Gateway to pay Mesa for more officers

Growth and expansion of Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport has caused the need for a larger law-enforcement presence.

The airport authority and the city entered into a five-year agreement to allow the airport to reimburse the city for more officers due to expanded hours at its terminal and increased flights.

The agreement, which was approved during the airport authority's board meeting in September and at a City Council meeting last month, will provide $334,540 for this fiscal year, which ends June 30. The agreement will last through June 2014, according to City Councilman Scott Somers, who represents the city's District 6, where the airport is located.

For the last six months there have been 14 Mesa police and Transportation Security Administration officers assigned to work at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. That number should be good for at least the next three months, according to Mesa police Sgt. Sharon Burlingame, one of the supervisors for officers at the airport.

According to an Oct. 19 council agenda, the money would pay for at least four officers to provide 24-hour coverage, seven days a week. Beyond that, city officials could not immediately provide numbers as to how many security officers will be assigned to the airport in the future.

Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration announced an $8.9 million grant for the airport to enlarge the Charles L. Williams passenger terminal from 25,000 square feet to 33,000 square feet, which will be able to accommodate nearly 1 million passengers projected to come through the airport once the expansion is completed.

"The airport uses several different levels of security, security guards, police officers and Department of Homeland Security screeners," Somers said. "As the airport continues to grow, we would expect to see more of our officers dedicated to protecting the safety of the passengers. Of course, we want our airport to be self-sufficient, and they are reaching a point where they are self-sustainable in their operations, and paying for their security is part of that sustainability."

With the forthcoming expansion, more personnel will be required at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, for security sweeps and bomb-sniffing dogs, according to Brian Sexton, airport spokesman.

In about the last two years, the number of cities Allegiant Air provides flights to has grown from eight to 20, and the number of flights by the airline has doubled, Sexton said.

"These are things that have been in place for some time, and now, it's appropriate that the airport pay for the added service," Sexton said. "What used to be a police substation at the airport to serve the area within the city's jurisdiction is now an element of terminal building expense.

"In the past, there has been a local police presence, but with the increased demands, it's important that we have adequate security measures in place and be able to pay for that ourselves," he said.