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Israeli airport officials examine DIA's overall security procedures

Experts at spotting terrorists asked to help assure safety

Chris Walsh, Rocky Mountain News

Published October 12, 2007 at midnight

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Israeli airport officials are reviewing DIA's security policies and procedures, taking a look at everything from airfields to perimeter fences.

Denver International Airport and local leaders invited the officials - who work at Ben-Gurion Airport in suburban Tel Aviv, Israel's largest - to make suggestions and comments about DIA's overall security plan.

The group was here for several days this week.

DIA spokesman Chuck Cannon said the officials have already issued a preliminary report, although the findings won't be released to the public. He did not know how extensive the final version will be.

Israel, a terrorism hot spot for decades, is known as having some of the most extensive and effective security measures in the world.

The country's airports are "the acknowledged leader in the world" when it comes to security, Mayor John Hickenlooper said in a statement. "We are grateful that (the officials) agreed to travel to DIA to share their perspective and expertise."

He spurred the effort after meeting Israeli Consul General Ehud Danoch.

It's not necessarily an unusual move.

Numerous airports in the United States have brought in Israeli companies and officials to examine their security plans, observers said.

"There has not been a successful attack on an airport in Israel in many, many years," said Howard Safir, chairman and chief executive officer of the New York-based security firm SafirRosetti. "They have some pretty good methods and a very good system of spotting terrorists using behavioral and visual systems."

The move comes while DIA conducts a comprehensive review of its operations as it looks to handle rapid growth and prepare for more passengers in the future. It has issued more than $1 billion in bonds to fund expansion projects through 2013, including the addition and reconfiguration of security lanes.

Mike Boyd, an airline consultant based in Evergreen, said it's smart to bring in the Israeli team as the airport assesses its security needs.

"To bring someone from outside I think shows forward thinking," Boyd said. "What it says is 'we want to make sure our airport is safe, we want to verify that for ourselves.' It might annoy the TSA, but if more airports could do this we'd be in good shape."

Officials from DIA and the city said they could not provide cost estimates related to the review.

While most observers agree that Israel's airport security is among the world's best, it's a much more difficult model to emulate in the United States.

"What they have is very effective, but (Israel's main airline) only has a couple dozen planes," Safir said. "It's hard to translate that into thousands of planes and airports in the United States."

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