FIRST-CLASS SECURITY

Sep 1, 2004 12:00 PM, BY RANDY SOUTHERLAND

Richard Duncan noses the black Ford security car out onto the runway of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Looking carefully both ways, he keeps a keen eye out for fast-moving aircraft tractors that whiz by, pulling carts stuffed with luggage and packages bound for every destination imaginable. On either side, jumbo jets are lined up, docked to the rows of gates at each of the giant facility's various concourses.

At the world's busiest passenger airport, planes pause just long enough to refuel and take on new passengers before pushing back for a trip out to one of the airport's runways, and back into the air.

Duncan is a meticulously careful driver. This is one roadway where traffic regulations cannot be ignored. Planes have the right of the way, if for no other reason than the obvious — collision with an auto would be fatal. Fortunately that only happened once — an accident involving a tractor driver during a heavy nighttime rainstorm. “But even one is too many,” Duncan remarks.

The notion applies just as easily to security at Hartsfield-Jackson, where Duncan's job as director of security is to make sure there is no breach in the layers of protection that have been fashioned and tightened since Sept. 11. One breach is too many.

Constant vigilance is the focus of Duncan's work every day, but that vigilance can take the form of a thousand details and a schedule as crowded as a busy runway.

For his work as director of security for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Richard Duncan has been named the 2004 Security Director of the Year by Access Control & Security Systems magazine.

SAFETY ON THE TARMAC

Leaving the busy concourse areas of Hartsfield, Duncan drives a visitor past the outer perimeter of the airport. A new chain-link fence is going up, mounted on a concrete barrier. The higher fence is designed to keep out the most common kind of intruder: the occasional individual who, for one reason or another, decides to scale the barrier.

“The most recent incident involved an individual who apparently was trying to get away from someone who was chasing him,” Duncan says. “He decided he would be safer inside the airport.”

So far these occasional climbers have been of the harmless variety. They are spotted quickly by security or police officers, or by a traffic controller in one of the towers; then the trespasser is escorted out. The new fence will make it considerably more difficult to climb, and the concrete barrier will stop vehicles from forcing their way inside the restricted area.

Nowadays, preventing this kind of unauthorized entry is high on the priority list. While Duncan knows that most of the intruders are probably harmless, every threat must be taken seriously.

A former military policeman, Duncan joined the airport in 1995 as a screening manager, back when security was handled by private companies hired by a consortium of airlines. By comparison, those were simpler days, before most people realized that jets filled with passengers could be turned into deadly weapons.

Now security is even more serious — filled with constant analysis of vulnerable points and ever-changing color-coded alert levels.

TAKING STOCK AFTER Sept. 11

Reflecting on that September morning three years ago, Duncan remembers it as not only a security turning point, but as an immediate crisis for the airport.

The nation's massive air passenger transportation system was being shut down, and as planes were grounded far from their destinations, tens of thousands of passengers were flooding the terminals.

“We began getting people assembled to start discussing what is taking place and what actions need to be taken in order to ensure everyone was safe,” he recalls.

First he reached out to the airlines to ascertain whether the carriers had experienced any incidents, or if there were any aircraft not accounted for.

“We had to move those people out of the airport to safe locations,” he recalls. “As an air traveler transits through Atlanta, chances are they didn't have hotel reservations to go to, and we had a lot of transit passengers that had to be taken care of in that process.”

The first task was getting those travelers out of the airport. Many were moved to nearby hotels. Bringing in nearly 300 additional law enforcement personnel, Duncan's forces also began an extensive search of the facility, going concourse to concourse to make sure that everything was secure.

In the three days that followed, the security staff began tackling the safety and security protocols required by the federal government before each airport could reopen. National Guardsmen carrying weapons became familiar sights at airport checkpoints. Meanwhile, security verified the identity of employees who worked at the airport and increased patrols and inspections at every nook and cranny of the facility.

“There was some tension, but also a lot of uncertainty associated with security at that time,” he explains. “When we deployed the National Guard they really helped to reestablish public confidence in the transportation system. That was a military presence in uniform and many people saw the National Guard as a security element that was there to protect them in the airports.”

In the days since, security has assumed a much higher profile at Hartsfield-Jackson. Security screenings that were once handled solely by private companies with sometimes underpaid and under-trained personnel are now conducted by federal agents. The screening lines that once moved so quickly have slowed, and on some busy Monday mornings the lines have reached epic proportions.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's introduction of a color-coded threat level assessment has also added to the department's workload. When the “chatter” monitored by security agencies reaches a certain level and the nation moves to “orange,” new security precautions must be implemented.

Stopping and physically checking vehicles as they enter the airport, restricting parking so that no cars can get within a prescribed distance to the main terminal, and other measures such as more uniformed security personnel are now commonplace.

With only a limited staff of 23 fulltime officers, Duncan calls on a private security agency to muster additional personnel. Sometimes these directives come down with little warning, and it can take some scrambling to make sure enough officers are in place for the heightened alert level.

Expansion is accomplished through overtime and the transfer of officers from other jobs.

INVOLVING EVERYONE

“We made a lot of security enhancements before Sept. 11,” Duncan notes. One of the most effective of these was sharing security duties with every airport employee. In effect, Duncan launched an effort to make securing sensitive areas everyone's business through a “compliance and enforcement” program.

“That program consists of requiring that every person display their [identification] badge and requiring that person [to] challenge individuals within the security areas,” he says.

If a ramp worker spots someone on the tarmac without the correct color-coded badge, that person is not only required to report that they are there, but to challenge them as well. Failing to do so could bring fines against the individual as well as the employer — even the individual airlines if they do not comply with the regulations.

In addition to this compliance requirement, the security chief implemented a positive reinforcement program he has dubbed “Hartsfield Harry” for the benefit of those who might be hesitant to challenge an unknown person in their work area. The program provides monetary rewards for the diligent employees who follow the guidelines of the program. On a regular basis, the security office sends a representative out onto the ramp without a security badge and the person who challenges the “intruder” receives a $25 reward. Each of the 50 to 60 monthly winners are then placed into a drawing for a quarterly prize of $500.

“Most people are simply not willing to walk up to a stranger and challenge that person,” Duncan says. “This program encourages people to get out of their comfort zone and get involved with the security program, and that has really helped to keep everyone involved.”

The security office trains all airport employees on both regulations governing access and the things they should look for in their areas that might constitute a security breach.

WORKING WITH OTHER AGENCIES

At Hartsfield, as at every American airport, security has become a complex and multi-leveled undertaking. In addition to Duncan's security department, the airport is also the home of an Atlanta Police Department precinct, as well as members of the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and other intelligence agencies. At the top of the chain is the Transportation Security Administration, which handles not only the screening of both passengers and baggage, but the overall security of the airport and the air travel system as well.

His department must work closely with each of these agencies, walking a fine line between complex regulations devised by the TSA on one side and the needs of law enforcement on the other.

“We count on Richard to help us with the regulatory side [of the airport],” says Major Darryl Tolleson, commander of the Atlanta Police zone that includes Hartsfield. “He's kept us out of trouble when it comes to dealing with these kinds of issues.”

The two communicate frequently. The police inform security about a car break-in at a nearby hotel located on the 4700-acre airport property. Duncan passes along the latest mandates from the federal government stating who can be where within the airport.

Duncan also meets frequently with Willie Williams, the head of the local TSA office. With the airport's office space already filled, the federal agency was forced to locate to a nearby office building just off the airport's grounds.

He has been working closely with the agency on one of the larger construction projects at Hartsfield. In addition to a fifth runway being built to accommodate the ever-increasing air traffic, one of the most noticeable efforts consists of the huge excavation project in front of the main North and South terminals which has closed off several traffic lanes. Eventually, this large hole will be home to the massive baggage screening machines for the TSA's “in-line baggage screening facility.”

The underground facilities are being built to accommodate the electronic security screening of checked baggage. The North Terminal facility will encompass roughly 67,000 sq.ft., while the South Terminal will total approximately 54,000 sq.ft. Each screening area will be constructed underneath the upper level curbside entrance points of both terminals.

With construction not expected to be completed until late next year, security has been deeply involved in figuring out new ways to accommodate the traffic and parking that have been disrupted by the project.

ELECTRONIC SECURITY

With limited manpower available to do an ever-expanding job, plans for securing the airport have naturally turned to electronic systems. While Hartsfield had already been moving steadily toward an upgrade, federal mandates have given new urgency to the quest for a more comprehensive system.

“TSA's regulations specify that airports must install an automated access control system in order to give real-time status of all individuals that have access to the airport,” Duncan says.

He and his staff are now exploring several options that will provide greater security to the current CCTV monitoring and card access system. While full implementation is probably about a year away, Duncan has already moved to ensure that everyone who gains access to the airport has been thoroughly screened.

“It's going to change what we currently have because that system is going to be under one umbrella,” explains Janulyn Washington, aviation security manager at Hartsfield-Jackson. “Currently, we have a couple of systems working at the same time. They have to interface with each other versus having one unified system.”

A new badging system will also be integrated with the access control system to form a single database to replace the current operation.

In recent years, one of the most often cited complaints about security at the nation's airports has been the lack of background verification for workers. Individuals with criminal backgrounds have found their way onto the airport property in many areas — including the ranks of private security companies.

Using a new system, fingerprints can be processed by the FBI in less than one day. In the past it was taking up to 14 days to get results back, and that delay created the potential for dire consequences.

Because of the vast array of vendors that provide airport services, coupled with the large number of contractors and construction workers who must gain access to the airport, a new system was needed to provide quick clearances.

In addition to building an infrastructure to provide the flexible security needed to move thousands of passengers through the facility each day, Duncan and his staff have been planning for the worst-case scenario.

The department has run drills to test how the department and the airport might react in an emergency, such as a suspicious package or a reported outbreak of smallpox. While he prays that these drills never turn into an actual emergency, the planning and practice give them a greater sense of confidence that the department is prepared to deal with events as they occur.

CHANGING FOCUS

The focus of the duties of the security department has undergone drastic changes since Duncan retired from military service in 1995. In the beginning, his job had been primarily administrative in nature, handling the distribution of badges. Today, his department has evolved into a vital force in the drive to secure air transportation.

Now his job involves developing and maintaining a comprehensive security program while conducting regular assessments of the airport's security weaknesses. As this trickle of change became a flood of requirements, Duncan rose to the job of security manager.

His security career began with experience in military police work in the U.S. Army. As a commissioned officer in charge of law enforcement and security management at a number of military facilities, he learned first hand the requirements of security in one of the world's most elite organizations. His service also included a stint as the warden of a major prison. During the first Gulf War he planned and administered security operations in Southwest Asia, protecting more than 70,000 prisoners of war.

He came to Hartsfield at a time when there was only one other person in the department with a security background. After joining the department as assistant manager of passenger security screening checkpoints, he was quickly promoted to assistant aviation security manager in 1996.

During that time he has constantly upgraded his own skills, becoming board certified in security management as a certified protection professional (CPP). His expertise in security has also led to appointment as chair of the Public Safety and Security Committee of the industry's major trade association Airport Council International-North America (ACI-NA).

This body works extensively with airport security issues such as the reorganization of the TSA, including the opt-out provision that allows airports to privatize screening, federal regulations affecting security and other concerns.

“He's very detail-oriented and he takes his job very seriously,” says Ian Redhead, vice president for Airport Facilities and Services at ACI-NA. “He is very much aware of the issues that are going on in aviation security at this point and the challenges we are faced with. I think it's reflective of his military background.”

With terrorist events like the bombing of TWA 800, and recommendations from the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security, the need to step up the protection of the nation's airports was accelerating. As events unfolded, this new focus came not a minute too soon.

The first truly big challenge came with Atlanta's selection as the home of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. In preparation for this event, all of the 30,000 airport employees were issued new security identification badges. That task took nearly eight weeks, with employees working nearly 20 hours a day to complete the process.

In addition, once athletes, officials and other personnel began arriving, the department had to help ensure that they were able to move smoothly and securely through the airport.

“We had a welcome center set up that allowed the Olympic officials and other dignitaries associated with the Olympics to credential all the athletes as they arrived,” he recalls. “At this facility they brought them in and processed them and then transported them to the Olympic Village.”

Once the Games ended, the airport had to accommodate a sudden and massive departure of people through the facility.

“We did a significant upgrade of our security system to support and prepare for the Olympics,” he says. “We added anti-shatter film to the windows. We upgraded our access control system and we also added some additional surveillance equipment in order to prepare the airport for any type of event that may have taken place.”

Except for the disruption of the Olympics that occurred when a bomb exploded in a crowded downtown Atlanta park, events went smoothly.

In the years since then, Duncan has worked to ensure that airport security is effective, and most of all, as non-intrusive and invisible as possible. The 80 million travelers that pass through the airport each year on their way to somewhere else have little reason to think about how security is handled.

And Duncan wants to keep it that way.

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