Why the Extra DPD at Love Field? Well ...

We've already covered the conditions at Love Field, where just the one runway's open at present -- and, from the looks of this, Southwest has yet to begin its limited operating schedule. (City Hall PIO Frank Librio's checking with airport spokesman Jose Torres, who hasn't been available most of the day, for further info.) But a good Friend of Unfair Park who works at Love writes: "There's an enormous police presence here at the airport [that] began a few days ago."

Writes our Friend this afternoon, "They've even got a blockade as you enter from Mockingbird. I can understand increased security during Super Bowl week, but this is ridiculous -- the airport has been closed for two days. Why is the city of Dallas devoting HUGE $$$$ and resources to an airport that isn't in operation? If the city is devoting all this time and money to 'police' the cab imbroglio, I'm pissed."

The cab imbroglio, of course, refers to the Monday-night arrest of several taxi drivers who abandoned their cabs to protest the city's giving CNG-powered cabs front-of-the-line privileges at Love. Shortly after the arrests were made, the DPD said it had a plan to deal with the cabbies, then offered no further details.

I relayed our Friend's concerns to DPD spokesman Senior Corporal Kevin Janse, who says DPD has indeed augmented its normal airport security force with extra patrol offers "to assist with the cabbie situation and the increase in private aircraft coming in for the Super Bowl -- it's a little of both." He says the department will not release the number of officers stationed at Love, but insists "it's not enormous."

Southwest is still canceling and redirecting flights due to land at Love. Private planes, though, are landing right on time. Like that one from San Antonio, due in at 2:48 p.m. Not a problem.