Bradley Airport is making changes to its parking garage after our team went undercover investigating safety complaints from viewers.
The changes include adding more security cameras.
Our investigation last month suggested glaring security gaps in its parking garage.
As of the airing of our report in February, cameras in the garage were only monitoring vehicle and pedestrian entrances and exits.
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Kevin Burke’s initial complaint to NBC CT Responds caught our attention.
How does New England’s second largest airport not have security cameras monitoring its entire parking garage?
Kevin and his wife found out the hard way after returning home from vacation to a key scratch along the entire side of his car.
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The airport told NBC CT Responds then that this was an isolated incident and that their “multilayered approach is the best solution to deter nefarious activity and the appropriate resources are already in place.”
But we wondered who’s really watching your car when you hop on a flight?
So, NBC CT Responds went undercover twice overnight to see for ourselves.
We found inconsistent parking patrols, no police in sight, and the lack of cameras too.
The Burkes biggest concern was what if something worse than a key scratch was to happen?
“I don’t like walking in parking garages as it is. It is scary for a woman especially,” Kevin's wife, Margaret Burke, told us in the Fall.
Flash forward to Thursday, the Connecticut Airport Authority, which operates Bradley Airport, sent us this statement as a follow up to our story.
It says in part:
“At today’s board meeting, the CAA board of directors discussed with staff moving forward with a planned capital improvement program regarding security in the parking garage and surface lots at Bradley Airport. The plan will not only include security upgrades, but will include customer service amenities, such as real-time availability information about parking and where those spaces are located.”
While CAA says they can’t go into specifics due to the sensitive nature of airport security, a spokesperson did confirm that the program will include “an aspect of security camera installation.”
The Burkes are pleased with this progress.
“Elated I guess, if that’s not too strong a word,” Kevin said.
NBC CT Responds spoke to him after we learned of the security changes.
“Couple lessons I take away from this, Caitlin [Burchill], is the fact that one lone voice, my wife and I, reaching out to the parking authority and the state entity and having no impact whatsoever,” Kevin said.
He continues to say he’s glad he reached out to NBC CT Responds.
“I think the work that you and your team did in bringing this to life has made positive change and hopefully because of this, others don’t suffer the same consequences that we did,” he said.
So, when will we see these security upgrades?
The airport tells us some interim steps have already been taken and then other components will be rolled out over the course of the next year or two.
NBC CT Responds will continue to keep you posted on any updates.
