Airport Police

Proceeds from assets seized from drug busts at Bob Hope Airport — including 22 pounds of cocaine concealed in carry-on luggage — and other arrests will be tapped to pay for three new police vehicles at the airfield. The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority approved the $88,000 purchase of three new Chevy Tahoes for police, without a dime coming from the airport’s budget. Instead, the airport will tap a special U.S. Department of Justice fund that allows local police and prosecutors to get some of the take when their agencies are involved in stings resulting in the seizure of cash, vehicles or other equipment paid for with drug money.

Torrance native moves from Kauai airport to Burbank to take over as director of security.BURBANK -- Working for the federal agency charged with security at the nation's airports, Shannon Garcia-Hamilton knows what a huge responsibility security screeners have. She also knows that their work can be mundane, repetitive and very much in the public eye, which is why when she takes over next month as the new federal security director at Bob Hope Airport, those workers will be getting her support.

Laura Sturza Airport Authority commissioners on Monday approved immediate expansion of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport for security needs, though Burbank building permits have not been issued. Construction preparation is expected to start this week, following Monday's vote to award the $10.5-million construction phase to Glendale's George Hopkins Construction Co. Other aspects of the $25-million project include design and consulting fees, equipment and surveillance systems.

Mark R. Madler Mike Post was already looking toward retiring from police work when the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks provided a shift in his professional career. After 28 years with the Glendale Police Department, Post moved on to become the director of public safety at Bob Hope Airport where he oversaw security changes necessary following the terrorist attacks. After three years in that position, Post will leave in early January. His successor, Steven Staveley, a veteran law enforcement officer, took over the post of overseeing the police and fire departments at the airport on Dec. 10. "There's been tremendous progress made over the past three years, and it's something the community should be proud of," Staveley said.

Ryan Carter BURBANK -- Extra baggage checks and a highly visible police presence was a minor price to pay for peace of mind, travelers said Friday as flights resumed at the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport. "I just had to wait a little longer at the checkpoint, but that's OK," said Manuel Amado, on his way to catch a flight from Burbank to Oakland. Amado was surprised when security workers checked spices and souvenirs he brought back from a trip in which he spent several months in Spain.

BOB HOPE AIRPORT ? A former airport police officer has filed suit against the Burbank/Glendale/Pasadena Airport Authority claiming racial discrimination and wrongful termination. Michael Gomez, was fired on Sept. 2, 2005, after a fight with another officer, according to his complaint filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court on April 12. The suit, however, claims that Gomez did not start the fight, and he suffered humiliation being unfairly reprimanded in front of his fellow officers and discrimination at the hands of his superior officers due to his race.

BURBANK — It’s not every day that “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno tries to order a pizza over a radio frequency reserved for emergency response calls. But that’s exactly what city and public safety officials from Burbank and Glendale were treated to Wednesday in a moment of levity during a serious demonstration of the Interagency Communications Interoperability System, or ICIS. The system — which is used by Glendale, Burbank, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Montebello, Pomona and Bob Hope Airport — enables police and fire agencies, as well as some local government operations, to communicate across jurisdictional lines.

Airport security tightened in Burbank and long-held emotions were cut loose in Glendale as news surfaced Sunday that U.S. Navy Special Forces had killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. “It was the first time I cried in a long time, since we buried my brother,” said Brandon Valvo, a Glendale native whose brother Carlton Valvo II died at the World Trade Center when terrorist planes struck on Sept. 11, 2001. Valvo said a torrent of emotion coursed through him when he learned bin Laden had been killed, from elation and long-simmering anger, to gratitude for the work of U.S. armed forces and political leaders.

AIRPORT DISTRICT ? An employee who recently underwent a ?nuclear-related? medical procedure set off alarms Friday afternoon at Bob Hope Airport, briefly interrupting service while authorities tried to track down the source of the sensor reading. The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority employee had recently undergone a medical procedure that involved some sort of radioactive element, causing detection equipment to produce a ?strong reading? about 12:50 p.m., airport Police Chief Ed Skvarna said.