VIDEO PATROL ADDED AT LAX.

Byline: Mariel Garza Staff Writer

Mayor James Hahn joined Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., at Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday to announce the installation of closed-circuit surveillance cameras to boost security.

Starting with the Tom Bradley International Terminal, which was the scene of a shooting July 4 that left three dead, the plan calls for 1,200 video cameras that will monitor virtually every public place in LAX.

``We want travelers to be safe but also not inconvenienced,'' Hahn said. ``But we do want them to know we'll be watching out for them.''

About 100 to 150 cameras will be placed at each of the airport's terminals to specifically watch out for - and watch the actions of - travelers as they pass through the terminals and curbside check-in and drop-off areas.

The cameras will be monitored at a central location.

This is the second phase of Hahn's plan to improve security at the airport and will cost between $15 million and $20 million.

Last week, the mayor announced a $15 million plan to upgrade perimeter security as the first phase of improving protection at LAX. Perimeter fences will be replaced with taller and more secure fences topped with surveillance cameras and six strands of barbed wire to keep terrorists off the airfields.

In July, Hahn added 60 off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officers for armed patrol of the public areas of the airport after Hesham Mohammed Ali Hadayet, an Egyptian immigrant living in Irvine, opened fire at the El Al ticket counter, killing two people before he was fatally wounded.

The latest measures were based on recommendations from consultants hired to assess airport safety after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Currently, the airport uses video cameras to monitor petty crime in the parking lots and in screening stations. Three other camera systems keep an eye on the airfield and some terminal areas. There is no location where someone can monitor all the cameras.

Gephardt, minority leader of the Republican-controlled House, praised the plan.

``The steps the mayor is announcing today are an important series of steps designed to strengthen security for everyone who comes through this terminal,'' Gephardt said Thursday. ``Better monitoring means better security.''

Gephardt called for the Bush administration to pony up funds to pay for the improvements.

``That money cannot just come from the local community,'' Gephardt said. ``Airport security is a national priority in the fight against terrorism. And jurisdictions like Los Angeles need more tangible resources from the federal government to get this done.''

Also on Thursday, American Airlines dedicated its $300 million improvement project in Terminal 4 at LAX. The project took four years to complete and expanded the check-in lobby, the security checkpoints and baggage claim areas.