Atlanta police plan to move more officers to the airport for swifter responses
ATLANTA - Following a violent incident at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, police officials acknowledge the city has almost 30 vacancies at the facility.
Atlanta Police Department coverage is the lightest on the concourses, where travelers wait to board their flights.
It was on Concourse D where cell video showed a traveler, obviously angry, wind up and slug a gate worker for Southwest Airlines.
The passenger had been on board the jet which was turned back to the gate because staff determined the man, Courney Drummond, to be unruly.
After he was told to leave the plane, the video shows him erupting, pacing, and ultimately taking a swing.
A deputy chief, Timothy Peek, told members of the council public safety panel, airlines should call in advance so an officer can go to that gate and monitor the exit. That did not happen.
He also said they are working on a plan to move more officers to the airport for a swifter response.
Currently, 148 officers are assigned to work the massive complex. There are 29 vacancies, and that is 20% below the staffing allocation.