airport employees are the latest focus of increased security.
CBS
One of the most noticeable changes since 9/11 is airport security, and yet, while the screeners search passengers at many airports, another potential danger is overlooked -- airport staff.
At Boston's Logan Airport, 14,000 workers come and go every day -- many with direct access to planes just before they take off. "You must constantly update the security clearance for those people who have badges," said George Naccara, who is in charge of the Transportation Safety Administration at Logan.
He says airport employees are the latest focus of increased security. "I think that we have to evolve just as our enemies are evolving."
WBZ's Joe Shortsleeve had a tough time getting past a secured area at Logan for this story. A criminal background check was required to get near the airport tarmac, yet airport officials are always asking the question, what more can be done to keep passengers safe? "We should never be satisfied that we have enough," said Naccara.
That's why Logan is one of the first airports to go beyond just criminal background checks and hi-tech security systems. Logan workers are now subject to random checks. "I think that one of the best examples of success is that the employees all around the airport don't know when the TSA will be there. We could be here at midnight, we could be here at 5 o'clock in the morning."
So far, they haven't found anything like officials found in Orlando, where an airport employee smuggled weapons onto a Delta flight, but they have stopped dozens of illegal items from getting near planes. "We have found a small number of knives, mostly lighters until, of course, we changed the rules on lighters, 10-12 small knives," said Nacarra.
The checks are thorough and can be inconvenient. "Those that are dead against it are giving us a hard time about it, but we turn around and say 'well look what timothy McVeigh did and he was on American soil when it happened.'"
Officials say it's not a perfect answer, but an important part of a complicated puzzle.
Another security risk that still needs to be addressed is checking the cargo that goes onto commercial flights. A recent report by the inspector general criticizes the TSA for having faulty procedures and too few inspectors to get that job done.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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