• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
AAAPO

The American Alliance of Airport Police Officers

  • About Us
  • News
  • Contact Us
American Alliance of Airport Police Officers

Press Release

American Alliance of Airport Police Officers

  • Press Release
  • For Immediate Release
  • December 12, 2017
  • Contact: Bobby Egbert
  • Media Relations
  • regbert@papba.org
  • (201) 871-2100

Looking Ahead to New Leadership at DHS

The AAAPO congratulates Kirstjen Nielsen on her confirmation to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

DHS faces a critical juncture in this heightened threat environment. The dangers here at home are widespread and many, especially at our nation’s airports, which continue to be symbolic prizes to those seeking to cause terror and chaos.

AAAPO is hopeful that Nielsen will refocus DHS’s TSA on its primary objective of screening travelers and bags, and support commonsense safety precautions such as stationing a police officer near TSA screenings, ensuring that airport police have real-time accessibility to CCTV footage and supporting the screening of all airport employees.

Transportation safety is critical to the overall safety of our nation, and AAAPO looks forward to working with Nielsen to improve the security apparatus at our country’s airports.

“As police officers who patrol some of the busiest and most terrorist-targeted airports in the nation, we are confronted with threats on a daily basis and have a unique point of view on how to help improve security,” says Marshall McClain, president of the Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers Association and co-founder of the AAAPO. “We are hopeful that in her new role, Secretary Nielsen will give careful consideration to the recommendations of local airport law enforcement officers on how to mitigate and prevent threats at airports.”

“DHS and all citizens must continue to stay on the offensive, and one way to do that is to enact smart and effective security policies — like the ones mentioned above — at our airports,” says Paul Nunziato, president of the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association and co-founder of the AAAPO. “As we have seen too often, international threats often foreshadow threats here at home. We must preempt these threats with effective security for our nation’s airports, which can be hotbeds for potential attacks.”

###

The American Alliance of Airport Police Officers (AAAPO) is composed of rank-and-file airport police officers (including many dual police/aircraft rescue firefighters) who stand as the first line of defense against terrorist attacks, hijackings and other criminal activity at our nation’s airports. We seek to promote security and safety for the traveling public, visitors and airport employees by highlighting best practices and identifying areas for improvement and proposed solutions for our nation’s airport security deployment. AAAPO focuses on regulatory issues that promote our efforts to provide the most advanced and cutting-edge service innovations and security processes in our nation and the world. Our organization represents thousands of sworn law enforcement officers across the United States beholden only to this mission. We are unencumbered by neither political nor managerial constraints that would prevent us from promoting sound public safety policy.

The founding members of the American Alliance of Airport Police Officers are composed of numerous rank-and-file airport police officers from John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, Van Nuys Airport, Stewart International Airport and Teterboro Airport.

  • Website: https://aaapo.org/
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaapofficers/

Primary Sidebar

Footer

Contacts

  • East Coast Media Relations Bobby Egbert regbert@papba.org (201) 871-2100
  • West Coast Media Relations Julie Banz jbanz@laapoa.com (424) 312-2224
Copyright © 2025 The American Alliance of Airport Police Officers. All Rights Reserved.
Website designed and developed by 911MEDIA