Policy Text
Contract & Regional Services Page 1 of 4 207/01 ( REV 3/16)
Airport Bureau
Security Breach
This Order establishes procedures for handling violations occur ring at the Security
Checkpoints and/or acts violating the security of the restricte d area, Airport Operations Area
(AOA), and Security Identific ation Display Area (SIDA).
I. General
The Transportation Security Admin istration (TSA) defines a brea ch as an
unauthorized and uncontrolled access by an individual or prohib ited item into a
sterile area or secured area of an airport.
A. Title 49 of the Code of Feder al Regulations section 1542 reg ulates the
access to sterile/secure and SI DA areas of the airport.
B. Penal Code Section 602 prohi bits unauthorized access to the AOA as well
as intentionally avoiding scr eening of one’s person and accessi ble
property.
C. Local ordinance Sacramento County Code (SCC), subsection 11. 20.060,
prohibits access by unauthorized persons to the “restricted are a” of the
airport. A violation of this ordi nance is a local jurisdiction misdemeanor.
II. Security Checkpoint Breach/ Code Bravo/Access Control Event
A. If a breach at a security c heckpoint occurs, TSA will call o ut a Code Bravo
then contact airport communicati ons by using a silent alarm and /or an
emergency telephone call. When this type of breach occurs it re quires an
immediate response by a unifo rmed deputy. Response must be in
accordance with the T SA mandated five (5) m inute “flex” respons e
protocol. TSA uses the word “Code Bravo” when a security breac h occurs
to let all TSA employees at the checkpoint know a breach has oc curred. If
a Code Bravo is called, the check point will typically close dow n for a
period of time to allow for t he breach to be cleared.
B. Deputies responding to the scene will use the best possible tactical
approach and request the Airport Communications Center to monit or
activity at the scene and remain i n contact with the Communicat ions
Center for updates to determine the nature of the emergency.
Contract & Regional Services Page 2 of 4 207/01 ( REV 3/16)
Airport Bureau C. Arriving deputies will contact t he checkpoint security super visor (CSS) to
determine the reason for the alarm or suspected breach.
D. If there has been a breach, t he deputies will c onfirm the na ture and extent
of the breach (based on TSA guidelines).
1. Controlled breach: when a TSA o fficer maintains constant vi sual
contact, with the individual, dur ing the entire breach incident to
ensure that no items were transfe rred or dropped by the individ ual.
2. Contained breach: when an indi vidual who has caused the bre ach
was stopped within the area of the checkpoi nt and did not trans fer
or drop any items.
3. Uncontained breach: when an individual who has caused the
breach has left the area of the checkpoint and has not been und er
constant visual observation by a TSA officer.
E. Deputies will immedi ately make efforts to locate, and when n ecessary,
detain an individual and his/her property. If an individual is detained, take
the appropriate investigative st eps to resolve the incident, i. e. interview,
cite, release, arrest, etc.
1. Absent exigent circumstances , an evacuation of the terminal
concourse shall only be initiat ed by TSA (not SSD) in consultat ion
with airport operations officials involved in the Unified Comma nd.
2. If an evacuation is ordered , the on-duty SSD supervisor will meet
with TSA and airport operations at or near the checkpoint to fo rm a
Unified Command. The affected ai rlines should be notified, and a
representative from each company should participate in the Unif ied
Command. Notifications need to b e made to the Airport Bureau
Commander and the Airpor t Security Coordinator.
3. Deputies will assist with the evacuation and crowd control a s
necessary. The evacuation requires that all people including airport, restaurant, vendor and airl ine employees leave the aff ected
concourse.
4. Deputies will assis t bomb detecting K9 hand lers with searchi ng the
sterile area of the concourse for contraband -- weapons,
explosives, etc.
F. Upon completing the search o f a concourse the on-duty SSD su pervisor
will inform air operat ions and TSA of the results. When an agr eement is
made among the Unified Command participants (o f the outcome of the
search), the terminal may be re-opened for normal operation.
Contract & Regional Services Page 3 of 4 207/01 ( REV 3/16)
Airport Bureau Deputies will assist wit h crowd control as necessary as the ter minal is re-
populated.
G. At the conclusion, an appropria te incident or crime report m ay be
completed. When an individual res ponsible for the breach is de tained or
otherwise identified, their int ended flight information (if app licable) must be
included in the report. A copy of the report will be forwarded to the TSA.
H. An Access Control Event is a situation where a low risk thre at has
occurred and no Code Bravo is ca lled. A low