Houston police patrolling Houston airports with AR-15s

Police officers are toting AR-15 rifles at Bush Intercontinental and Hobby airports this holiday season, the latest security enhancement as airports nationwide upgrade their firepower for an era of mass shootings using high-powered rifles.

"We just want to be able to match, hopefully, whoever is coming in with the threat of violence," said Capt. Glenn Yorek with Houston Police Department's airport division at Bush Intercontinental.

The open display of force may be jarring to some, but it's pretty common at airports in other countries. And other U.S. airports are beginning to use them as well.

Local officers aren't responding to a specific known threat, Yorek emphasized. Some officers already keep these weapons in their vehicles. Openly carrying them is a precaution as roughly 1.23 million people will pass through Houston's commercial airports during the 10-day Thanksgiving travel period.

"In today's climate of what's occurring throughout the world, it was time that Houston put another tool in their tool belt to combat any would-be violence," Yorek said.

Airport and HPD officials have discussed carrying long guns for more than a year. HPD officers will carry the rifles during heightened travel periods, including Christmas and spring break, and following any major domestic incidents that could spur copycats.

It's a sign of the times, and security experts predict such measures will be adopted by more U.S. airports.

"It's a staple of airport security throughout the world, and I'm surprised it took this long," said Jeff Price, professor of aviation management at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

He said officers at Boston Logan International and Los Angeles International airports began carrying long guns after Sept. 11. Surges in other airports adopting the enhanced security occurred after the 2013 shooting in Los Angeles International, where a semiautomatic rifle was used to kill a Transportation Security Administration officer, and the January 2017 shooting in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, where a handgun was used to kill five people.

Recent mass shootings in Las Vegas and Sutherland Springs have only increased the urgency.

"As more incidents happen, then airport police departments find more and more support for doing it," said Price, who is also the lead author of "Practical Aviation Security: Predicting and Preventing Future Threats."

Price said the AR-15s allow police officers to match the firepower an attacker could have. It's also more accurate and stable than a pistol. Officers can shoot more rounds without having to readjust each time they pull the trigger.

There's an intimidation factor that may deter attackers, too.

"It looks like a big scary gun to a lot of people and that's part of the intent," Price said. "They want to look intimidating."

Police officers aren't just handed the rifles. Yorek said his officers take a week-long course to show proficiency in the weapon before they can carry it. They also receive additional training for active shooter scenarios.

"Their training has changed to match the style of weapon that they're carrying and to match the style of threat that they're facing," said Anthony Roman, president of global investigation and risk management firm Roman & Associates.

Roman said carrying long guns is just one part of an airport's security. For instance, they've trained officers to identify suspicious behaviors and equipped them with bomb-sniffing dogs.

Still, he says there's room for improvement.

Roman said airports nationwide should have two fences surrounding the airfield's perimeter instead of just one. With two fences, officers could be alerted when bad guys breach the first fence and then have time to stop assailants before they breach the second fence. With just one fence, he said bad guys can be on the runway before officials have time to respond.

Another issue is insufficient budgets and manpower, Roman said. This limits officers' ability to provide robust, full-time monitoring of vehicles and passengers before they get to the terminal.

"It's not only about having guns in the terminal," he said. "Really, we're much better off if we prevent trouble from arriving at the terminal."

Yorek said the airport beefs up security during the holidays, with more officers in the terminal and more officers monitoring vehicles before get to terminal.

And this Turkey Day isn't the first time long guns have been present on airport property, said Houston Airport System Chief Operating Officer Jesus Saenz, Jr. TSA special teams have carried the long guns in the past as they patrol Houston's airports. But these special teams have a smaller presence than the HPD officers.

"We took proactive steps with HPD to ensure they're equipped with the right guns to respond accordingly," Saenz said.

The Houston Airport System doesn't want travelers to be caught off guard by the new firearms. The Airport System and TSA have provided other tips, too, for a stress-free Thanksgiving vacation.

TSA is reminding travelers of stricter screening practices announced in July for carry-on luggage. Travelers are now required to place all electronics larger than a cell phone into bins, without anything on top of or below the electronics, for X-ray screening. This is similar to how laptops are screened.

The new TSA procedures have been fully implemented at Hobby Airport. They are being phased in at Bush Intercontinental and will be fully implemented next year. The new policies do not apply to members of TSA PreCheck, a program that provides expedited security for pre-approved travelers.

The Houston Airport System is also pointing travelers to its website, fly2houston.com, for information on flights, restaurants, available parking and wait times for security checkpoints. The website also provides step-by-step directions for navigating the airport.

And with the Thanksgiving travel period underway, Yorek said his officers with the AR-15s are already being noticed.

"We're already getting citizens coming up to us saying how much they appreciate it," he said, "and it's about time Houston did it."

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