Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2002 | 11 a.m.
Minutes after midnight this morning federal screeners took over security checkpoints at McCarran International Airport's D gates.
Fresh from 44 hours of class training that taught them how to X-ray, use metal detectors and recognize banned items, 383 screeners started taking their posts at the D gates for another 60 hours of on-the-job training.
Once they have finished, they will be assigned to other McCarran checkpoints, gradually taking over for Wackenhut security officers.
Next week another 200 security screeners will start work at McCarran. A total of 750 people will be needed to man all of the checkpoints at the airport, Jim Blair, the airport's federal security director, said.
McCarran was one of nine airports where federal screeners took their posts today, bringing the total number of airports with the newly trained staff to 102 of the nation's 429. The Transportation Security Administration, which is responsible for airport security, now has more than 31,000 employees.
"The nice thing has been the enthusiasm from the workers and the excitement from these new people," Blair said. "We've talked a lot about patriotism, and when you really think about it, these people are serving their country."
Screener Deborah Eck reflected that enthusiasm this morning.
"I couldn't do my part in the military, but I can do my part here," Eck said during a break. "We're sort of a neighborhood watch for the country."
Eck, a 22-year Las Vegas resident, previously worked in commercial real estate but wanted a new career.
"I look at this as getting a new start in a job that's really important," Eck said. "Working here means I'm serving as the eyes and ears for the whole country."
The Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001 mandates that all of the nation's airports have federal screeners in place at all baggage checkpoints by Nov. 19, TSA spokesman Nico Melendez said.
"We will meet the deadline," Melendez said. "We've had rollouts of federal screeners at 100 airports already. It has been going very well around the country.
"We're getting a lot of comments from passengers telling us that they don't mind a little extra wait and that they are feeling more comfortable with these sceeners in place."
Blair said that there may be small delays while new screeners are trained, but if lines start to become an issue, fully trained screeners will step in.
"We have 75 fully trained screeners that are supervising the training at the checkpoints," Blair said. "Twenty-six of them are Las Vegas residents and will remain here to work at McCarran.
"We've stressed customer service to the new employees because of Las Vegas being a tourist destination, and we've seen good things so far."
Screeners are all U.S. citizens and went through FBI background checks.
More than 12,000 people applied for the 750 jobs. Screener jobs pay between $23,500 and $26,800 annually, and supervisors' pay ranges in the mid-$30,000s.
Deputy airport director Rosemary Vassiliadis said it's expected that wait times will "increase slightly during the training process."
"But as with any of these new security measures we've had to put in, over time we'll figure out how to initiate time-saving measures and keep security at high levels," Vassiliadis said.
Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., met with Blair and screeners this morning to get a feel for the new security measures.
"I'm comfortable with how the security changes are coming along," Berkley said. "I'll be able to tell my constituents that air travel is becoming safer."
Ensign asked screener Joseph Roberts about box cutters and other banned items possibly getting past screeners.
"I can't speak for what happened to screeners at the other airports, but I have no problem recognizing a box cutter," Roberts said.
Blair said the transition so far was going well.
"We're ecstatic about the way things are going here and we haven't hit any snags," Blair said.
The next major deadline that airports will have to meet comes Dec. 31, with a mandate to have all baggage screened for explosives.
Officials at major airports across the nation, including Clark County Aviation Director Randy Walker, have voiced concerns that the deadline does not allow enough time for airports to install the number of explosives detection devices needed to ensure that all bags are checked and wait times remain manageable.
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