Report Reveals ‘Urgent Need’ for Change After JFK Mass Panic

A team of top security officials has concluded that poor communication between law enforcement agencies contributed to a mass panic at John F. Kennedy International Airport over the summer.

Passengers in three terminals at Kennedy Airport ran for the exits on Aug. 14 after cheering at a terminal bar over a Usain Bolt victory at the Olympics somehow led to a false report of gunshots.

Panic spread when police responded by drawing their weapons.

The report by a multi-agency review team found that the airport lacks a security protocol that would have helped avoid the chaos.

In the wake of the false shooting report at JFK airport, why couldn’t first responders look at surveillance feeds to see if there was actually a shooter? The I-Team has uncovered problems accessing the surveillance cameras, which creates a dangerous situation for everyone. Pei-Sze Cheng reports. (Published Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016)

Among the recommendations is for JFK to create a central command center.

Plenty of passengers documented the harrowing experience, including former Navy SEAL Brandon Webb.

Webb had just landed at Terminal 1 and gone through customs when half a dozen officers burst in, telling passengers to “run for their lives.”

“They were screaming at people,” said Webb. “They said there was an active shooter, run for your lives, shots fired.”

Read More- Daily Amin

Image courtesy of AFP