KEATING STATEMENT ON NEW COUNTERTERRORISM TASK FORCE AT LOGAN
Washington, DC – Below is a statement from Rep. Bill Keating, Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations and Management, on the new counterterrorism task force to be based out of Boston Logan International Airport.
Ten years after 9/11, the threats against our country have not subsided and neither should our diligence. Our world changed after 9/11, and our security procedures have had to adapt and advance. Nowhere is this truer than at Logan Airport.
When I conducted a security review of Logan this past June, I was impressed by the extraordinary communication and cooperation between the local and federal officials. Together, they took the lessons of 9/11 and implemented them into an effective airport security system.
The creation of a Boston Joint Terrorism Task Force office housed at Logan is just one more step in these heightened security measures. Since this task force is the first of its kind, Massachusetts can serve as a model for future task forces in other airports.
Over 730 million people travel by passenger jets each year, and over 25 million of them come through Logan. The importance of keeping our airports secure cannot be overstated. That is why I have called for a Homeland Security subcommittee hearing to take place this month in Boston. At the hearing, we will be reviewing current airport security measures to establish an upgraded, comprehensive plan that can be employed around the country. Our country needs a unified approach because one unsafe airport means every airport is compromised.
I want to commend the leaders at Logan who are at the helm of this critical initiative for their continued commitment to keeping Boston residents - and all who travel through Logan – safe. We must all remain diligent and strive to provide the greatest security in the face of threats to our country.
Rep. Keating’s field hearing on post-9/11 airport security will take place in Boston on September 16, 2011. Location and time for the hearing will be announced next week.
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