Hawai'i airports next on security list

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer

The new Transportation Security Administration will begin the process of federalizing security at three Hawai'i airports on Monday, the government announced yesterday.

Security assessment teams will be dispatched to airports in Honolulu, Kailua-Kona and Kahului to evaluate passenger and baggage screening checkpoints, according to the U.S. Transportation Department.

The teams will determine the best designs and locations for checkpoints and baggage screening areas and how best to fully deploy federal security officers throughout the airports.

Officials said the time needed to complete the evaluations will vary from airport to airport, but it will take at least five weeks to recruit, assess, train and deploy all the needed federal screeners.

Congress has ordered that the new security agency have federal personnel in place at all U.S. airports by Nov. 19, 2002.

Officials said they have not yet begun to process applications for the federal security jobs in Hawai'i, but interested candidates can find out about possible openings at a new government Web site (www.tsa.dot.gov) or by calling a toll-free hotline, 1-877-631-JOBS (5627).