Report on stowaway finds Charlotte airport security lapses

A traveler walks to security at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. STORY HIGHLIGHTSReport detailing death of stowaway finds not enough security at airportPolice: A number of security changes already in place, others to followReport follows death of teen who climbed into airplane wheel wellFamily of teen says more needs to be done to improve securityRELATED TOPICSCharlotte-Douglas International Airport (CNN) -- A report detailing the death of a North Carolina teenager who stowed away in the wheel well of a US Airways flight has found there are not enough security officers at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, one of the fastest growing airports in the country.

The report by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department found security staffing did not adequately reflect the size needed for such an airport, an issue of increasing concern among police and security agencies across the country as they attempt to balance budget shortfalls and tighter security requirements.

The heavily-redacted, six-page investigative report -- reviewed by the Transportation Security Administration and Charlotte authorities -- was prompted by the death 16-year-old Delvonte Tisdale, who authorities say stowed away November 15, 2010, on a US Airways flight bound for Boston from Charlotte.

Tisdale's body was later discovered along a flight path in Massachusetts. He was believed to have fallen out of the wheel well while the plane was preparing to land at Boston Logan International Airport.

"In my opinion, the current law enforcement agency at the (Charlotte) airport does not adequately reflect the type, size and functions of an organization that should be in place at a major metropolitan market," Maj. Glen Neimeyer of the police special investigations bureau wrote in the report first made public Tuesday.

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The report conceded that "any suggestions or recommendations provided will quickly translate into an unanticipated expense for the airport and ultimately the City of Charlotte. The decisions on whether, or what, to implement will ultimately come at cost." The report did not say how much it would cost to implement the proposed changes.

The report recommended assigning more police officers to the airport and assigning emergency medical personnel rather than relying on police as first responders. It also recommended increasing electronic monitoring in and around the airport.

The report found Tisdale did not go through any security checkpoints at the airport nor did he climb into the wheel well while the plane was parked at the gate. Though the report redacted much of the detail investigators discovered about how Tisdale managed to get on to the plane, it did say the plane pulled back from the gate and sat on the runway for some time before it took off.

An attorney for Tisdale's family said the report did not go far enough.

"You mean to tell me all you have is six pages of a report? To me, that only highlights the negligence of security there. There's not even enough security to document when things go wrong," Christopher Chestnut told CNN affiliate WSOC.

Charlotte police and the TSA, citing security, refused to comment on specific changes adopted by the airport.

Police spokesman Robert Tufano said Wednesday that a number of the recommendations made by the report have already been put in place by airport officials. He said others were expected to be "resolved in short order."

"I believe it would be fair to say the travelling public probably would not notice anything glaring as these changes are advanced," Tufano told CNN.

The airport -- a hub for US Airways -- was named in 2010 by The Airline and Airport News Network & Analysis as one of the fastest growing airports in the country. It is the eighth busiest airport in the nation, according to the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Statistics.

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JFK airport shuttle security lapses cited

The lack of security on the AirTrain shuttle system at JFK airport has raised concerns. STORY HIGHLIGHTSThe unmanned, unpoliced AirTrain system is raising concernsThe lack of security was discussed at a New York homeland security hearing"It's a bad situation," Port Authority union officer saysRELATED TOPICSJohn F. Kennedy International AirportPort Authority of New York and New JerseyAir Travel New York (CNN) -- A number of security lapses in an airport shuttle system in New York is raising concerns among some Port Authority officers and state senators.

"Among the cops it's commonly referred to as a possible weapons delivery system," said one Port Authority Police official of the AirTrain shuttle system that ferries thousands of passengers to and from John F. Kennedy International Airport. The official did not want to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.

The lack of security on the system -- an eight-mile fully automated, unmanned railroad -- was discussed Friday at a state homeland security hearing to discuss vulnerabilities that still remain 10 years after the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington.

"There's no scanning of bags, there's no scanning of passengers," said state Sen. Greg Ball, who is also the chairman of the New York State Homeland Security Committee. "We should have uniformed personnel on that transportation corridor, we don't."

Police Benevolent Association Vice President Robert Morris described it simply as "a bad situation," pointing out that the airport shuttle trains enter the international arrivals building of the airport directly underneath departures where airlines such as El Al operate.

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"Port Authority's own security study prior to the deployment of that system was for 18 police officers a day to police the system. Three tours of duty a day, 365 days a year," Morris told the panel. "In the last 12 months we've had 40 tours, which is about two weeks' worth of coverage with one officer."

The hearing, requested by Ball, took place following a complaint in March by the New York division of the Police Benevolent Association, a nationwide union representing police officers. The union cited a lack of security on the airport shuttle in their complaint. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is responsible for security at New York City airports, bridges and tunnels.

The Port Authority said in a statement Friday that there is no lapse in security.

"The way the PAPD is deployed, as well as cameras and the entirety of our security apparatus, means the traveling public should feel safe within all of the Port Authority facilities," the statement said.

Bobby Egbert, spokesman for the Port Authority Police Benevolence Association, acknowledged Saturday that the Port Authority is a huge organization with many responsibilities. When it comes to transporting people and developing commerce in the bistate region, he said the agency does a great job.

"The problem is it doesn't take public safety and security concerns seriously," he said.

According to Egbert, the biggest problem with safety on the AirTrain system is a lack of communication, noting specifically the lack of a central radio system in the new JetBlue Terminal Five.

Morris also noted the lack of an operable radio system in the terminal, saying officers instead are issued cell phones -- a slower form of communication when officers need to quickly call for backup or relay information.

While officers in the terminal do carry radios on their belts, they "might as well be carrying a brick," Morris said Friday.

Egbert pointed to the example of Steven Slater, the JetBlue flight attendant that pulled the emergency slide of a plane and ran from the airport.

"That's how he got away," said Egbert. "The two cops on duty had no idea what was going on."

While Slater's stunt didn't injure anyone, Egbert believes his escape exhibits the real safety threat to people in the airport and terminals surrounding AirTrain.

Ball's office said another hearing will be held in Albany next month to follow up on some of the concerns detailed in Friday's meeting.

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