After more than two decades of having sheriff’s deputies stationed inside the terminal, the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport has replaced sworn law enforcement with private security as a cost-saving measure.
The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) stopped providing airport security Feb. 28 of this year. Deputies were employed as part of measures to increase security around airports following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, in which hijackers turned planes into weapons.
Last year, the airport paid KCSO $458,000 in cost reimbursements, said Airport Director Craig Williams in an interview with NowKalamazoo…