Cartwright PITTSTON TWP. — U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright sent a letter on May 3 to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, urging them to fully fund the TSA Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) Reimbursement Program at $42.7 million.
Cartwright’s office notified Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce of the letter.
“After the Congressman made that appeal in his Homeland Security Appropriations request letter, the House Homeland Security Subcommittee did include language Appropriating $45,868,000 for the program,” said John P. Blake, District Director/Economic Development Specialist for Cartwright. “There is no way, at this point, for us to know if the U.S. Senate will agree to that, however, so the funding isn’t yet assured — but at least we have one step in the right direction in the U.S. House Appropriations process.”
At last Thursday’s meeting of the Bi-County Airport Board, Walter Griffith, Luzerne County Controller, expressed concern about the LEO program that provides security at the airport’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) station.
Griffith said Luzerne County has been paying $12,000 per month to staff an officer at the airport since the federal funding for the program was discontinued.
“I think the airport needs to find out of the funding will be restored,” Griffith said. “Luzerne County should not have to pay for this program.”
In 2021, 10 new employees are in the District Attorney’s Office were hired, including eight new part-time airport police officers who would be paid $18 per hour.
At that time, the county agreed that the DA’s office would provide law enforcement coverage for all Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport departing flights, with the airport covering the staffing costs. Sanguedolce said new airport officers would be limited to 1,000 hours per year of work and won’t be eligible for county health insurance or pension benefits.
The TSA screens passengers and baggage but requires that the airport provide officers with arrest powers at a podium near its checkpoint. Airport officials asked Sanguedolce to handle the law enforcement, saying Avoca Borough had opted to stop providing that coverage.
According to an online TSA posting, its screening officers don’t have authority to arrest passengers. They require law enforcement assistance when travelers try to evade or interfere with the screening process, carry prohibited or illegal items or are on a “Be on the Lookout” list, unruly or suspected to be in danger or traveling against their will, it said.
Sanguedolce said historically, the federal government would reimburse for the officers to be staffed at airport TSA stations across the U.S.
“That funding was cut,” Sanguedolce said. “And now it has become an issue”
Sanguedolce said his office can support the LEO program until the end of 2024.
“If something doesn’t happen to restore the funding, we we would be at a crossroads,” Sanguedolce said. “Our county has a tight budget, so we would have to see if grant funding would be available. We have to find a solution.”
Sanguedolce said there have been several violent incidences at the airport and guns have been detected in carry-on bags of boarding passengers. In fact, a handgun was found on Monday in a passenger’s carry-on luggage.
According to Blake, Cartwright does not expect the FY25 federal budget to be taken up before early March of 2025.
“He expects a Continuing Resolution will keep the federal government running from Oct. 1, 2024 to, maybe, March 31, 2025 — after the 2024 election and after a new Congress is sworn in and the next President of the U.S. is inaugurated,” Blake wrote to Sanguedolce. “So, if the U.S. Senate agrees to the restoration of that TSA Airport security funding, it is unlikely to be available until the middle of next year, perhaps later.”
Blake said he notified Carl Beardsley, executive director at the airport, on this development and he offered him some guidance on seeking some state funding to pay for security pending the restoration of federal funding.
“It would require the cooperation of both the Lackawanna County Board of Commissioners and the Luzerne County Council, but it’s doable,” Blake wrote.
Beardsley said the airport is thankful to Cartwright and his staff for all of there hard work on this issue.
“As you know, safety is paramount to our airport,” Beardsley said. “The Airport is exploring all avenues of funding until a long term solution is available. Finally, the airport plans on working closely with Luzerne and Lackawanna counties to expedite this grant process.”
Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo said the county is pleased that the matter is moving forward.
“It is paramount that we secure the safety of our airports,” Crocamo said. “The Administration and the District Attorney will continue to advocate for any measures that safeguard our airport.
Last week, Crocamo commended Sanguedolce for his exceptional oversight and dedication to the LEO program at the airport.
“His leadership has played a crucial role in maintaining a secure environment for both travelers and airport staff,” Crocamo said. “Luzerne County reaffirms its commitment, alongside our partners from Lackawanna County, and the airport, to provide the utmost safety and protection for everyone utilizing our airport facilities. We will continue to work diligently to ensure that the necessary resources and support are available to our dedicated LEOs.”
Sen. Casey also involved
On May 15, Sen. Casey sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, urging them to fully fund the TSA LEO Reimbursement Program.
Casey wrote:
“The Law Enforcement Officer Reimbursement Program helps airports across the country, particularly small- and medium-sized hubs, provide the necessary security to keep passengers safe, offer rapid response times, and deploy trained canines to detect explosives or explosive material, while also supporting airports’ compliance with federal standards for law enforcement response times.
“Failing to fund these programs would place an undue burden on airports, particularly small- and medium-sized airports, to fund these programs themselves, and would restrict airports’ ability to maintain an onsite law enforcement presence and result in a lower level of security and increase in law enforcement response times at our nation’s airports.”
Casey’s letter also noted that not funding the LEO program would results in “many commercial airports to likely have no law enforcement presence on-site during TSA screening operations, while others will experience significantly increased law enforcement officer response times to incidents at the TSA checkpoints.”
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