Jeffrey C. Price is a professor of aviation management at Metropolitan State University of Denver, and lead author of "Practical Aviation Security: Predicting and Preventing Future Threats." The views expressed are his own.

(CNN) The recent attack at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport calls into question of how well our airports are protecting the public areas. In the history of aviation, there have been well over 1,000 attacks on airplanes , mostly using bombs, sabotage and hijackings. However, there have only been a few dozen direct attacks on the airport.

This recent attack was not without precedent. A similar attack occurred in 1972 at what is now the Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. Terrorists flew into the airport, proceeded to the baggage claim area where they retrieved the weapons from their checked bags and opened fire, killing 26 and injuring dozens more. The reforms in the aviation industry after the 9/11 attacks refocused the industry on protecting aircraft from bombs and hijackers, and increased requirements for those who receive airport credentials in order to counter the insider threat, but did little to improve the security of airport public areas.

Among the many duties of the TSA, policing the airport is not one of them. TSA's primary function is to screen bags and people, and also provide a regulatory oversight function to ensure airports and airlines carry out their security program requirements. Having airport police available to respond to "acts of unlawful interference" is most directly the responsibility of the airport operator, not the TSA. Local police, paid for by local airport revenue dollars, are the primary protection force at most any US airport.

The response requirements are rather minimal -- police must be able to respond to issues at the screening checkpoints and on inbound or outbound aircraft (usually air rage type incidents, but also bomb threats and attempted hijackings), and support the contingency and incident management plans of the airport. While having an "active shooter" plan is not a specific requirement under the TSA regulations, most airports have included one in their security program as a proactive measure.

With the attacks in airports in Brussels and Istanbul last year and other recent attacks, it's time for airport security to get the overhaul that aircraft security received after 9/11. So what should be done?

Let's start with what shouldn't be done. Let's not move the screening checkpoints, which only relocates the crowd and thus the location of the next attack, and if you move the checkpoints too close to the curb, you put those waiting at the queue line in the blast radius of a much larger vehicle bomb. Second, we don't need more TSA screeners being deployed to wander the public areas, but the TSA does need to collaboratively engage with the airport industry to develop the best tactics and strategies to protect the public areas, rather than just telling airports what they should do. Third, we don't need to change the regulations on allowing firearms to be transported in checked baggage. Anyone can walk into a public area with a firearm, no matter if they brought it with them in checked baggage, or shipped it to a local receiving center, drove over to pick it up and brought it back to the airport. These measures will make us feel better, but provide few if any, security benefits.

Photos: Istanbul airport attacked Photos: Istanbul airport attacked People flee the scene of a terror attack at Istanbul's Ataturk airport on Tuesday, June 28. Three terrorists armed with bombs and guns attacked the main international terminal, opening fire and eventually detonating their devices. Hide Caption 1 of 22 Photos: Istanbul airport attacked Investigators remove a body after the attack. Hide Caption 2 of 22 Photos: Istanbul airport attacked Police investigators work inside the airport. Hide Caption 3 of 22 Photos: Istanbul airport attacked Turkish special forces secure an area of the airport after the attack. Hide Caption 4 of 22 Photos: Istanbul airport attacked A wounded girl is taken to a hospital in Istanbul. Hide Caption 5 of 22 Photos: Istanbul airport attacked A Turkish police officer directs a passenger at the airport. Hide Caption 6 of 22 Photos: Istanbul airport attacked Travelers embrace outside the airport. Hide Caption 7 of 22 Photos: Istanbul airport attacked One of the bombs was located just outside the international terminal on the pavement, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag told CNN. Another was at the security gate at the entrance to the airport. Hide Caption 8 of 22 Photos: Istanbul airport attacked Children and their relatives embrace after reuniting outside the airport. Hide Caption 9 of 22 Photos: Istanbul airport attacked A police officer sets up a security perimeter. Hide Caption 10 of 22 Photos: Istanbul airport attacked People stand outside the airport after the attack. Hide Caption 11 of 22 Photos: Istanbul airport attacked A wounded woman talks on the phone following the attack. Hide Caption 12 of 22 Photos: Istanbul airport attacked Passengers cry as they leave the airport. Hide Caption 13 of 22 Photos: Istanbul airport attacked People on their phones wait with their luggage outside the airport. Hide Caption 14 of 22 Photos: Istanbul airport attacked Workers clear glass debris on the day after the attack. Hide Caption 15 of 22 Photos: Istanbul airport attacked Bullet holes are seen at the airport on Wednesday, June 29. Hide Caption 16 of 22 Photos: Istanbul airport attacked Hide Caption 17 of 22 Photos: Istanbul airport attacked A worker cleans blood from the upper walls of the international departure terminal. Hide Caption 18 of 22 Photos: Istanbul airport attacked A police officer stands guard as a man walks at the airport a day after the attack. Hide Caption 19 of 22 Photos: Istanbul airport attacked A woman cries in Istanbul on June 29. Hide Caption 20 of 22 Photos: Istanbul airport attacked Security personnel scan passengers and employees at a checkpoint on June 29. Hide Caption 21 of 22 Photos: Istanbul airport attacked A worker repairs the airport's damaged ceiling on June 29. Hide Caption 22 of 22

We need to take some lessons from others, like the Israelis and how they patrol the walled city of Jerusalem, the US military and how they patrol checkpoints and use technologies to detect explosives and weapons on those approaching a checkpoint and tap into the knowledge of the security professionals from other industries. Most immediately, we need more active, visible, armed and body armored police personnel patrolling public areas. Police are deterrence and provide immediate response. Most bad guys want to kill as many people as they can before they have to engage someone who is trained to shoot back, so they are typically going to look for areas where they don't see the police.

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Airport revenue funds airport police, but not all airports have the money to get the police they need. TSA can help here by establishing a funding stream to provide grants to airports to increase their police personnel. The Department of Homeland Security has already deployed Federal Protective Service personnel to some international airports, which does the same thing, putting more armed law enforcement in a position to respond.

We need to also add plainclothes police personnel and security personnel to conduct covert surveillance of crowds in the public areas, install gunshot locators in the terminal building, conduct more drills and training on response to such incidents, ensure panic alarms are available and in working order and confirm all evacuation routes and doors are clearly marked. Airport personnel should also be trained in how to assist individuals during such an incident by hiding them in closets, shops, utility hallways and other places.

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