With passenger surge, there’s more to keep police busy at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport
Along with more flights, more passengers and more destinations served at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport comes more work for the airport police.
Consider this: In 2023, the airport served a record 4.3 million passengers. That’s 3 million more than the 1.3 million the airport served five years ago.
“As you have more people you’ll have more incidents,” said Rick Piccolo, president and CEO of the airport.
Not that every incident results in an arrest. Far from it.
Disorderly conduct peaked in 2021 with 109 incidents. That number fell to 68 in 2022 and 36 in 2023.
Piccolo says one of the big reason for the disorderly conduct spike was the mask mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, masks were mandated by federal law in terminals and onboard aircraft.
No mask, no fly, not that travelers wanted to be reminded about the federal mandate.
“When the mask mandate was lifted, the happiest people in the airport were the police and staff,” Piccolo said. “People objected to the mask mandate. It was something that people just got torqued about.”
Police Chief Jeremy L. Beal says that oftentimes, disorderly conduct incidents are fueled by alcohol.
“A lot of times, it’s the airline calling, saying ‘We aren’t letting this person fly,’” Beal said.
“Don’t overdo it with the alcohol consumption before you get on the plane,” Beal said.
Felony arrests
Between 2019 and 2023, SRQ averaged about eight felony arrests a year.
Charges typically included bringing a firearm to the security checkpoint, grand theft auto (involving a rental car) and battery.
For the most recent year, 2023, there were seven felony arrests, including one for battery on a law enforcement officer, three for felony battery and four for bringing a firearm to the security checkpoint.
“Firearms have been a real issue for us,” Beal said. “Please check your firearms. Don’t bring them to the security checkpoint with you.”
Stolen cars
Grand theft auto at SRQ often involves a rental car company, with a rental not being returned on time.
There were 21 grand theft auto reports in 2020, 31 in 2021, six in 2022 and 11 in 2023.
In 2020, police charged a rental car employee with taking cars from the airport and renting them on the side.
In 2018, the theft of several rental cars at SRQ was linked to a crime ring operating out of Tampa.
Medical calls
The number of calls for medical assistance, as well as calls for Baker Act (emergency mental health services and temporary detention) and Marchman Act (for people severely impaired due to substance abuse) at the airport has risen sharply.
In 2020, there were 150 calls for medical assistance. That number rose to 378 in 2023.
Calls for help under the Baker or Marchman Act have increased from two in 2020 to 36 in 2023.
Lost and found
Inevitably, with so many more airport passengers, there are going to be more lost-and-found inquiries.
In 2023, there were 3,351. In 2022, there were 2,688 and in 2021, there were 2,554.
In 2020, the year COVID arrived, temporarily shutting down air travel, there were 1,249 lost-and-found inquiries.
An overview
With the rapid growth of passenger traffic, the airport has launched an aggressive expansion program to add passenger gates and more parking facilities.
Also increased are the number of police, the number of firefighters and the number of surveillance cameras.
Piccolo has always viewed SRQ as a “boutique” airport, one where a premium is placed on service, cleanliness and hospitality. He doesn’t want to lose that feeling.
“We depend on customers. We especially want return business. If one of our staff sees someone who looks like they need help, we want to help them. We want to treat people as our guests,” Piccolo said.
Police Chief Beal agrees.
“We have an exceptionally good airport. You have a very busy airport and a hometown environment. We don’t have a lot of crime, but it’s starting to uptick.”
