By Adam Allington, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – Lambert St. Louis airport will soon be expanding its security system by installing 142 new surveillance cameras.
The closed-circuit cameras are part of a Transportation Security Administration grant to modernize security measures at Lambert.
Airport Director Richard Hrabko says cameras will be located throughout the airport's terminal and gate complexes.
"Although someone may not be looking at the video camera while it's happening, it gives you a record of events that happen as well as follow-up investigation," says Hrabko.
Hrabko says the second phase of the airport's security modernization will include a pilot perimeter surveillance system that most airports currently don't have.
"The airport operating areas is thousands of acres of land, patrolled manually by security police. However this would be an added security enhancement having cameras on the perimeter."
The security cameras will be going up as a soon as a work order is drafted.
Total cost for the project will be $2.5 million, all paid for with federal dollars.
Lambert currently maintains about 330 departures per day, but that will drop to around 300 by the end of the year after cutbacks announced by American Airlines earlier this summer.