Councilwoman calls for audit of LAX security

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn on Wednesday called for an audit of security at Los Angeles International Airport in the wake of assertions by a local police group that the passenger terminals have become more vulnerable to terrorist attack since 9/11.

Hahn chairs the council’s Trade, Commerce and Tourism Committee, which is reviewing claims by the Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers Assn. that staff reductions and shifting budget priorities have compromised their ability to protect the nation’s third-busiest airport.

“I have faith in the leadership and faith in our police officers, but LAX is still a top target for terrorists,” Hahn said at the committee meeting Wednesday. “We need to make sure this gateway is safe and secure.”

Hahn requested that the panel, which includes Councilmen Tom LaBonge and Bill Rosendahl, gather information about how to best conduct a security review before deciding whether to proceed at its next meeting in September.

The committee is reacting to warnings made in June by Marshall McClain, president of the 415-member peace officers association, and Julie Butcher, director of the Service Employees International Union Local 721, which represents non-sworn traffic and security officers employed by Los Angeles World Airports, the agency that oversees the city’s airport system.

In a June letter to Airport Police Chief George Centeno, McClain and Butcher stated that reductions in the number of officers at LAX as well as cuts in training and equipment budgets have made the central terminal area more susceptible to attack.

“There are issues and concerns,” said Councilman Dennis Zine, who participated in the meeting as a member of the council’s Public Safety Committee. “I don’t blame the officers. I blame the administration of the police department. They have shown there is a lack of direction and a lack of leadership.”

At the hearing, airport officials defended existing security measures at LAX, where hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent to bolster the airport’s defenses since 9/11, including vehicle barriers throughout the terminal area, security cameras and a new perimeter fence.

They pointed out that the airport police budget has almost tripled to about $100 million a year and that the number of officers has grown from 263 in 2002 to 447 today, although passenger volumes have declined dramatically. The number of non-sworn traffic and security officers has remained steady at about 340.

Airport officials also heralded a vehicle checkpoint program at the street entrances to LAX that searches about 22,000 cars and trucks a month.

Other improvements are on the way, they said, including additional vehicle barriers, a new command and communications center, more security cameras and new procedures for people passing from public parts of the airport into restricted areas.

“We have moved as quickly as we can to resolve our deficiencies,” said Alan Rothenberg, who chairs the city’s Board of Airport Commissioners. “I’m very comfortable that we have taken all reasonable steps to protect LAX.”

McClain told the committee that there have been ongoing discussions with airport officials and police supervisors to address the association’s concerns. “Basically, we want to do more with more,” he said. “Do we have enough officers? That is what we are trying to answer.”

dan.weikel@latimes.com