Syracuse Airport Police Host First Ever Aircraft Based Defensive Tactics Course

Cases of unruly passengers on commercial aircraft are both on the rise and increasing in frequency. These encounters with flight crews and law enforcement responders often go viral in news feeds and social media accounts, bringing more attention to this growing issue. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) received a record 5,973 unruly passenger reports in 2021, a staggering 492 percent increase from 2020. Numbers declined steadily in 2022, and year-to-date in 2023, however unruly passenger incidents continue to present a problem nationwide, causing significant concern among airport and airline stakeholders. These occurrences typically involve passengers who are non-compliant with flight crews, may be verbally abusive or intoxicated, and have been asked to leave the plane. In many cases, law enforcement officers are called upon to help de-escalate such situations and facilitate the removal of the passenger from the aircraft for the safety of others on board.

For the first time, a defensive tactics training tailored specifically for airport law enforcement officers was custom built and conducted in Syracuse, New York, to help address this complex problem. Effective Fitness Concepts (EFC), a nationally recognized law enforcement centered defensive tactics training company, partnered with the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority (SRAA) Police Department to develop a course that combined the use of safe and approved hands-on techniques, team-based tactics, and methods of working within the confined spaces of aircraft cabins to help solve the problem of non-compliant passengers. Regarding defensive tactics training involving aircraft, SRAA Police Chief Mark Werbeck said: “A lot of this material is new to us and has never been trained on before. This program will allow officers to train in realistic environments and situations that will further promote the safety and security of passengers and flight crew.”

On a recent July evening, 20 Students from the SRAA Police Department, Niagara Frontier Transit Authority Police Department, and Monroe County Sheriff’s Office came together at Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR) to work through training drills and scenarios inside and outside of a static airplane. According to Jay Wadsworth, the founder of EFC, “Our goal is to bring the 360-degree environment, use of force, decision making, and training together.” Students followed a crawl-walk-run method of training in which drills were conducted with partners in techniques such as proper stance and positioning, breaking grips, gaining compliance to achieve handcuffing, weapon retention, and safely extracting people from the aircraft.

One primary goal of the training was to improve the safety of Officers as well as the subject they are working with on the aircraft. The techniques that were taught to the Officers are designed to follow an exhaustive attempt to verbally de-escalate the situation and convince the passenger to deplane on his or her own power without the use of force. In the event a disruptive passenger remains non-compliant following dialogue and verbal commands, Officers were trained to utilize leverage and control techniques designed to minimize injury to everyone involved, using only the reasonable force necessary to accomplish the objective.

During the debrief following the training, it was clear that attending Officers benefitted from the experience. Many noted that the techniques taught by EFC would prove beneficial to safely and effectively working through physical confrontations with unruly passengers. Others remarked that training in the limited space of the aisle and seats of an airplane presented new challenges to Officers to consider when deciding how to appropriately use the necessary tactics to place a person into custody in such a unique environment.

“While we would prefer to handle all instances of unruly passengers without the use of force, if the passenger decides to continuously be non-compliant with verbal commands and force becomes necessary for the removal of the passenger, I feel that our officers have been taught methods and tactics designed to quickly decide what level of force is required and what technique safely achieves that goal.” (Chief Mark Werbeck, Syracuse Regional Airport Authority Police Department)

FAA regulations state that “no person may assault, threaten, intimidate, or interfere with a crewmember in the performance of the crewmember’s duties aboard an aircraft being operated.” Airlines have the right to refuse to transport passengers for several reasons including being intoxicated or under the influence of drugs, attempting to interfere with flight crew duties, disrupting flight operations or engaging in unruly behavior, or having an offensive odor not caused by disability or illness. With the problem of unruly passenger having gained national attention, a new bi-partisan bill, the Protection from Abusive Passengers Act, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has been directed to create and manage a program that prevents unruly passengers from flying again. If passed, the law would add yet another tool to enhance the passenger experience and support the safety of all those traveling.

“It is our hope that all passengers adhere to federal regulations including being compliant with directives issued by the flight crew while traveling. Any legislation that helps us move towards 100% compliance will not only benefit the passengers and enhance their experience but will also benefit those working in the industry by decreasing the number of repeat offenders.” (Chief Mark Werbeck)