MAYOR HAHN SAYS SECURITY PROTOCOLS AND COMMUNICATIONS HAVE BEEN REAFFIRMED IN WAKE OF HIJACKING ALERT

(Los Angeles, California – May 18, 2004) Los Angeles Mayor Jim Hahn was joined today by representatives from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Police, and the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection to announce that communications and protocols have been reaffirmed in the wake of an erroneous hijacking alert from a LAX-inbound Singapore Airlines flight on May 4, 2004.

Mayor Hahn asked all of the relevant agencies to work together to find solutions to inter-agency communication gaps with respect to notifications and inter-agency protocols for responding to any hijacking situation, whether in the air or on the ground. The lead agency in charge of any potential terrorist-related incident at an airport has been reaffirmed.

"As a result of the communication and protocol gaps identified during the Singapore Airlines false hijacking alert, I called for the immediate review of the incident and I would like to thank the federal and local agencies represented here today who have met to discuss the relevant issues and shared with me the corrective and clarifying actions," said Mayor Hahn. "These actions will enhance the response to any aircraft emitting a hijack signal, real and otherwise, in the future."

"The working group was a positive exercise. We were able to put together a solid matrix agreed upon by all of the agencies that would respond in a crisis breaking down each of their responsibilities for almost any eventuality at LAX," said John Miller, Chief of LAPD's Critical Incident Management Bureau.

"We have a strong partnership in place - TSA, Los Angeles World Airports, FBI, Customs and Border Protection, LAPD, LAWA Police," stated Larry Fetters, TSA Federal Security Director at LAX. "Singapore Airlines Flight 20 taught us lessons and, in fact, was a blessing in disguise. We are better and stronger for it. We look forward to continuing our work with each of the agencies involved, to ensure we are doing all we can to protect and provide for the security of the greater Los Angeles community."

"The law enforcement and security agencies working at LAX are on the same page. Continuous communication, information sharing and frequent real-world exercises are the keys to our mutual success. I believe LAX has and will continue to set the standard for interagency coordination and cooperation among large U.S. airports," said Chief of Los Angeles Airport Police Bernard J. Wilson.