By Courtney Dentch
As a member of the Port Authority Police Department, Inspector Benjamin Smith Jr. has manned a fire truck at Kennedy Airport and a security post at the Lincoln Tunnel, but since taking command of the LaGuardia Airport detail in 2001, he likes that assignment best.
“We're a close-knit group here,” said Smith, who lives in Jamaica. “It's almost like a city out here.”
Smith, 41, went to LaGuardia Airport in November 2001 as a captain, and after 18 months of handling post-Sept. 11 security changes he was promoted to inspector early last month, he said.
“It was a big surprise,” Smith said. “My promotion is basically due to the people I work with here. They make me look good.”
Smith, who grew up in Jamaica, went to school for criminal justice to follow the path of his father, a postal police officer, and his uncle, a detective with the New York Police Department. When he joined the Port Authority police force, his first post was at Kennedy Airport, where he learned the ins and outs of the job firsthand, including fire rescue, he said.
“Our cops double as both police officers and firefighters,” Smith said. “It's a very interesting job. I've learned a lot.”
At the airports, the Port Authority police are responsible for the day-to-day law enforcement in cooperation with the general management and the federal Transportation Security Administration, which took over security screenings after the Sept. 11 attacks, Smith said. The officers are also the first to respond in case of emergencies such as plane crashes, fires or security breaches, he said.
“We are responsible for the overall security of the airport,” he said. “We have a lot on our plate here.”
As Smith rose through the ranks, earning promotions from sergeant to lieutenant to captain, he was assigned to different posts, he said. After Kennedy Airport, Smith worked at the Port Authority police headquarters in Jersey City and on the New Jersey side of the Lincoln Tunnel.
Smith began as commander of the LaGuardia Airport detail less than two months after the Sept. 11 attacks. Aside from the overall safety of the passengers, Smith's main concern was the 200 officers under his command, many of who were still trying to cope with the disaster.
“It was hectic,” he said. “Officers were working 12-hour tours and they were still very emotional about what happened at the Trade Center.”
The Port Authority Police Department lost 37 members in the attacks on the World Trade Center, which housed Port Authority offices. Smith said he relied on team work to help the officers.
“We worked as a team and we were able to survive,” Smith said. “We counted on each other.”
Since the attacks, security has been tightened at the airports, and the Transportation Security Administration took control of the security checkpoint. And while bomb detectors and baggage searches have been added to the security, the most noticeable change has been an increase in personnel assigned to the checkpoints, he said.
“It seems like air travel is picking up,” Smith said. “People feel more confident in our security. My main concern is that the passengers and employees who use the airport get home safe.”
Smith's family, including his 18-year-old daughter, worry about his safety, but they prefer that he work at the airport rather than in New Jersey, he said.
“They still worry,” Smith said. “That worry's always going to be there, but I think they're happy that I'm closer to home.”
Reach reporter Courtney Dentch by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com, or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
