> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Security a balancing act at SM Airport - URL: https://www.smdp.com/security-a-balancing-act-at-sm-airport/ - Published: 2002-06-25T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T00:22:10.000Z - Author: Andrew Fixmer - Tags: Community, Santa Monica Airport, #archive-import *Airport administrators plan a $200K security upgrade* For years Santa Monica has tried to work its general aviation airport into the fabric of the city. Restaurants, affordable housing for artists, community buildings, and even a museum have been built on or adjacent to the airport’s tarmac and hangers. The area is made even more accessible by a dedicated Big Blue Bus route. But in the months since the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks, Santa Monica Airport has rolled out new security measures that try to maintain a delicate balance between public access and protecting the grounds from possible threats. “Before, the airport was more neighborhood friendly and open,” said Lt. George Centeno, the Santa Monica Police officer in charge of overall airport security. “By and large, the airport still has that approach but we now have to take terrorism prevention into account.” General aviation airports, like the one in Santa Monica, are essentially freeway pit stops along the airways pilots navigate. Often times pilots will land to stretch their legs, refuel or catch a quick bite to eat. Because the airport is open to any plane that can safely land on its runway and therefore is part of a publicly-accessible transit system, officials cannot stop anyone from flying into and out of the airport, said Airport Manager Bob Trimborn. “There are inherent security risks just as there are on any public access transportation system,” he said. “Even walking has its inherent risks.” > “There are inherent security risks just as there are on any public access transportation system. Even walking has its inherent risks.” — — BOB TRIMBORN Santa Monica Airport Manager > “Even walking has its inherent risks.” Security has always been a priority at the airport, and for at least the past six years, the Santa Monica Police has manned a special airport security unit. “We are one of the few general aviation airports in Southern California that has had a 24-hour, 7-day a week security presence,” he said. Santa Monica’s airport is also unique in that it’s closely surrounded on three sides by residential homes. The southern edge borders a golf course. However, neither Centeno nor Trimborn say they feel threatened by the close proximity of the city’s homes, businesses and public parks to the boundaries of the airport. In fact, they welcome the construction of the new Airport Park just northeast of the airport’s runway, which the city approved this year. “It’s going to present some challenges,” Trimborn said, “but I believe there will be enough appropriate measures taken to make the area completely secure.” Since Sept. 11th, there have been more frequent patrols of the airport’s grounds by two security officers and their supervisor, SMPD Srgt. John Hudson. In addition to the police, undercover agents with the Federal Aviation Administration and “other federal agencies” routinely patrol the grounds looking for any unusual activity. On a recent tour of the airport’s facilities, FAA agents even stopped Trimborn who was driving an official City of Santa Monica vehicle. Civilians are never allowed to bring firearms onto the airport’s grounds, unless the weapon is broken down and in a locked carrying case, Centeno said. But he added that rarely occurs. There are plans to construct an 8-foot tall fence with a tight chain mesh around the airport, install a key-card access system at the airport’s gate and build a permanent trailer for the airport’s security officers. More than just a place to store equipment and monitor radio communications, the new security base will also be a visible public reminder of the level of security at the airport, Centeno said. He added the trailer could also provide more room for additional security officers in the future. “It will provide a much greater security presence,” he said. In addition, officers and security personnel at the airport are undergoing training in terrorism prevention, which Hudson recently completed. All the security enhancements are expected to cost the airport roughly $200,000, which would come out of the airport’s capital improvement budget. Centeno said officers at the airport receive almost daily briefings on information gathered by national and state security forces that is released to the city. “That’s an open sharing of intel from the FAA on possible threats,” he said. Overall, Trimborn hopes the changes to security won’t prevent families from taking their children to the airport to watch the planes take-off and land. He believes the family-friendly atmosphere can go hand in hand with the tightened security. “What we don’t want to do is prohibit kids from coming and witnessing the magic of flight,” he said, “and to them it is still very much a magical experience.” > “What we don’t want to do is prohibit kids from coming and witnessing the magic of flight and to them it is still very much a magical experience.” — — BOB TRIMBORN Santa Monica Airport manager ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/062502-01_01.jpg) Santa Monica police patrol the airport’s grounds on a recent afternoon. (Photo: “There are inherent security risks just as there are on any public access transportation system,” he said. Andrew H. Fix) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 25, 2002.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/062502.pdf?ref=smdp.com)