The most recent security chief resigned last month after holding the position for less than a year. NewsdayTV’s Macy Egeland reports. Credit: Newsday file; Anthony Florio

The resignation last month of Long Island MacArthur Airport's security director marked the third time in less than three years the position turned over and follows at least three security breaches at the facility, including equipment thefts and a passenger entering a restricted area.

Brian Murphy, who began in the Town of Islip job on April 8, resigned Jan. 3, town records show.

Murphy's predecessor, Manuel DeCastro, held the nearly $100,000-a-year position for less than 18 months, a period in which two of the breaches occurred. The director before him, Kevin Burke, had the job for four years before resigning in September 2022, town payroll records show.

All three men declined comment. Their boss, airport Commissioner Shelley LaRose-Arken, declined a request for an interview.

"It doesn't help with morale," Kevin Boyle, president of the United Public Service Employees Union, which represents security officers at the Ronkonkoma airport, told Newsday. "One person comes in, they have a different way of approaching things. Next person comes in, they have a different way of approaching things. There's no uniformity in that."

Airport security is under renewed scrutiny after recent reports of people managing to stow away in the wheel wells of commercial jets, including at Kennedy Airport. While federal Transportation Security Administration staff monitor who and what gets on airplanes, facility security has the broader task of keeping the airport property safe.

Long Island MacArthur handles more than 5,000 people a day, according to the town website, with flights operated by Frontier, Southwest, JetBlue and Breeze airlines. The airport, with three runways and two helipads, recently expanded to 17 nonstop destinations, more than doubling the seven that were available in 2015, airport officials have said

The airport has also seen an increase in passengers, with around 1.36 million arriving and departing last year, according to federal statistics, an increase from around 1.2 million in 2023.

Islip employs between 10 and 12 airport security officers, and the Suffolk County Police Department maintains an 18-officer command unit at MacArthur, town spokeswoman Caroline Smith said in a statement. 

The police department did not respond to a request for comment about its role at the airport, but in November announced a new canine officer with explosive-detection abilities would be assigned there exclusively.

Police records show there were at least three security incidents at MacArthur in 2024.

On Dec. 27, a passenger trying to catch a flight entered a secure area for TSA screeners after being repeatedly warned not to, according to a police report. The man fled the building as a security officer was walking him to a ticket counter. He was found on Jan. 6 and arrested for criminal trespass, according to the report.

Between March 22 and April 19, thieves stole $2,900 worth of radio equipment from a private Piper Navajo Chieftain airplane in a hangar on the property, according to a police report. No arrests have been made in the case.

On Feb. 4, 2024, someone stole a Bobcat loader and generator, worth a total of $12,900, and drove the Bobcat through a fence, police said. No arrests have been made in that case, either.

Town officials declined to be interviewed about the security breaches. Smith's statement said, "In each instance, a protocol was followed, and appropriate action was taken by the responsible authorities."

"The perimeter security fence is a deterrent," Smith said. "However, it is the responsibility of the property owner to secure their equipment and property within the airport."

It's not clear whether the security director turnover poses any added safety risks for airport visitors, but Boyle said he didn't believe so, citing a "strong" overall law enforcement team at the airport, including police.

TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein declined to directly address MacArthur security, writing in an email that local law enforcement "is responsible for keeping the airport in compliance with all aviation security regulations as required by TSA."

The town airport security director position is "challenging" to fill, Smith said, because in addition to law enforcement and aviation experience it also requires "physical fitness, high stamina and endurance, and the ability to respond 365 days per year, 24/7 should the need arise."

The town has since advertised for a new security director with at least 10 years of experience in law enforcement and two specifically as an airport law enforcement supervisor.

The resignation last month of Long Island MacArthur Airport's security director marked the third time in less than three years the position turned over and follows at least three security breaches at the facility, including equipment thefts and a passenger entering a restricted area.

Brian Murphy, who began in the Town of Islip job on April 8, resigned Jan. 3, town records show.

Murphy's predecessor, Manuel DeCastro, held the nearly $100,000-a-year position for less than 18 months, a period in which two of the breaches occurred. The director before him, Kevin Burke, had the job for four years before resigning in September 2022, town payroll records show.

All three men declined comment. Their boss, airport Commissioner Shelley LaRose-Arken, declined a request for an interview.

WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND

  • Long Island MacArthur Airport's security director resigned last month after eight months on the job; his predecessor had lasted less than  18 months.
  • The turnover comes as the facility dealt with at least three security breaches last year.
  • More than 5,000 people a day come through the airport, which has more than doubled its nonstop destinations over the last decade.

"It doesn't help with morale," Kevin Boyle, president of the United Public Service Employees Union, which represents security officers at the Ronkonkoma airport, told Newsday. "One person comes in, they have a different way of approaching things. Next person comes in, they have a different way of approaching things. There's no uniformity in that."

Airport security is under renewed scrutiny after recent reports of people managing to stow away in the wheel wells of commercial jets, including at Kennedy Airport. While federal Transportation Security Administration staff monitor who and what gets on airplanes, facility security has the broader task of keeping the airport property safe.

Long Island MacArthur handles more than 5,000 people a day, according to the town website, with flights operated by Frontier, Southwest, JetBlue and Breeze airlines. The airport, with three runways and two helipads, recently expanded to 17 nonstop destinations, more than doubling the seven that were available in 2015, airport officials have said

The airport has also seen an increase in passengers, with around 1.36 million arriving and departing last year, according to federal statistics, an increase from around 1.2 million in 2023.

Islip employs between 10 and 12 airport security officers, and the Suffolk County Police Department maintains an 18-officer command unit at MacArthur, town spokeswoman Caroline Smith said in a statement. 

The police department did not respond to a request for comment about its role at the airport, but in November announced a new canine officer with explosive-detection abilities would be assigned there exclusively.

Police records show there were at least three security incidents at MacArthur in 2024.

On Dec. 27, a passenger trying to catch a flight entered a secure area for TSA screeners after being repeatedly warned not to, according to a police report. The man fled the building as a security officer was walking him to a ticket counter. He was found on Jan. 6 and arrested for criminal trespass, according to the report.

Between March 22 and April 19, thieves stole $2,900 worth of radio equipment from a private Piper Navajo Chieftain airplane in a hangar on the property, according to a police report. No arrests have been made in the case.

On Feb. 4, 2024, someone stole a Bobcat loader and generator, worth a total of $12,900, and drove the Bobcat through a fence, police said. No arrests have been made in that case, either.

Town officials declined to be interviewed about the security breaches. Smith's statement said, "In each instance, a protocol was followed, and appropriate action was taken by the responsible authorities."

"The perimeter security fence is a deterrent," Smith said. "However, it is the responsibility of the property owner to secure their equipment and property within the airport."

It's not clear whether the security director turnover poses any added safety risks for airport visitors, but Boyle said he didn't believe so, citing a "strong" overall law enforcement team at the airport, including police.

TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein declined to directly address MacArthur security, writing in an email that local law enforcement "is responsible for keeping the airport in compliance with all aviation security regulations as required by TSA."

The town airport security director position is "challenging" to fill, Smith said, because in addition to law enforcement and aviation experience it also requires "physical fitness, high stamina and endurance, and the ability to respond 365 days per year, 24/7 should the need arise."

The town has since advertised for a new security director with at least 10 years of experience in law enforcement and two specifically as an airport law enforcement supervisor.

Nonprofits facing grant freeze ... Affordable housing in Uniondale ... Pope remains hospitalized  Credit: Newsday

Missing girl suspect due in court ... Nonprofits facing grant freeze ... Hochul, NYC leaders meet on Adams' future ... Plainedge 'best buddies'

Nonprofits facing grant freeze ... Affordable housing in Uniondale ... Pope remains hospitalized  Credit: Newsday

Missing girl suspect due in court ... Nonprofits facing grant freeze ... Hochul, NYC leaders meet on Adams' future ... Plainedge 'best buddies'

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