O'Hare law would restrict access to non-U.S. citizens
In response to troubling reports about O'Hare security lapses, U.S. Rep Mark Kirk plans to introduce legislation today that would restrict access to certain airport locations to U.S. citizens only.
The Highland Park Republican's proposal would create "federal security zones" in which citizenship would be an employment requirement. The designated locations would include the tarmac, airplanes, baggage handling and baggage loading areas.
The legislation would expand upon a federal law that currently requires all Transportation Security Administration baggage screeners to hold U.S. passports.
"Our safety and our economy depend on a secure O'Hare," Kirk said. "To protect our national security, we must ensure only American citizens have access to sensitive areas and we must improve safety at passenger checkpoints."
Kirk announced the new legislation Tuesday at an airport security summit hosted by the congressman and U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean of Barrington. The two scheduled the hearing after recent media reports of lapses in O'Hare security procedures.
Last week, federal agents arrested more than 30 O'Hare employees on charges of using fraudulent airport security badges to access sensitive areas. Many of the workers are believed to be in the country illegally.
The arrests came on the heels of a detailed report last month that found 60 percent of bomb materials and explosives hidden in carry-on items by undercover TSA agents were missed by O'Hare screeners.
"We're very worried," Kirk said. "That's not the way security should be run at the busiest airport in the United States."
At Los Angeles International Airport, screeners failed to spot the materials 75 percent of the time. But at San Francisco International Airport, where a private company runs the screening process, employees failed the test only 20 percent of the time.
Kirk, who has backed federal employees handling the carry-on screening, said San Francisco's success cannot be ignored.
"I'm surprised at what we're seeing at San Francisco's airport," he said. "And I want to hear more about it."
The man whose company runs the San Francisco screening attributed his success to employee retention and constant testing.
For example, bomb materials are sent through each screening line every 30 minutes in San Francisco. The frequent testing keeps employees alert and engaged, said Gerald Berry, president of Covenant Airport Security.
"There's an expectation you're going to be tested," he said.
Covenant employees receive monetary bonuses and promotions for high test scores, Berry said. They also are rewarded financially for having good attendance.
"It comes back to who you have working for you and how you treat them," Berry said.
Ken Fletcher, the deputy federal security director at O'Hare, said the airport does not have an employee retention problem. It also conducts frequent tests during the day, though he did not say how often they are performed.