McCarran may seek alternative screener plan

Jace Radke

Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2001 | 8:34 a.m.

A decision on whether McCarran International Airport will apply to become one of five facilities nationwide to test alternatives to federal baggage screening will not come until next year, Clark County Aviation Director Randy Walker said Monday.

"We have to wait for the new regulations to be written and see what the application process will be to become part of the pilot program to test alternative security measures," Walker said.

An aviation security package, signed into law by President Bush on Monday, puts federal employees in charge of baggage and passenger screening at airports and calls for new federal regulations to be written in 90 days.

Walker has been critical of federalizing the screening points at airports because he said it may not be as efficient as using private contractors.

"When you think of the federal government, efficiency isn't usually at the top of the list," Walker said. "Efficient does not mean unsafe, and there needs to be options where we can look at what is best for the customer.

"We are happy that the new law gives an option, and we aren't stuck with only one choice."

The law allows airports the chance to opt out of federalized screening after three years to return to a private system, but the base of federal guidelines will be intact, Walker said.

"Everyone I've talked to about this has said that we need to have a federal system of regulations in place, and the screening shouldn't be run by the airlines," Walker said. "With this package we have both of those things."

Airlines are currently responsible for the screening of baggage and passengers. Argenbright, a private security firm hired by the airlines to provide checkpoint security at about 40 percent of the nation's airports, has been providing security at McCarran for 12 years.

The new law allows until December 2002 to have the nearly 28,000 federal employees trained and in place as screeners. To finance the federal screeners, passengers will be charged a $2.50 fee each time they board a flight, up to $5 a trip.

The law also requires airports to expand inspections of baggage and calls for explosive detection systems to be installed.

These provisions could take longer than the year the law allows for them to be put in place, Walker said.

"Right now we have one of the explosive detection machines in place, and we've identified nine locations where others can be placed," Walker said. "Just by looking at what the machine we have is capable of, we're estimating that we'd need about 50 to screen each piece of baggage in a timely manner."

Walker said that the airlines purchase the machines through the Federal Aviation Administration. The airlines would then work with the airport to place the machines, which have been ordered, Walker said.

"We may be able to get some of them in place by December, but probably not to the extent to have 100 percent of the bags screened," Walker said. "There will probably have to be some remodeling to get them to where they can best function. It's going to be a lot of work."