Elmira Corning Regional Airport (ELM) was still in the process of installing a new $2.4 million security system when an arriving passenger prematurely tested some of its new components. The passenger was later discovered to be suffering from dementia, and the 2013 incident decisively validated the decision to invest in new technology at the upstate New York facility.
Last year, Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) became the 19th airport to join TSA's Screening Partnership Program. Now a private firm performs its security screening for passengers and checked baggage.
Crime is down at the world's busiest passenger airport, and its "top cop" credits increased visibility of enforcement methods for much of the positive change. Specifically, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) experienced about 12% less crime last year vs. 2013. Larceny, in particular, dropped 34%. Maj. Lane A. Hagin, commanding officer of the Atlanta Police Department Airport Precinct, attributes improvement in both areas to a more conspicuous policing presence throughout the facility.
