LOS ANGELES – Representatives from the Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers’ Association (LAAPOA) will appear Tuesday before the Innovation, Grants, Technology, Commerce and Trade Committee, which oversees airports and harbors, to offer comment on the re-occurring incidents of security breaches and vandalism at Van Nuys Airport.  Councilman Bob Blumenfield who submitted a motion requesting the hearing chairs the committee.

“Perimeter breaches are happening at Van Nuys on an all too frequent basis—most of these incidents involve someone simply climbing over the fence or cutting their way through it,” said Marshall McClain, President of the Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers’ Association. “These breaches could be prevented or mitigated by adequately staffing patrol officer positions at the airport. Ignoring the problem and turning a blind eye to Van Nuys is not the solution.  It’s unfortunate that the City Council has to weigh-in on issues involving police management and what seems like common sense solutions to the problem, however, LAAPOA applauds Councilmember Blumenfield for bringing our concern forward.”

Since December there have been three security breaches at Van Nuys Airport including a security scare took place on April 2nd when an individual climbed a perimeter fence to get onto the airfield and caused more than $10,000 in damages to two planes, one of which is connected to the Los Angeles Rams, and a car. Prior to that, in March, a driver rammed through a fence, drove across the airfield and two active runways and crashed into a plane and in December there was a breach where vandals used bolt cutters to pass through the fence at Van Nuys airport and spray paint three private jets. These three breaches in just the last five months are emblematic of the lack of attention paid to the airport by Airport Police management.