OFF-DUTY LAPD TO PATROL AIRPORT.

Byline: Mariel Garza Staff Writer

In the wake of the July 4 shooting rampage that left three people dead, Mayor James Hahn unveiled a plan Wednesday to use off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officers to beef up security at LAX.

Hahn directed Los Angeles World Airports staffers to augment security at Los Angeles International Airport by using 60 off-duty LAPD officers who will help patrol all seven terminals on foot, by bicycle and undercover. The plan will cost $200,000 to $400,000 a month in overtime, officials said.

``The July 4th shooting in the Tom Bradley International Terminal is a vivid reminder that we must be vigilant, continue to add resources, adopt new procedures to secure our airports and keep travelers safe throughout airport terminals,'' Hahn said during a news conference held in the ticketing area of Terminal 6.

``We must have highly visible law enforcement personnel ... to reassure visitors and travelers alike that the city is committed to making sure our airport is as safe as we can make it.''

Hahn said the increase will allow officers to be stationed in each terminal near ticket counters and waiting areas. Currently, there are no security checkpoints leading to the ticket counters at LAX.

Hahn's proposal came less than a week after Egyptian immigrant Hesham Mohammed Ali Hadayet of Irvine gunned down Victoria Hen, a 25-year-old ticket agent from Chatsworth, and Yaakov Aminov, a 46-year-old diamond importer from North Hollywood, near the El Al ticket counter. Armed El Al security guards then shot and killed Hadayet.

Already, 74 LAPD officers are assigned to the airport - including a bomb squad, narcotics officers and an anti-terrorism group - in addition to the 240 Airport Police officers and 200 private security guards.

However, the Airport Police has 60 vacancies - jobs that officials expect to be filled by the end of the year by recruits currently going through rigorous police and FAA training.

The off-duty LAPD officers may be kept on the job even after the Airport Police force is at full strength, officials said.

The city has no plans to add Airport Police positions, but officials said that situation could change as they refine security procedures, which have come under scrutiny since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York City and near Washington, D.C.

An official with United Airlines, one of the biggest users of terminal space at LAX, said the company supports additional security, but wants to ensure it doesn't slow the traveling process.

``If is an action going to make customers feel safer without impeding the customer convenience of getting through the airport, we're all for it,'' airline spokesman Chris Brathwaite said.

However, Hahn did warn that travelers might notice delays due to the increased police presence.

``The mayor obviously is doing what he thinks is right to make people at LAX feel safe,'' Brathwaite said, adding that United will work with airport and city officials to keep the airport safe.

During the news conference, Los Angeles City Councilman Jack Weiss said he was concerned about the ``alphabet soup'' of law enforcement operating at the airport, and called for an investigation into the merger of the LAPD and the Airport Police.

At Weiss' suggestion, the City Council asked on Tuesday for a report back from staff members on the feasibility of such a plan. Commissioner Rick Caruso has also espoused consideration of a merger.

Airport Police Chief Bernard Wilson said he would welcome the scrutiny because he believes it will highlight why having a separate department of officers who know the beat intimately makes sense.

``I think it will show we do a good job,'' Wilson said.

Hahn later said he had rejected merging the two city police agencies in the past, but would be open to revisiting the question in light of the recent violence.

``I have looked at that and concluded that a separate Airport Police force is the best way to provide airport security, and I know that the City Council has looked at that in the past,'' Hahn said. ``But I think we should continue to re-evaluate all security measures and whether or not to have a unified force.''