Airports vehicle inspections resume during heightened terror alert WASHINGTON (AP) =97 Random vehicle inspections will resume at airports=20 throughout the country and more law enforcement officers will be posted in= =20 and around terminals because of fears that a war with Iraq could lead to=20 terrorist attacks on commercial aviation. The Transportation Security=20 Administration on Tuesday was in the process of issuing a new security=20 directive to airlines and airports, according to Robert Johnson, agency=20 spokesman. Passengers will see more canine patrols in airports where extra= =20 dogs are available, Johnson said. They also may see temporary signs=20 alerting them to the threat and urging them to look out for unattended=20 baggage or suspicious behavior. Airlines are being urged to more carefully= =20 check the identification of workers allowed into secure areas. Flights are= =20 being restricted near two Disney amusement parks and within 35 miles of New= =20 York City's three big airports. The restrictions mostly will affect small=20 private planes. Planes can't fly lower than 3,000 feet above Disneyland in= =20 Anaheim, Calif., and Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., within a three=20 nautical mile radius. "It's because these are potential targets of symbolic value," said William= =20 Shumann, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration. The restrictions in the New York City airspace are similar to those that=20 have been in effect over Washington since Feb. 10. Planes must be in=20 constant contact with air traffic controllers within a 35-mile zone, and=20 near both cities they must now file flight plans. Pilots flying into all=20 three small civil aviation airports near Washington must land first at=20 another airport and be checked by the TSA. Small private planes have been=20 subject to flight restrictions over dams, nuclear power plants and stadiums= =20 throughout the country in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. The= =20 TSA may take more security measures at airports as intelligence becomes=20 available. "We'll remain flexible to respond with security measures that=20 meet the latest intelligence head on," Johnson said. "Where necessary, we=20 will tailor specific responses to locations that perhaps warrant additional= =20 security measures." Some airports have their own checklists for things to do if the terror=20 alert is raised. Boston's Logan International Airport, for example,=20 increases the frequency of the random vehicle searches it conducts even=20 when the threat alert is lower, said Logan spokesman Jose Juves. Random=20 vehicle inspections on roads leading to airports were first imposed after=20 the threat alert was raised on Feb. 7. Some airport managers complained the= =20 TSA didn't give them enough guidance and began the checks weeks after the=20 directive was issued or didn't do them at all. Johnson said the TSA has=20 worked to improve its communication with airports *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: http://www.thehummingbirdonline.com TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************