lessons of one officer become available to others.

The varied and complex duties inherent in airport policing require some consistency in approach to training. A sharp rise in air-rage incidents only signifies the beginning of a problem that will continue to grow as air travel becomes more affordable and less comfortable. Police assigned to airports soon find themselves involved in criminal investigations ranging from weapons smuggling to professional distraction thefts. The addition of organized criminal activity in and around the air cargo terminals and car rental lots, hazardous material violations, and drug smuggling activities keep the average airport police officer busy during a tour of duty. Newly assigned airport law enforcement officers rarely understand the complexities of the job.

Regulatory guidelines cover topics ranging from law enforcement officers flying while armed to screening passengers and their baggage to response procedures used for modern bomb-detection equipment. For example, recent security issues involving verification of police credentials at U.S. airports have prompted officials to take further steps to confirm the identification of law enforcement officers. Additionally, narcotics interdiction efforts at airports require particular techniques and have law enforcement support organizations, such as task forces, which are responsible solely for identifying these subjects. Criminal activity in airports includes crimes that most officers would not encounter outside of an airport, such as ticket fraud. Police academies seldom, if ever, cover these areas, and most law enforcement officers usually do not learn them on the job. Crisis management at an airport also differs from what a patrol officer on the street might encounter because it comprises a new and varied set of players (e.g., airline captains and air traffic controllers). A demanding, people-oriented environment adds to this situation, which requires patience and understanding from law enforcement officers, as well as knowledge of all aspects of airport and air carrier operations. As many airport police officers soon discover, airport policing includes a variety of unique requirements and training.

TRAINING OPTIONS

Although limited training exists for airport police officers, several programs are available. Course topics vary depending on the specific agency providing the training.

."Criminal activity in airports includes crimes that most officers would not encounter outside of an airport ..."
	Mr. Raffel serves as a federal security manager with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, D.C

Airport-Based Training

Some airports have organized, in-house training seminars that cover such airport-specific topics as how to respond to cargo theft or a security screening point incident. Some regularly offer these courses (e.g., in-service recurrent training) while others are done, often with FAA security assistance and involvement, on an as-needed basis. For example, the Orlando, Florida, Police Department’s Airport Division created an airport containment team at the Orlando International Airport. Because the downtown Orlando, Florida, Police Department does not offer airport training, the Airport Division developed an inhouse version where members receive training as first responders to an aircraft incident. The division can tailor this type of training to fit an individual airport or airport police officer function. But, the lack of consistency in training and an inability to determine which airport