Maui News Thursday, October 27, 2005

Incident more than a scuffle

An incident at Kahului Airport last week - as related by the alleged victim since airport officials aren't talking - may be indicative of a more encompassing problem involving security guards hired by a Mainland company under contract with the state.

The Airports Division of the state Department of Transportation contracts airport security to Wackenhut Corp. in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. That puts the local security personnel a long way from any supervision from their company or the state.

Anecdotal evidence indicates the security guards at Kahului Airport take their jobs very seriously, perhaps too seriously. As the main gateway in and out of Maui, personnel at the airport not only come in contact with tourists but local residents.

The Maui News has received letters from individuals who felt harassed and unduly ordered about by security guards. A call was made to the newspaper Wednesday morning from a resident who said he was glad someone was standing up to the guards. "I don't have problems with them, I just let them push me around," the caller said.

In last week's incident, the part-owner of an airline claimed he and an employee were beaten and held in handcuffs under "citizen's arrest" before being charged with harassment and resisting arrest in one case and third-degree assault in the other.

Nearly a week later, the Airports Division of the DOT had nothing to say about the incident. The Maui Police Department refers requests for information to the DOT. If state officials are not taking the incident - and other complaints of treatment at the hands of airport security guards - seriously, they should be.

Apparently, individuals who are not sworn police officers can make citizen's arrests and hold people for an unspecified length of time before turning them over to police. This point of the law needs clarifying by the Legislature.

If these allegations of being beaten are true, the victims should pursue charges against the guards so the legal system can sort it all out since DOT officials, or any other agency, appear in no hurry to do so.