A complete and total lack of security cameras inside parking garages at Philadelphia International Airport was thrust into the spotlight following the death of a Philly police officer in 2023.

More than 500 days after Officer Richard Mendez was shot and killed inside one of those garages, little has changed.

At the massive parking garages at PHL, there are more than 11,000 spaces. But they still don't have surveillance cameras, which is a concern to travelers.

"In a parking garage if you're coming in late at night, wouldn't you like to think there is somebody looking out for you? Or there is somebody recording what's going on? And who's breaking into your car while you're gone, all those things," Romell Cooks, a traveler at PHL, said. 

A CBS News Philadelphia investigation uncovered the literal blind spot due to a lack of cameras in parking garages one day after the October 2023 fatal shooting of Mendez.

His partner, Officer Raul Ortiz, was also shot and injured. Investigators determined the shooting suspects were breaking into a car when confronted by the officers who were arriving for work.

Chronic car thefts had plagued parking garages and rental car facilities at the airport. At the time, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office said the lack of cameras hampered its investigation.

In a statement, they said: "Installation of surveillance video technology in parking spaces at the airport is a safety and prevention measure that ought to be prioritized with urgency."

Sixteen months later, CBS Philadelphia caught up with District Attorney Larry Krasner and told him there were still no cameras. He said that was concerning.

"It's incredibly important that in public areas, heavily trafficked ones, including airports, we have these cameras," Krasner said. "It's just worth every nickel in investment in terms of saving human life."

CBS Philadelphia has been asking about the cameras since last February. When Atif Saeed, the CEO of PHL, was asked about where the airport stands on installing the cameras, he said it was a "high priority."

"As you know, these structures were built a long time ago and we simply don't have the technology that you can plug and play with," Saeed said in 2024. 

What about a timeline for the cameras? 

"Testing is supposed to be complete this summer, and we are hoping to start the process of purchasing and scaling the rest of the facilities this fall," Saeed said last year. 

But the fall has come and gone, and there are still no cameras.

CBS Philadelphia checked other major airports across the country. Newark Libert International Airport's garages have them, and so does Baltimore Washington International.

Api Appulingam, the airport's chief development officer, spoke with CBS Philadelphia about the holdup and why they've yet to be installed. 

"Over the last few years, we investigated options to look at what the best solution is for our customers," Appulingam said. "It's not something that can be done overnight. And we wanted to get this right. We didn't want to react and put something in that will fail."

Appulingam said the design of the camera system is complete.

But still, there is no specific timeline and no estimate on cost. Once a decision is made on a contractor, installation will take eight months. Officials said they are making other security-related changes.

Those changes include improving the lighting in the garages. The fixtures in these garages have been in place since they were built. Airport officials concluded it was time for an upgrade.

Workers are now in the process of installing motion-sensitive LED lights. 

The job is complete through about 50% of the garages, and they're much brighter. There are a total of 5,000 lights across the airport's garages, and each will be upgraded.

Fortunately, car thefts are down at the airport, and police say overall, safety improved last year. Still, people traveling at the airport thinks installing them makes sense.

"Stores have cameras, traffic signals have cameras, every place, which is good because a lot of people have been helped and some caught doing bad things because of the cameras," Cooks said.