Lackawanna County OKs airport LEO agreement amid complaints about secrecy and cost

Lackawanna County commissioners voted Dec. 3 to enter an agreement with Luzerne County and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport to provide sworn law-enforcement officers at the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint, a program county officials said will be effective immediately and run through Dec. 31, 2027.

The vote followed extended public comment and debate. Walter Griffith, who identified himself in the record as a county controller, urged the board not to approve the LEO program without clearer cost and operational details, saying the arrangement had been handled "behind closed doors" and that the agreement’s automatic-renewal language could leave taxpayers committed indefinitely. "Something smells here," Griffith said during public comment, pressing commissioners to specify the number of officers, hourly and benefit costs, and which jurisdictions would supply officers and reimbursements.

Solicitor Donnie Frederickson and other commissioners said the program has operated for about 10 years and was previously grant-funded; when federal support ended roughly two years ago, Luzerne County continued funding a version of the program. Frederickson told the board the program’s annual cost is roughly $150,000 and that the airport would cover half while Lackawanna and Luzerne counties would each cover 25 percent.

Commissioner Tom Welby and the chair pointed to recommendations from both counties’ district attorneys and airport officials supporting the arrangement’s public adoption. Commissioners also emphasized the agreement is cancelable by either party with 30 days’ notice, responding to concerns about an "automatic renewal forever" clause described in public comment.

Commissioner Gahan, who said he would vote no, summarized airport-board minutes from an earlier meeting in which the airport director, deputy director and director of public safety — the last identified in the minutes as a former air marshal — told the airport board they did not recommend continuing the program. Gahan said an airport analysis showed inconsistent LEO coverage and argued the county should not pay for what airport professionals deemed unnecessary. "This program is no longer federally supported ... and our airport officials say they do not need this program," Gahan said. He concluded, "I will be voting no."

Despite those objections, the board voted to approve the agreement. The record shows the motion passed after discussion; the transcript does not list a roll-call vote tally for each commissioner in the meeting record.

County officials said the anticipated annual cost for Lackawanna County’s share is approximately $36,000. Donnie Frederickson told the board there are no county-paid benefits under the DA-managed arrangement; the district attorney’s office hires LEOs and the county reimburses Luzerne County for its portion of payments. Commissioners stressed they and the airport will continue to press state and federal representatives to restore prior federal funding.

The board also noted the agreement was previously approved by Luzerne County and that both district attorneys have reviewed it. The LEO resolution is listed in the meeting record as Resolution 25-0304 and names Luzerne County and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport as co-parties.

The board did not set a timetable at the meeting for periodic public reporting on actual monthly costs charged under the agreement. Critics urged the board to publish more detailed cost and staffing information if the program continues.