TSA, police officers protect departures

Following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, airport security across the country was beefed up. The Transportation Security Administration began screening passengers boarding flights in late 2002, replacing airline personnel who previously performed those duties.

During boarding, three TSA officers screen passengers coming through the sole gate at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. In addition, a Cape Girardeau police patrolman or sergeant is stationed at the airport during arrivals and departures.

"I'd rather have too much security than not enough," said airport manager Bruce Loy.

His sentiment was echoed by some passengers at the airport.

"With today's situation, the more the merrier," passenger James Garcia said.

Garcia, 49, of San Antonio, Texas, was flying out of Cape Girardeau for the first time Friday morning. An employee of the International Machinists and Aerospace Workers Union, Garcia flies two to three times a week, often out of airports the size of Cape Girardeau's.

In some of those airports, Garcia said, he has seen four to six TSA officials working.

During the early 1990s, no screening was done at the airport, according to Larry Graff, regional manager for RegionsAir, the airport's commuter airline. Passengers were "reverse screened" upon their arrival in St. Louis, he said.

In 1994, RegionsAir took over screening at the Cape Girardeau airport. Two or three employees from the airline conducted the screening, Graff said. Any more security screeners would not have been necessary, he said. "Not for the size airports we have."

Loy said the security experience a passenger encounters at the airport did not change much when TSA took over in November 2002. Since then, six or seven transportation security officers have been working at the local airport, according to TSA spokeswoman Carrie Harmon. However, most of the employees work part time, and not all work at the same time.

The TSA is capped at 43,000 screeners nationwide.

In early 2002, Cape Girardeau police officers began working regularly out of the airport as additional security. The officers rotate their shifts to ensure the airport is covered seven days a week during arrivals and departures, according to police spokesman Jason Selzer.

The city pays the officers' salaries but is reimbursed by the federal government for the time they spend at the airport, Selzer said.

In addition to passengers walking through a metal detector, all bags are put through an explosive trace detection machine. Those that set off an alarm are hand checked, Harmon said.

These security procedures are the same for every airport throughout the country, regardless of size, she said.

During his nine years as manager, Loy said, the only reported incidents were minor and included passengers inadvertently attempting to carry such items as lighters or nail clippers on board.

kmorrison@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127