Policy Text
Airport Bureau Pages 1 of 2 209/02 (Rev 4/14)
Unattended Items-Automated People Mover (APM)
The purpose of this Order is to d efine the general responsibili ties and guidelines for the
handling of suspicious items o r luggage left behind on the Auto mated People Mover
(APM) at the Sacramento Inte rnational Airport (SMF).
I. General
Suspicious items or luggage left behind on the APM or at the st ation are of
paramount concern to the Sacrament o County Airport System’s abi lity to
effectively and efficiently manage the safety and security of t he Airport’s patrons
and tenants. Therefore, the esta blishment of handling procedur es develops a
continuity of responsibility w hen responding to such events. E mphasis should be
placed on a team effort, from not ification to final disposition .
II. Unattended lug gage, items or packages
A. Unattended luggage, items or packages located on the APM or in the
station, whether Landside or Air side, should be referred to an Airport
Bureau Sheriff’s Deputy via the Airport Communications Center. The
Communications Center will then dispatch a Deputy and Airport
Operations to respond. When availa ble, an Airport Explosive De tection
Canine Team (EDCT) will also volunteer for the call.
B. Once a Deputy has arrived, he/ she will evaluate the item(s) to determine
its status.
C. If the item is considered suspicious, the Deputy will reques t the APM
Central Control Oper ator (CCO) hold the tr ain until the situati on is
resolved. The Deputy will then c ontain the item and request the response
of an EDCT. Upon the arrival of an EDCT, the team will evaluate the item.
1. If the canine does not “aler t” on the unattended item and th ere are
no additional suspicious circums tances, the item will be turned over
to Airport Operations or retu rned to the owner if located.
2. If the canine does “alert” on the item, further evaluation w ill be
made by the on-scene superviso r, in cooperation with the
Transportation Security Adminis tration (TSA), Airport Operatio ns
and Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) personnel, to
Airport Bureau Pages 2 of 2 209/02 (Rev 4/14) determine if the area needs to be evacuated, and the Sheriff’s
Departments’ Explosive Ordinance Detail (EOD) should be called in
to assist. SSD, TSA, Airport Oper ations and ARFF shall work
together as a Un ified Command.
3. If an evacuation is deemed nec essary by the Unified Command ,
then all other Airport stakehol ders will be notified of this ac tion and
a systematically safe evacuation will occur in accordance with the
Airport’s Terminal Evacuati on Plan; AOP NO: 30-10.
D. If the item is obviously sus picious, ie: exposed wires, tick ing sounds etc.
the Deputy will reques t the APM Central Cont rol Operator (CCO) hold the
train until the situation is r esolved. The Deputy will then con tain the scene,
notify an on-duty super visor and begin to clear the area of pas sengers.
1. Further evaluation will be made by the on-scene supervisor, in
cooperation with the Tr ansportation Security Administration (TS A),
Airport Operations and Aircraft R escue and Fire Fighting (ARFF)
personnel, to determine if the area needs to be evacuated, and the
Sheriff’s Departments’ Explosi ve Ordinance Detail (EOD) should be
called in to assist. SSD, TSA, A irport Operations and ARFF sha ll
work together as a Unified Command.
2. If an evacuation is deemed necessary by the Unified Command,
then all other Airport stakehol ders will be notified of this ac tion and
a systematically safe evacuation will occur in accordance with the
Airport’s Terminal Evacuat ion Plan; AOP NO: 30-10.
III. Response Guidelines
A. Response to suspicious items(s) will be handled in accordan ce with the
following Sheriff’s Depar tment Operation Orders:
(1) Field Services Oper ations Order 6/08, Bomb Threats, Suspicious
Items, Explosives and Arson. (2) Airport Operations Order 207/ 03, Bomb Threat Procedures
(3) Airport Operations Order: 210/02, Canine General Responsib ilities
and Deployment Guidelines.
Appendices: None
Related Orders: Field Services Operations Order 6/08, Bomb Threats, Suspicious
Items, Explosives and Arson.
Airport Operations Orders 207/ 03, Bomb Threat Procedures;
210/02, Canine General Respons ibilities and Deployment
Guidelines.
References: None