Government steps up security in airports

WASHINGTON -- The new government agency responsible for airline security said Saturday it will place armed law enforcement officers, uniformed and plainclothes, at ticket counters and other public areas of airports.\nThe Transportation Security Administration made the announcement in response to the shooting at Los Angeles International Airport two days earlier, when three people, including the gunman, were killed. An armed El Al security guard shot the attacker, who authorities say was an Egyptian named Hesham Mohamed Hadayet.\n"This incident, even if isolated and regardless of motive, emphasizes that we cannot be complacent about any of the security measures that we put in place at our airports and at the other modes of transportation," the TSA said in a statement.\n"Had this event occurred at another airline counter without armed security guards, the situation unfortunately would have been worse," the agency said.\nIt was not clear how many officers will be involved in the new deployment nor whether there would necessarily be a guard at each ticket counter at all times.\nThe undercover investigators, who have transferred to the new security agency from the Federal Aviation Administration, will look for suspicious individuals and intervene when necessary, the TSA said.\nThe head of an airline passengers' advocacy group welcomed the TSA's actions Saturday.\n"We would certainly support more law enforcement officials in all parts of the airport, but we would expect there would be a tremendous amount of coordination with the multiple police forces that are going to be functioning in this environment," said David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association.\nThe TSA took over responsibility for screening passengers from the airlines in February, and faces a Nov. 19 congressional deadline for replacing checkpoint screeners with federal employees.\nBut Thursday's shooting took place in the airport's public areas, before passengers are screened for weapons and bombs. Airport police patrol the facility and airlines are responsible for security at the ticket counters.\nThe TSA said it would put uniformed officers and undercover investigators throughout the airport, both beyond the checkpoints and in the public areas. Initially, the law enforcement officers will be local police working with the security agency.