Police Department moved, too

The Lee County Port Authority Police Department, formerly at Page Field and now staffed by 32 sworn officers under the direction of Chief Lee Clark, moved to Southwest Florida Regional Airport.

Due to the phenomenal growth in this area, law enforcement at the airport had increased in scope. Because travel had changed, bombs, hijackings and hostage negotiations were situations airport police departments had to be equipped to handle and the Lee County officers were trained and ready. An explosives and hazardous device team was on staff, along with an expert bomb squad.

Starting in 1985, award winning canine teams would routinely check for marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other drugs, but only after completing a minimum of 400 hours of training in a practice school conducted by the U. S. Customs Service.

The Crash Fire Rescue Department had shared facilities in a staff house with the police department for more than a year before the airport opened to provide necessary Police and Fire Services. The new facility for Crash Fire Rescue was one of the most modern in the nation and all personnel were anxious for the move.

In the field of emergency rescue, the Crash Fire Rescue Department provided with high tech equipment and rigid, comprehensive training programs that resulted in high quality aircraft crash rescue and structural fire protection services. The firefighting crews were also trained to handle hazardous materials and as radiological response teams.

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