One Year After LAX Shooting, Airport Police Union Highlights Unresolved Security Issues & Calls for Change

A year later and the Airport Police union says the fatal shooting of an on-duty TSA officer has not prompted any changes.

When TSA Officer Gerardo Hernandez was shot at killed at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on November 1, 2013, a chaotic model of airport policing emerged. Final reports about the incident state that underfunded airport police and a split-policing model of LAPD officers supplementing airport security were partially to blame.

Now, a year later, it seems that little has been done to implement changes—and the Airport Police union is speaking out. Union officials said that even though split-policing was part of the problem, the practice continues at the airport. In addition, LAX still does not have a dedicated airport police incident-command-post vehicle and the security staff has shrunk to its lowest level in 6 years.

In response to the current claims by the Airport Police union, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) published a report titled After Action Report Improvement Plan and Airport Police Update, publicly outlining 15 categories that airport officials have been working on or have completed to remedy security issues brought forth by the shooting. The report shows that LAWA is working in conjunction with both the city and county of Los Angeles to enact changes. Some of the updates implemented include a mass public notification system, enhancements to airport operating procedures, incident command and response drills, clarification of both the LAPD and Airport Police roles in an emergency, and duress alarm repairs.

Airport Police Chief Patrick Gannon was quick to point out in the report that an incident like the LAX shooting could happen at any airport, and although he can’t guarantee it will never happen again, he insists the Airport Police will do everything in their power to improve preparedness, response and recovery.

[Photo: Los Angeles International Airport]