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Cops to replace airport National Guardsmen Transportation Security Administration to pay for Medford police presence By JILL BRISKEY In June, National Guardsmen at the local airport may be replaced with officers from the Medford Police Department. But before the change-over takes place, Lt. Tim George said federal funding from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) must be approved. "We're in the process right now of a contract negotiation," said Medford Lt. Tim George. "We want to be at the airport. It's in the city of Medford, and we're already there." According to Bern Case, director of the Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport, National Guardsmen will leave on or before May 31. He anticipates a contract with Medford police will be finalized before June. For several months, Medford police have posted a single officer at the airport daily for six to seven hours. Often, George said it's an officer partnered with a drug-sniffing dog. The county pays the city roughly $29 an hour for that service. However, the TSA is now looking to foot the bill and increase the police presence to 16 hours daily, George said. Capt. Ed Mayer said the Jackson County Sheriff Department was the first law enforcement agency approached by the airport to provide TSA-funded security. "We analyzed it from every angle," Mayer said. "We aren't able to absorb that contract with our existing resources." More than 10 years ago, before budget shortfalls, the sheriff's department assigned two full-time deputies to protect Medford's airport, Mayer added. The contract negotiations illustrate a national trend that relieves local airports of an unexpected financial burden. "They've always had jurisdiction but they're taking the operation portion (at the airport)," Case said of the TSA. Following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, airports across the United States had to cover the cost of federally mandated security requirements - a figure that climbed to more than $500,000 in Jackson County. In addition to police presence, the airport contracted with private security personnel to protect the facility and screen vehicles. "Our airport was the most affected department in Jackson County," added County Administrator Sue Slack. But slowly, Case said, that financial burden is easing thanks to the federal government. Airport to get bomb-detecting machine A machine that detects explosives will eventually be installed at the Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport in the future, but airport director Bern Case estimates a long delay. "It's going to take a some time," Case said. "We're at the bottom of the list. There are a lot of airports out there that are much bigger than us." New aviation security laws require airports to install explosive detection devices or post certified bomb dogs at airports across the United States to protect facilities against explosives The Transportation Security Administration will pay for many of the detection machines, but Case said it may take more than a year before a device arrives in Medford. Medford police Lt. Tim George said the department is working to get an explosive-detecting canine and pair it with a police officer. There are no certified dogs in the area, he added. "That's a funding issue," he said. "It's certainly a possibility we're looking into." The Federal Aviation Administration recently awarded the county a $514,000 grant to reimburse security of costs. A $500,000 grant to add federal security measures has also been approved, Case said. Last month, an interim federal security representative from the TSA was assigned to the Medford airport. Case anticipates more federal security will arrive this year. "Some of the people that are contracted with the airline security screening will be hired with the government," Case added. Case anticipates the federal aid will keep the airport's $13.5 million annual budget from going into the red during the next fiscal year. "This is going to keep costs from going up at the airport," he added. "This is a good boost for next year." Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.