Category - Security

When you think of cities with large high-tech and engineering sectors, you probably think of San Jose, CA. Or Austin, TX. Or maybe even Huntsville, AL. But Melbourne, FL, is a powerhouse of its own, with key facilities for Northrop Grumman, Rockwell Collins, L3, General Dynamics, Thales, Embraer Executive Jets, and the world headquarters of Harris Corp.

In February, Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) began requiring workers to carry their personal items in clear bags when passing through security checkpoints on their way to work. The new policy began just as the House Homeland Security Committee released a report titled America's Airports: The Threat from Within, which highlighted a lack of employee screening and vetting at U.S. airports.

Creating a security system is a lot like constructing a new building-it needs to be built properly to be strong, stable and function as intended. In the last issue of Airport Improvement, we covered various foundational elements of the recent $53 million security system upgrade at Portland International Airport (PDX): a new identity management system and card readers, perimeter security upgrades, additional cameras, etc. This issue, we examine the relocation and automation of PDX's exit lanes-the roof that tops off the security system construction to protect the airport's workers and 20 million annual passengers.

Airport security is like a vexing jigsaw puzzle: There are many unique pieces, and all must fit together seamlessly to achieve a cohesive overall design.

Until recently, Nan Walsh was concerned about the "security of the security" at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL), a Part 139 facility in a particularly lake-dotted portion of central Florida. As assistant director of LAL, Walsh felt that the dated, stand-alone security system the airport had been using had "reliability issues." And that was putting it diplomatically.

Between international turmoil, nationwide security challenges and the headlines that invariably follow, Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is implementing an autonomous security master plan. As security manager at PHL, Renee Tufts is accustomed to playing in the big leagues. If a security incident occurs at a small, rural airport, news may trickle around the nation or industry; but if a similar issue occurs at a large airport, the floodgates swing wide open, Tufts explains.

As TSA continues on pace to break its all-time annual record for firearms collected at checkpoints, guns continue to aggravate security efforts at U.S. airports. But the problems don't end with the recovery of wayward weapons at passenger screening stations.

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.

A new $3.1 million security system that went online at Miami International Airport (MIA) is providing one of the country's largest international hubs with new tools for detecting taxiway and runway incursions.

A new security system at Colorado's Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE) is helping the general aviation airport mitigate its previously recurrent problem of taxiway incursions.

Steve Guthrie, airport security coordinator at Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN) in central Idaho, will be the first to tell you that small general aviation airports must contend with the same TSA directives as the largest commercial airports. Guthrie will also be the first to speak volumes about the time and effort his Category III commercial services facility has saved using some of the same security-specific computer systems as much larger airports.