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This is an archive article published on January 7, 2010

LA airport following Israeli model for security

The Israeli model for safety and security of air passengers is being followed at the Los Angeles airport.

The Israeli model for safety and security of air passengers is being followed at the Los Angeles airport,a top city official said on Thursday as the US has stepped up security at its aerodromes after a botched al-Qaeda attempt to blow up a transatlantic plane.

“I went to Israel,to Ben Gurion Airport for the specific purpose of looking at what they do. They have a number of different safety measures upon measure.

We’ve brought them to LAX (Los Angeles Airport) to look at our security system.

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They’ve made recommendations; we’re in the process of implementing many of them,” the city Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told the Fox News in an interview.

Following the failed al-Qaeda attempt to blow up a US plane on December 25,there have been increased security measures at American airports including full-body screening.

“We’ve got to have a whole tool in the tool box to protect the safety of our passengers.

And LAX is willing to lead the way.

What I’ve said is,I have a strong civil liberty background,but I also believe strongly that my number one job is to protect the safety of our passengers who come into LAX,” he said.

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The Los Angeles Mayor has called for more full body scanners at the city airport and also bomb dog squads.

“We can always balance privacy interests with security interests. The fact of the matter is,we already have full-body scanners at 18 airports across the nation,including at LAX.

The fact is that we can develop protocols that protect privacy,or at least balance the privacy interests with the security interests.

I believe strongly we’ve got to expand the number of full-body scanners that we have at our airports,the Mayor said.

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The Los Angeles Mayor felt the need to continue to develop technology.

“We have something,the use of dogs,bomb squad dogs,a $60,000 investment,as I understand it,very cost effective.

We need to expand the number of bomb-sniffing dogs that we have at airports,” he said.

“You know,the TSA has said that you can’t,on international flights,go to the bathroom in the last hour.

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Well,the point that they miss is that somebody could go an hour and 15 minutes prior to landing,and we’d still have a problem,” he argued.

“So why don’t we have dogs go down the aisle,checking? They can smell without even,you know,moving toward and individual,just going down the aisle to determine whether or not there’s a bomb on those planes.

We’ve got to expand the use of those dogs,” he said.

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