by Sabrina Salas Matanane, KUAM NewsMonday, May 12, 2008 Subscribe to Sabrina's newsfeed
After running into some turbulence with the first two hearings, today's oversight with the Guam International Airport Authority got off the ground without a hitch. Committee chair Senator Jesse Anderson Lujan (R) began with testimony from former acting airport police chief Major Antonio Taitingfong, who was demoted to assistant police chief. During questioning Taitingfong could not provide answers for his demotion, which left a lower-ranking officer in charge. He testified that such was the decision of upper management. Senator Lujan and Senator B.J. Cruz (D) then began questioning the use of LTAs as police officers, citing concerns over the security of the airport, with Taitingfong saying when asked if limited-term police officers have round the clock authority, "Yes, they're good 24/7, because there are times they are called in for shortage of personnel and so forth. And they're called in, so we don't have to be going back and activating while they're on duty."Tatingfong says that while these temporary- or limited-term police officers hold their security badges throughout the day, they can't simply escort family or friends through secured areas whenever they want. As far as the use of LTAs, Taitingfong testified that they are necessary to fulfill the security needs of the airport, adding that he doesn't believe the security of the airport has been compromised.