Casey: Beef Up Security At Airports And Terminals
By David Madden
WASHINGTON, DC (CBS) -- The US Senate is taking up reauthorization of funding for the Federal Aviation Administration. Pennsylvania's senior senator is using that as a chance to push for improvements in security protocols.
Democrat Bob Casey is pushing the airlines to install wire mesh barriers on all new planes in the US, basically a cage between the secure cockpit door and the passenger cabin. "I'd like to have it on every aircraft right now," Casey told reporters in a conference call from the Capitol. "Every existing aircraft that's humanly possible to install this. That would be my preference."
A beverage cart is currently put in front of the cockpit whenever the door is opened during a flight. The move would cost airlines about $5,000 a plane.
A second amendment to the bill would double the number of specially trained teams to respond to terrorist activity in non-secured parts of airports.
"Add VIPR (Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response) operations in non-secured areas of the airport such as outside of the checkpoint to enhance soft target security," Casey said. "TSA will work with our intel and law enforcement folks to deploy VIPR teams based on threat levels. and security priorities."
The senator points to last month's Brussels attacks as proof of their need.