Revisiting Comments 25 Years After 9/11/01 - Part 5

Airport security procedures we accept as routine today were not, prior to 9/11/01, so complicated.

Mayor Kenneth Hahn spoke on 9/29/01  in response to remarks made by President Bush on 9/21/01, during weekly talks to the American. Unlike current divided partisan remarks the words expressed by the Mayor were accommodating and in support.

Mayor Hahn could see the Pentagon after it had been hit by Flight - the smoke, he was away from Los Angeles  and was unable to return for a couple of days. 

Mayor Hahn was chosen to lead  the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Task Force on Airport Security the following month.  He detailed “We can see what works in our cities that maybe they’re not able to see directly at the national level,” in addition to supporting legislation to federalize passenger and baggage screeners at airports. The Avalon Project : S 1447 Airport Security Federalization Act of 2001 (Engrossed House Amendment); November 6, 2001

Also, during this time Mayor Hahn objected to " A $12 billion plan to add terminals and expand parking at Los Angeles International Airport should be scaled back to allow more emphasis on improving security and air safety" was contrasted with the cost of Security $800k/day. "Former Mayor Richard Riordan proposed the expansion plan to accommodate 89 million travelers a year by 2015. "   CNN.com - L.A. mayor wants smaller airport expansion - October 9, 2001

Mayor Hahn passionately campaigned in DC for S1447, a 51 page piece of legislation which completely changed the way Americans traveled, the security protocol was now very regulated.

BILLS-107s1447enr.pdf  This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Aviation and Transportation
Security Act’’.     S.1447 - 107th Congress (2001-2002): Aviation and Transportation Security Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress 

• (Sec. 102) Establishes within DOT the Transportation Security Oversight Board to: 
  • (1) review and approve regulations issued by the Under Secretary with respect to transportation security matters; and 
  • (2) facilitate the coordination of intelligence, security, and law enforcement activities affecting transportation.
• (Sec. 103) Establishes at each U.S. airport the position of Federal Security Manager who shall oversee the screening of passengers and property at the airport.
• (Sec. 104) Directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to: 
  • (1) issue an order that prohibits access to the flight deck (cockpit) of aircraft engaged in passenger air transportation or intrastate air transportation except to authorized personnel,
  • requires the strengthening of the cockpit door and locks on such aircraft so that it has a rigid door in a bulkhead between the cockpit and the passenger area
  • Requires that such cockpit doors remain locked while the aircraft is in flight
  • (2) take such other action, including modification of safety and security procedures and cockpit redesign, as may be necessary to ensure the safety and security of the aircraft.
• (Sec. 105) Declares that the Under Secretary: 
  • (1) may place Federal air marshals on every passenger flight in air transportation or intrastate air transportation; 
  • (2) shall place them on every such flight (especially long-distance flights) determined to present high security risks; 
  • (3) shall provide appropriate training, supervision, and equipment of such marshals; 
  • (4) may use appropriately-trained Federal, State, and local armed law enforcement personnel when traveling on a flight to assist Federal marshals; 
  • (5) may appoint retired law enforcement officers and members of the Armed Forces and persons who have been furloughed from an air carrier crew position in the one-year period beginning on September 11, 2001, as Federal air marshals, regardless of age, provided they meet appropriate background and fitness qualifications; and 
  • (6) may use, in the interim, Federal personnel to provide air marshal service.
• (Sec. 106) Authorizes the Under Secretary, through a memorandum of understanding or other agreement with the Attorney General or head of a Federal law enforcement agency, to order the deployment of Federal law enforcement personnel at secure areas of an airport to counter the risk of criminal violence or aircraft piracy, the risk to air carrier aircraft operations at such airport, or to meet national security concerns.

GAO-03-1150T Aviation Security: Progress Since September 11, 2001, and the Challenges Ahead

• Security of our nation’s civil aviation system has assumed renewed urgency
• Efforts to strengthen aviation security have received a great deal of congressional attention
• November 19, 2001, the Congress enacted the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA)
  • Created the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) within the Department of Transportation (DOT) 
  • Defined its primary responsibility as ensuring security in aviation as well as in other modes of transportation. 
• The Homeland Security Act, passed on November 25, 2002, transferred TSA to the new Department of Homeland Security, which assumed overall responsibility for aviation security. 
• GAO was asked to describe the progress that has been made since September 11 
  • To strengthen aviation security
  • Potential vulnerabilities that remain
  • Longer-term management and organizational challenges to sustaining enhanced aviation security."

House votes against fully federalizing airport security - Government Executive

Hahn Pushes Airport Security Bill - Los Angeles Times

LA mayor appointed to air safety task force. Category: Features from The Berkeley Daily PlanetLA 

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