FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 31, 2014

 

WASHINGTON – Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) today marked the one-year anniversary of the shooting at Los Angeles International Airport on November 1, 2013, that claimed the life of Transportation Security Officer Gerardo Hernandez and injured three others.

“The tragedy experienced at Los Angeles International Airport last year is a somber reminder that our work to ensure the safety and security of the traveling public will never be complete,” said ACI-NA President and CEO Kevin M. Burke.  “Our thoughts are with Transportation Security Officer Gerardo Hernandez’s family and all of the Transportation Security Administration personnel and airport law enforcement officials who bravely serve on the front lines of aviation security on this very difficult anniversary.”

Ensuring the safety and security of the traveling public continues to be a top priority for airports.  Since even before the shooting last year, ACI-NA has worked closely with TSA and airports to provide input on the development of meaningful improvements and enhancements to airport security to better protect the traveling public as well as individuals who work at airports.  Providing security in the airport environment requires proactive collaboration with many stakeholders, including airport personnel, airport law enforcement, federal partners, airlines, and passengers.  The lessons learned from the LAX incident and the resulting recommended improvements to security measures acknowledge the expectations and realities that U.S. airports and federal security officials face in their efforts to protect passengers and airport workers.  Airports have made progress to implement these recommendations and continue to improve communication and collaboration among all airport security and law enforcement stakeholders.