ATLANTA POLICE - AIRPORT DIVISION

One of the first airport professionals you see when you visit Hartsfield-Jackson is a police officer, many of them, in fact, ... directing traffic, patrolling the area, giving directions and generally keeping things moving smoothly outside the terminals. These and the other officers assigned to work elsewhere within the airport complex are doing Herculean jobs in concert with a huge security effort to provide protection for more than 43,000 workers and millions of passengers who come through the airport each year.

The Airport Division of the Atlanta Police Department (APD) has 91 sworn officers working in the areas of patrol, investigations, explosive detection and administration and are available to respond to emergencies whenever they occur.

Working at the airport does require some additional training for officers because they have to be aware of certain federal aviation laws and airport security measures that may not apply in regular settings. Of course, following the horrible tragedies of September 11, 2001, even more is now required of these officers to assure a safe environment and enforce new safety measures. But they have risen to the occasion and are going the extra mile to carry out their extensive duties.

Do you think there is a way you can be helpful to the officers in their efforts to make the airport safe for everyone? Yes. Remind your parents and other adults to check out the new security restrictions and requirements before they come to the airport to either board a plane or meet someone who is arriving. The new security measures actually take effect before anyone comes to the airport and have to do with what they are carrying in their pockets or have packed in their suitcases.

More specific information is available on the Atlanta Airport website: www.atlanta-airport.com

Now, consider this:

The men and women taking care of the public's business as airport police officers do look spiffy in their crisp uniforms, and they most definitely conduct themselves with a degree of authority. Think you'd like to be an officer for the APD one of these days, and maybe serve at the airport?

Well, make sure you earn good grades in school, and learn to work well with people. Beyond being a good citizen, you must be at least 20 years of age, have a valid driver's license, a high school diploma or GED and have been honorably discharged from the military if you served there. You will be required to pass a basic intelligence test and physical exam and take 900 hours of classroom instruction and training at the police academy, and 240 hours of training in the field.

In the meantime, do all you can to observe basic safety rules and laws and encourage your friends to do the same!

 

A LITTLE BIT OF POLICE TRIVIA Ever hear of the "bandit chaser?" It was the first official police car, which was introduced in Denver, Colorado, in 1922. It was equipped with a big Cadillac engine and had a machine gun mounted on the hood. In 1934 engineer Paul Galvin and his associate, William Lear, invented the automobile dashboard radio they called the Motorola, meaning "sound in motion," from which the two-way radio system used in police cars was developed.