LOS ANGELES – American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) National President J. David Cox Sr. will testify at the House Committee on Homeland Security’s Subcommittee on Transportation Security congressional field hearing on Friday, March 28, 2014 at 1 p.m. (PST). The hearing, entitled “Lessons from the LAX Shooting: Preparing for and Responding to Emergencies at Airports,” will be held at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Los Angeles, CA.
Cox, whose union represents more than 45,000 TSA officers, is calling for an overhaul of airport security to address the lapses that led to the death of LAX Transportation Security Officer Gerardo Hernandez.
A report issued by TSA yesterday called for increased presence of armed law enforcement officers in security screening areas. Another report issued by the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) last week found a litany of holes in screening area security, making them unsafe for both workers and passengers. “Both the TSA and LAWA reports confirm what we already knew. The LAX incident made it clear that the security processes and systems at checkpoints nationwide are fundamentally broken,” Cox says. “AFGE has advocated that TSA create an armed, uniformed law enforcement unit within the agency to provide the best possible security for our Transportation Security Officers at the airport checkpoints.”
Other hearing witnesses include John Pistole, Administrator, Transportation Security Administration; Gina Marie Lindsey, Executive Director, LAWA; and Patrick Gannon, Airport Police Chief, LAWA.
What: House Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security Congressional Field Hearing on “Lessons from the LAX Shooting: Preparing for and Responding to Emergencies at Airports”
Who: J. David Cox, Sr., National President, American Federation of Government Employees
John Pistole, Administrator, Transportation Security Administration
Gina Marie Lindsey, Executive Director, LAWA
Patrick Gannon, Airport Police Chief, LAWA
When: Friday, March 28, 2014 at 1 p.m. (PDT)
Where: Samuel Greenberg Board Room of the Clifton A. Moore Administration Building, Los Angeles International Airport
Future requests: Please contact the Communications Department at 202-639-6419
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