State designates a safety zone around airports To bolster airport security following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the state Department of Transportation has banned vessels, boats, motorized recreational watercraft, swimmers and fishermen from a 400-foot zone from the shoreline next
State designates a safety zone around airports
To bolster airport security following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the state Department of Transportation has banned vessels, boats, motorized recreational watercraft, swimmers and fishermen from a 400-foot zone from the shoreline next to state airports, including the Lihu’e Airport.
The prohibition became effective Wednesday. Violators will be prosecuted on trespassing charges, DOT spokeswoman Marilyn Kali said.
The DOT established the safety zone some time ago, and selected to enforce the ban after boaters and jet skiers began congregating in waters off the Honolulu International Airport a few weeks ago, Kali said.
“The problem is that nobody knows what type of people they are,” Kali said. “They could be regular folks or terrorists.”
At the Honolulu International Airport, the safety zone includes parts of Keehi Lagoon but not Keehi Lagoon Park, Kali said.
On Kaua’i, the prohibition is likely to provoke protests from some divers and freshmen who use the coastline, also known as Ahukini, by the Lihu’e Airport.
The DOT urged navigators to check nautical maps to determine the boundaries of the safety zones.
The Coast Guard has not received instructions from the DOT to enforce the ban, but will “investigate anything that is reported,” said Seaman Andrew Kendricks of the Coast Guard’s public affairs office on Oahu.
The cutter Kittiwake and smaller search-and-rescue craft can be dispatched from the Coast Guard station at Nawiliwili Harbor to investigate cases, Kendricks said.
Since the Sept. 11 attacks, security at airports has been beefed up with high-tech explosive detection machines, dog detection teams, improved security programs and platoons of military, federal, state, county law enforcement officers and security officers patrolling airports, providing a visible armed deterrent to any potential terrorist activities, DOT officials said.
Kali said the new system has either led to the arrest or detaining of people for minor criminal offenses at some airports. She said she wasn’t aware of any arrests or incidents at the Lihu’e Airport.
DOT director Brian Minaai said his department is continuing to “remove sharp objects, knives, cutting instruments and potential weapons from travelers’ carry-on luggage.”
Travelers should check key chains, pockets, purses and other carry-on items before arriving at the airport and either leave the banned items at home or pack them in check-in luggage, Minaai said.
“Security is serious business, and anyone who tries to bring unauthorized weapons or other banned items through security to test the system will be dealt with accordingly,” Minaai said. Violators will be prosecuted under federal and state laws, he said.
For heightened security, 150 Hawai’i Army and Air National Guard soldiers began patrolling state airports Oct. 7., acting as a supplemental security force for state sheriffs, local police, security guards and state sheriffs.
Major Charles Anthony, a Hawai’i Army National Guard spokesman, said he couldn’t discuss whether more guardsmen would be deployed.
The airport security system has drawn praise from the Federal Aviation Administration for its sophistication and effectiveness, Kali said.
“We are very pleased with the security that is in place,” Kali said. “We are in compliance with all FAA requirements and people should feel safe flying into and out of Hawaii airports.”
