Posted on: Wednesday, July 3, 2002
Former state official to head federal security at airport
By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer
Longtime law enforcement official Sidney Hayakawa has been named the new federal security director at Honolulu International Airport, the U.S. Transportation Department said yesterday.
Hayakawa, a deputy director of the state Public Safety Department, will oversee the airport's new Transportation Security Administration office, which is responsible for the hiring and oversight of new federal security officers as well as all passenger and baggage screening procedures.
Hayakawa resigned last week from the Public Safety Department where he was in charge of the law enforcement branch since 1999. His duties with the state agency included oversight of the state sheriff's detail at the airport.
"He's an excellent choice," Public Safety Director Ted Sakai said. "He's got previous experience in state, local and federal law enforcement programs and he knows how to work with all of them."
Before working for the state, Hayakawa served almost 30 years as a federal Drug Enforcement Administration agent, including a stint in charge of the Honolulu office. He also worked as the assistant special agent in charge of the DEA's domestic training division, and started his law enforcement career as a Honolulu police officer.
Hayakawa won praise for his coordinated planning of state, federal and local law enforcement operations for the Asian Development Bank meeting last year in Honolulu. "He knows how to plan for big security issues," Sakai said.
Hayakawa was unavailable for comment yesterday. He is in Washington receiving training for his new position, Sakai said.
Previously, security at Honolulu airport was handled by a private organization that was paid by airline companies. The new positions of airport security directors, which pay between $105,000 and $150,000, were created by Congress.
Transportation Department officials said they intend to hire hundreds of new federal security officers at airports throughout the state by the end of the year, but have not yet officially started taking applications in Hawai'i.
