LOS ANGELES, CA – The Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Police Department is the local law enforcement agency that patrols and secures LAX, Ontario and Van Nuys airports, and serves as the first line of defense in preventing terrorist attacks, hijackings and other public safety emergencies at our airports. The LAXPD protects travelers, airport employees and our surrounding communities.
The sole mission of our officers is to ensure that you are safe and secure in our airports. LAX is the 2nd busiest airport in the country and served a record-breaking 74.9 million passengers in 2015, all while undergoing a massive expansion of its international terminal and continuing to be the #1 terrorist target on the west coast. Given this complex and evolving environment, we are constantly training, retraining and undergoing exercises to ensure your highest protection. While we receive the same underlying law enforcement training as LAPD (through its Police Academy), our officers then receive follow up training specific to airports in areas related to terrorism and hijackings, including training with the FBI, DEA, ICE, CBP, TSA, and other various agencies working at the airports.
The work our officers perform is comparable to, although more specialized than, the training received by other police agencies in the City of Los Angeles. That said, our officers do not earn the same compensation and benefits as our City counterparts. LAXPD officers risk their lives to save lives. However, in the event their lives are taken, there is no benefit in place for their families to be taken care of, unlike all other police agencies in the City of Los Angeles. So, what makes the lives of LAXPD officers less valuable than the lives of other Police Officers in the City of Los Angeles?
In this regard, we need your help in bringing awareness and attention to this matter. Our officers are seeking, and deserve, no less and are asking for no more than what our City colleagues receive. Very importantly, all funds that pay for our officers and airport safety come from airport fees—none of the funds come from City revenues or taxes. Taxes will not go up if airport police officers are paid the same as other City police agencies.
Over the course of the next month, we will be highlighting the work our officers do to protect you as you travel through our great airport system, as well as highlighting some important areas that we are working to fix in order to better serve you. We will be asking for your help to ensure that our officers receive the same benefits as other law enforcement agencies in the City that they have earned. Now, will you help protect us?