First of all, I imagine you would agree that profiling should be done carefully and properly by trained professionals if it is to be used, rather than on a racial basis by the general public.
Yep, I currently don't trust what we have for security in the US air travel community BECAUSE of the manner and method with which they're hired, trained, what rules they must abide by, what rules we must abide by, what policies they enforce and the methods by which they enforce them.
Case in point, US Military forces deploying on chartered flights walked through Airports with Rifles, Grenade Launchers, Automatic weapons, etc. They boarded planes as units and flew to theatre. They were forced to discard small knives and other tools that they generally carry about with them because it's the kind of thing you have to carry. Were their combat knives discarded. No. Were their firearms checked in luggage. No. Does this make ANY sense what so ever?
Another example is how thefts from luggage has risen not fallen since security was raised at airports. How that happened I have no idea, but a terrorist cell, interested in getting weapons on board would probably be best served by stealing firearms out of the only luggage that's checked and still has locks on it and then getting it onboard a specific flight.
From a general comforture level, the flying public has been coddled and jerked around like a student in a grade school class.
Second of all, if we begin excluding little old ladies and blonde people from searches, how long do you think it will be before word gets out, and the terrorists rustle up some elderly folk or dye their hair blonde?
It's not excluding. It's a matter of don't spend 20 minutes making the little old lady turn out her bags at the desk when you've got 20 other people going past who've been checked less thoroughly. Being a good security agent is not a matter of looking at a card for the flowchart and handling each and every person in exactly the same way. The little old lady is less of a threat. If intelligence points to little old ladies as threats, great, start checking them out closer.
Check people out, if they're nervous, sweating a lot, trip some other factors, then check them out closer, regardless of who they are.
Examples of how NOT to secure the Air:
Penn's experience with the TSA is NOT how it should happen. Either from a security standpoint or from a fixing the problem standpoint. A special list for VIPs to get through security. Sorry, I don't like the idea of a privileged few who get special treatment because they're in the government or a star.
I have personally stood around and argued with several TSA agents, a Delta official and a cop who were adamant that blank 30.06 ammo, packed loosely in a .50 cal ammo can was not allowed on the plane and that they'd have to confiscate it. It didn't help there cause that there were probably 50 Re-enactors standing around in earshot who walked over and started challenging their arguments. What was clear was that THEY wanted the ammo so they could use it. When they realize we really did know the law and showed how their logical arguments were false, they backed down surprisingly.
TSA and horror stories go hand and hand. The current state of Airline Security isn't. The number of test bombs, test firearms and other things that get through is absurd, yet, soldiers armed with guns aren't trusted with a small pocket knife onboard. That makes perfect sense.
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momijizukamori
no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 09:18 pm (UTC)Yep, I currently don't trust what we have for security in the US air travel community BECAUSE of the manner and method with which they're hired, trained, what rules they must abide by, what rules we must abide by, what policies they enforce and the methods by which they enforce them.
Case in point, US Military forces deploying on chartered flights walked through Airports with Rifles, Grenade Launchers, Automatic weapons, etc. They boarded planes as units and flew to theatre. They were forced to discard small knives and other tools that they generally carry about with them because it's the kind of thing you have to carry. Were their combat knives discarded. No. Were their firearms checked in luggage. No. Does this make ANY sense what so ever?
Another example is how thefts from luggage has risen not fallen since security was raised at airports. How that happened I have no idea, but a terrorist cell, interested in getting weapons on board would probably be best served by stealing firearms out of the only luggage that's checked and still has locks on it and then getting it onboard a specific flight.
From a general comforture level, the flying public has been coddled and jerked around like a student in a grade school class.
Second of all, if we begin excluding little old ladies and blonde people from searches, how long do you think it will be before word gets out, and the terrorists rustle up some elderly folk or dye their hair blonde?
It's not excluding. It's a matter of don't spend 20 minutes making the little old lady turn out her bags at the desk when you've got 20 other people going past who've been checked less thoroughly. Being a good security agent is not a matter of looking at a card for the flowchart and handling each and every person in exactly the same way. The little old lady is less of a threat. If intelligence points to little old ladies as threats, great, start checking them out closer.
Check people out, if they're nervous, sweating a lot, trip some other factors, then check them out closer, regardless of who they are.
Examples of how NOT to secure the Air:
Penn's experience with the TSA is NOT how it should happen. Either from a security standpoint or from a fixing the problem standpoint. A special list for VIPs to get through security. Sorry, I don't like the idea of a privileged few who get special treatment because they're in the government or a star.
John's experience with the TSA and "dangerous guns" that he legally and lawfully checked. Kit's Observations of the incident.
I have personally stood around and argued with several TSA agents, a Delta official and a cop who were adamant that blank 30.06 ammo, packed loosely in a .50 cal ammo can was not allowed on the plane and that they'd have to confiscate it. It didn't help there cause that there were probably 50 Re-enactors standing around in earshot who walked over and started challenging their arguments. What was clear was that THEY wanted the ammo so they could use it. When they realize we really did know the law and showed how their logical arguments were false, they backed down surprisingly.
TSA and horror stories go hand and hand. The current state of Airline Security isn't. The number of test bombs, test firearms and other things that get through is absurd, yet, soldiers armed with guns aren't trusted with a small pocket knife onboard. That makes perfect sense.