Wednesday, September 12, 2001
|
Wednesday, September 12, 2001 |
|
PTC police launch added patrols here By JOHN MUNFORD
The Peachtree City Police Department activated extra patrols in sensitive areas such as local schools and industries Tuesday morning in light of the alleged terrorist attacks occurring across the country. Police Chief James Murray said the department has a plan it follows for situations like this. "There are some industries and places in the city that are deemed vulnerable," Murray said. "We are patrolling the schools and walking though them so we can have some kinds of comfort level here." The heightened awareness of the department is also partially due to the fact that "Peachtree City is an airline community," Murray noted. Murray said he hoped things calmed down soon, "but you can never tell with terrorists." The department will be prepared to assist other agencies if necessary, Murray added. "If we are called to help in other areas, we will respond to that," Murray said. The Citizen was unable to contact officials with the Federal Aviation Administration to discover the status of the Atlanta TRACON air traffic control facility south of Peachtree City. A message left for media representatives at the FAA's public affairs office says only that all airline flights across the country have been grounded. All flights which were airborne at the time were told to land at any available airport, said Kathleen Bergin of the FAA's public affairs office. The TRACON facility is responsible for directing aircraft traffic around the Atlanta area and is a state-of-the-art, high-security building. At its busiest, Atlanta TRACON works with 80 to 90 aircraft at one time in the 40-mile radius around Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta, according to FAA officials. The air traffic controllers there also direct traffic at nearby small airports, including Falcon Field in Peachtree City. Atlanta TRACON handles all air traffic in the area below the 14,000-foot level. Last year, it handled more than 1.1 million operations. It is the largest such facility in the country that covers just one airport.
|
||