engage in general law enforcement activities. For an Airport Police Officer, the airport is his/her world. For a general law enforcement officer periodically responding to an airport, the environment will be unfamiliar and present a certain level of uncertainty. To understand the airport environment, the officer must ensconce him/herself into the daily airport activities. The officer must have knowledge of the history of aviation security and how their job blends local, state, and federal law to ensure the safety of the travelling public and airport employees. The officer must not only know what they are doing, but why they are doing it and the history of incidents or plots which may have previously occurred, resulting in the development of the particular procedure or law. This knowledge can only be accomplished one way - through training. In Los Angeles, all police officers begin their career with six months training at the Los Angeles Police Department Academy, where they learn local and state laws as well as arrest and defensive tactics, shooting, vehicle stops, and the basics in interview techniques as prescribed by the California Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Commission. The academy certifies the graduates to become police officers in the State of California (in the United States, police officers carry jurisdictional authority only within the State in which they are certified). Upon graduation, officers report to their respective agencies. They enter a Field Training Officer (FTO) programme, where they work with an FTO for up to twenty two weeks applying what was learned in the academy to real life situations. During this programme, officers learn the policy and procedures of their respective agency, the local geographic areas, crime trends and problem areas within their jurisdiction. This process is very similar to law enforcement agencies across the globe. Unique to California however, is the State Law requiring police officers who are to be assigned to an airport to complete a 40-hour course specific to airport policing. Topics in this class include but are not limited to: History of Aviation Security, their Role in Counterterrorism, Airfield
June 2012 Aviationsecurityinternational
Operations, Federal Government Rules and Regulations, Critical Infrastructure Protection, Dignitary Protection, Emergency Services (SWAT), Emergency Management, and Canine Programmes. It is these training components, as an addition to traditional topics, that make for successful airport policing. At an airport, the law enforcement officers must not only learn and
LAX Police officers must be able to handle every type of law enforcement situation imaginable in this diverse geographic environment. It is often the case that LAX police officers are the first responders to incidents involving other agencies and they will assist when needed. This is important because the same is true in reverse; other agencies may be first on scene when the LAX Police are in need of assistance.
“
...developing airport workers into trained observers enhances the security regime. It is they who understand best the intricate nature of airport operations. They are the co-workers of those who steal, and of those who are possible terrorists...”
apply the basic skills of a general law enforcement officer but also must learn about the airport environment. There are many local and federal rules to be learned and applied to each particular airport. The airport is essentially a city; in addition to flight operations, there are businesses such as restaurants, shops, maintenance areas, police departments, fire departments, and cargo warehouses. In the areas adjacent to LAX, there are commercial areas such as hotels, office buildings, long-term parking facilities, bus depots, and freeways. There are homes to the north and south and a beach to the west.
Airport policies and
procedures are dynamic and the international trend in aviation is modernisation. It is imperative that the law enforcement officers at the airport are involved in the changes. This will facilitate an improved planning process for the security of the airport, as they know what was, what is, and what is going to be. To be successful in any type of law
enforcement, the police must develop a positive trusting relationship with the general public and, in an airport environment, with airport workers. There is a concept in law enforcement called, “Community Oriented Policing.” In an airport setting, this concept involves the participation of airport workers in determining how the police can best serve the area. At the same time, developing airport workers into trained observers enhances the security regime. It is they who understand best the intricate
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