AAAPO Denounces Weekend Violence and Terror - Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers Association

The American Alliance of Airport Police Officers (AAAPO) denounces the weekend of violence and terror which saw the shooting of two police officers in West Philadelphia on Friday night that claimed the life of a bystander and wounded five others; a stabbing spree at a Minnesota mall on Saturday which injured nine; as well as an explosion near a Marine Corps charity race in Seaside Heights, New Jersey and an explosion in New York City which injured 29 people and led to the discovery of a second bomb in the City, also on Saturday; which was followed by three pipe bombs and two smaller explosive
devices found in Elizabeth, New Jersey on Sunday night. AAAPO sends our condolences to the victims and those injured in these senseless acts.

While investigations are ongoing for all of this weekend’s incidents, a suspect has been apprehended in connection with the New York and New Jersey bombings. The AAAPO commends the bravery of the police officers in Linden, New Jersey who were involved in a shootout with the suspect, during which two officers were shot. Their courageousness and sacrifice resulted in the capture of the suspect and the removal of a dangerous person from of our communities.

The last several years have seen a rising tide of violence, including violence targeted towards law enforcement, and we must all swiftly denounce these crimes which serve to instill fear and affect our way of life. These attacks took place at a mall, during a 5K run honoring military and on busy city streets—places no different from any mall or street in any neighborhood in America. The perpetrators of these crimes reminds us that there are individuals who want to hurt citizens and police and divide us as a nation but these forces fail to realize that they are only steeling our resolve and making us more
cohesive so that we can fight back harder and stronger to protect our great country against any enemies that seek to harm us.

“These unconscionable acts reinforce the need to focus on safety and security. We must all unify to face off against those who want to inflict both physical and psychological harm and we must be vigilant in the face of these evildoers,” said Marshall McClain, co-founder of the AAAPO and President of the Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers Association. “These criminals will never break us and can never break us if we stand together against them.”

“The New York and New Jersey area has been a literal ground zero for those who want to cause maximum pain and damage,” said Paul Nunziato, co-founder of the AAAPO and President of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Benevolent Association. “Their actions only unify us, here in New York and New Jersey, and everywhere across the country, as these attacks are attacks on all of us and all of our freedoms. What attackers forget is that we will not and will never succumb to their campaign of terror and we will not be intimidated by their cowardly actions.”

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The American Alliance of Airport Police Officers (AAAPO) is composed of rank-and-file airport police officers (including many dual police/aircraft rescue firefighters) who stand as the first line of defense against terrorist attacks, hijackings and other criminal activity at our nation’s airports. We seek to promote security and safety for the traveling public, visitors and airport employees by highlighting best practices and identifying areas for improvement and proposed solutions for our nation’s airport security deployment. AAAPO focuses on regulatory issues that promote our efforts to provide the most advanced and cutting-edge service innovations and security processes in our nation and the world. Our organization represents thousands of sworn law enforcement officers across the United States beholden only to this mission. We are unencumbered by neither political nor managerial constraints that would prevent us from promoting sound public safety policy.

The founding members of the American Alliance of Airport Police Officers are composed of numerous rank-and-file airport police officers from John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, Van Nuys Airport, Stewart International Airport and Teterboro Airport.