AAAPO Grateful for Congressional and Administration Support of Law Enforcement - Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers Association

The American Alliance of Airport Police Officers commends Congress for passing, and the president for signing into law, the American Law Enforcement Heroes Act of 2017 (S. 583) and Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2017 (S. 419) to help the law enforcement community.

The sacrifice that our veterans have made for our country and our freedoms makes these brave men and women a natural fit for careers in law enforcement. The American Law Enforcement Heroes Act allows federal grants to help military veterans transition to careers in law enforcement. Their skills and military background will continue to benefit our communities by keeping our streets safe.

Law enforcement is a particularly dangerous profession, and knowing that there is support for families and loved ones to receive the benefits officers have earned and deserve is of paramount importance. The Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Improvement Act streamlines benefits for disabled officers and the families of fallen officers. The families of those who make the ultimate sacrifice should never be burdened by bureaucracy to obtain the assistance they require in their time of need.

“As we saw with the attacks that took place this past weekend in London, terror and crime are an unfortunate reality of our daily lives. When incidents like this happen, it is police officers who run toward these events to shield the public. Having officers with a military background makes them well prepared for these types of incidents,” says Marshall McClain, president of the Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers Association and co-founder of AAAPO. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and families of those injured in London, and to the people of the city of London — we stand with you.”

“The terror incident in London reminds us that law enforcement is a hazardous line of work, but it is one that we would not trade for any other job. While the sacrifice in this profession can be great, the reward is even greater. It gives us peace of mind to know that injured or fallen police officers will be cared for during difficult times,” says Paul Nunziato, president of the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association and co-founder of AAAPO. “We send our condolences to all those affected by the horrible attacks in London, and we remind those here at home that the law enforcement community is here to protect you no matter what comes our way.”

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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.