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Aviation Security and the Breach At Newark AirportOn Wednesday, January 20, 2010, Senator Lautenberg issued the following statement at an afternoon hearing on the state of American’s aviation security and the January 3 breach at Newark Liberty Airport. Sen. Lautenberg worked closely with the TSA, Port Authority and Continental Airlines to advance this investigation and catch the suspect associated with the breach. “Mr. Chairman, The incident in Detroit wasn’t the only shocking lapse in our aviation security network revealed this holiday season. During what was supposedly a period of heightened aviation security, at an airport that lies within the two-mile stretch deemed the most at-risk for terrorism by the FBI – a man was able to avoid security and walk unchallenged into Terminal C of Newark Liberty Airport. This breach of security was intentional and shockingly easy. This inexcusable breach occurred when a TSA guard left his post, and the man seized the opportunity to walk right into this secure area of the airport, completely unchecked and unscreened. If not for a vigilant traveler who alerted the TSA, we never would have known that the breach occurred. And even after TSA was alerted, it took more than two hours for them to verify the breach on videotape and begin to take action. Two hours when a potential terrorist could have been looming and plotting with a gun or bomb and with easy access to airplanes. Two hours when a potential terrorist could have been bird-dogging for a bigger plot. And while the motives of the man behind the Newark Airport breach may seem benign, this incident was not just some innocent love scene out of Romeo and Juliet—this was a major security breach that shut down an entire terminal of a major airport for more than six hours. It delayed more than 16,000people from getting to their families, friends, or final destinations. And it caused more than 100 flight delays and 27 flight cancellations. Since 2002, DHS has spent one billion dollars on technology to screen passengers coming into an airport terminal. But all of that screening technology is useless if someone can just walk in through an exit without being noticed. The exit at Newark Airport had security cameras operated by TSA, but the cameras had been broken for almost a week. TSA knew about the broken cameras and failed to report them. The cameras weren’t the only things that were broken—there was also a complete communications breakdown between TSA and its partners on the ground—the Port Authority and Continental Airlines. TSA called the wrong number when attempting to contact Continental to view their cameras—which fortunately were recording. At the same time, TSA failed to notify the Port Authority Police of the breach. We can be sure that terrorists are watching these kinds of breakdowns and hoping to learn from them. A security breach like this is a matter of national security and needs to be treated that way. That’s why I am taking action today by introducing legislation to close the dangerous security gaps exposed by the breach at Newark Airport. My legislation will mandate for the first time that all airport terminal checkpoints and exits have security cameras. It will require sufficient personnel at secure area exits. If someone purposely breaches airport security, they will face serious consequences under my bill. And I will be working with DOJ and DHS to make sure the federal government gets involved in enforcing the law and handling major aviation security breaches instead of ceding this responsibility to state or local authorities. The incidents in Newark and Detroit exposed fundamental weaknesses in our aviation security system. If we learn from these events and treat them with the seriousness they deserve, I am confident we can continue to keep Americans safe when they fly." # # #
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