TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

New TSA Director Confident About Local Airports' Safety

News Channel 8 photo by KATY HENNIG

Tampa area TSA Director Gary Milano said holiday travelers will notice little change during the holidays despite ever-present security measures.

ADVERTISEMENT

By TED JACKOVICS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 20, 2007

TAMPA - Gary Milano became director last week of the Tampa area district for the Transportation Security Administration, just before one of aviation's busiest travel periods.

Milano was TSA's director in the Syracuse, N.Y., region before replacing Dario Compain, who recently retired from overseeing airport security at Tampa, St. Petersburg-Clearwater and Sarasota.

Milano discussed local issues - edited for brevity - with reporters at Tampa International Airport on Monday.

What will passengers see as different when going through airport security this Thanksgiving compared with a year ago?

Passengers will notice little change. But TSA is keeping up with intelligence of threats, in particular explosives. Passengers will be required to remove their outer garments (jackets/coats) at checkpoints. (See tsa.gov for more information. For wait times in airport security lines, go to waittime.tsa.dhs.gov).

What was your response to the Government Accountability Office report made public last week that detailed vulnerabilities of TSA's screening processes (at 19 airports the report did not identify)?

We examined our drills and tests to evaluate our internal procedures and we are very confident (for airports in the Tampa Bay area). I am confident we understand the mission here.

What is the biggest challenge TSA faces locally?

We need to keep pace with available technology for us to do our job better. We are in good shape here with a good partnership between the federal government, the local government, which is the aviation authority, and the stakeholders, including the airlines.

Where does Tampa International Airport stand compared with other airports on security technology?

Tampa International is on the cutting edge. The airport has been selected to participate in pilot programs in the past, and we want to continue to be accepted for them.

What needs to be changed here?

In my first five days here, I have noticed nothing we need to change. I have found a spirit of cooperation and participation.

Do you have the personnel you need?

Yes. We will be at full strength over the holidays. We will be up to 600 full-time and part-time employees at Tampa International (by Christmas) and at 80 in both St. Petersburg-Clearwater and Sarasota. TSA will gain flexibility to cover peak periods with a combination of full-time and part-time workers.

You were a U.S. Department of Justice attorney for 15 years before joining the TSA, but what are some of your other interests?

I grew up near the old Madison Square Garden in New York and still follow (basketball) at St. John's University (Milano's alma mater for his bachelor's, master's and law degrees).

Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at (813) 259-7817 or tjackovics@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT