Going through airports can be a pain, but is air-travel security worth the risk? Absolutely. Especially in a post 9/11 world where terrorism is at our doorstep. But how secure can an airport be? There are safety measure in place to ensure that there are no slip-ups. Except that there are slip ups. Total Airport security is not a real possibility.
In the united states, it is entirely legal to carry a weapon on an airplane, just not in your carry-on bag. it must be properly stowed in the belly of the aircraft. The Transportation Security Administration’s website states ‘Declare each firearm each time you present it for transport as checked baggage. Firearms must be unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container and transported as checked baggage only.’ But what is to stop someone from getting that from their checked bag? nothing. Once they are outside of the sterile area passengers can access their bags. Nothing. And this is exactly what we saw at Fort Lauderdale’Hollywood International Airport.
Esteban Santiago-Ruiz had his Walther PPS 9mm properly checked and stowed in his checked baggage when he bought a one-way ticket to Fort Lauderdale’Hollywood International Airport in early 2017. He departed from Anchorage, Alaska in route to Florida. Once in Florida and clear of security he went to the baggage claim to retrieve his bag, in his bag was his firearm, which he then used to shoot five people and wound six others.
Now you may be asking yourself if this is an airport issue and if something could be done about it. Now technically, this is considered a security issue. But like I said earlier bag claim is on the other side of security so the amount of security personnel around the baggage claim is quite reduced.
Recently, I had the opportunity to interview officer campo from the Kansas City Aviation Department. He was formally on the Kansas City Bomb Squad and has investigated countless crimes including the 1988 construction explode that killed six firefighters. Officer Campo shared details with me about airport security test that he and another officer, officer Walton, have been involved in at an unsuspecting airport.
Officer Campo and officer Walton each had bags and were to go through the security checkpoint at an unnamed airport. But what is more important is what was in these bags. In officer Walton’s bag, wrapped in lots of men’s clothing was a brick of explosives, but without the detonator cord, they are relatively useless. in Officer Campo’s bag is the detonator cord, cleverly wound up with a medical item for someone’s heart. Officer Walton went first and got through without a hitch. Officer Campo went next but was asked to step aside for additional screening. When the TSA agent went through his bag she found the medical device but was confused on what it was used for and asked Officer Campo to clarify. Having reviewed his script, he rifled off and answer that seemed to please the TSA agent. She thanked him and had him return his medical device back into his bag with no further questions. After the ordeal was concluded, it was revealed that the TSA agent was supposed to put the medical device back in the scanner. Something the TSA Agent overlooked.
The same thing could be said for ticketing counters; they are on the other side of security and by extension have a relatively low police and TSA presence. But in many ways could be the first line of defense if there was ever some kind of attack. I cannot tell you how many times a ticketing agent would call the Police or TSA of people acting weird, or having wiring hanging from them or whatever. You may have heard of the man that was arrested at KCI for trying to abduct a child. Now, in the end, the child was his but he was ‘unfit to provide’. He dressed up in full tactical gear stuffed a pistol in his waistband and headed to a flight that his daughter was getting on in order to try and get the child back. He was unsuccessful in his attempts as he was arrested by the airport police. Think of what could have happened there.
The transportation security administration has some kind of presence at every airport all over the country. Weather that be in the form of people in blue shirts that wand you down when you go through the line at KCI or at smaller airports, people who drive around the perimeter and make sure there are no abnormalities. TSA typically uses a full body scanner called advanced imaging technology, for people that will detect ‘cancelled item both metallic and non-metallic, including explosives.’
But TSA does have its flaws, like anything that is managed by humans there is room for human error. Some TSA jobs only require you have a high school diploma, but they prefer that you have a bachelor’s degree. They are also required to go through a Federal Background check, which is more in-depth than the one you would normally reserve from a non-government job. Other than that is all the same.
TSA has a new thing that has recently been rolled out called ‘TSA Pre-check’ this allows individuals who have gone through a background check, it is a very similar process to getting a passport. These individuals are not required to go though as harsh of security as everyone else. But what is to stop someone with one of these from getting on a plane packing heat? Nothing. But there are safety measures in place to prevent events from happening on high-risk routes, The Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO)is a program that is run by the Federal Government with the idea of having volunteer pilots of airliners to carry firearms for the purpose of defending the passengers and the airplane against criminal activity. But the number of pilots that do actually carry on airplanes is very low due to increased security measures in a post 9/11 world.
Most airports in the United States have basically the same protocol, you show up at the airport and the first thing you do is talk to one of the people behind the ticketing counter where you would check your baggage, make any declarations and get your boarding pass. From there you would go through the security line. According to Delta Air Lines’ The recommended arrival time at the airport is 2 hours prior to departure when traveling within the United States. You must be checked in at least 30 minutes before your scheduled departure time’ (CHECK-IN).
Beyond the TSA there is more than one agency or security personnel around an airport. For example, at Kansas City International Airport everyone that was supposed to be on the other side of security like vendors, airline personnel, and airport employees are required to have a Security Identification Display Area (SIDA) Badge. In order to get a SIDA badge, you have to go through a class and a federal background check. All airport employee has to go through this. Most airport employees are trained on what suspicious activity looks like so they can stop an incident before it happens. But there is a way around having a background check done and many airlines will avoid doing a background check by just hiring seasonal employees. Seasonal employees are not required to have background checks for airlines.
The TSA is periodically checked by airport police, another form of airport security. But typically most airport police are young and inexperienced. They are fresh recruits fresh out of the academy and don’t stay on the force long before they move onto a real police force. But have young and inexperienced police officers can pose an issue as they do not know what it is that they are looking for.
The Israelis have pretty much set the standard for airport security. Daniel Wagner forms the Huffington post stated ‘Much of the airport’s security protocol is achieved through a combination of comprehensive due diligence, common sense, and consistency ‘ which, one would think would be the objective of airport authorities throughout the world. Yet very few other airports have achieved the level of security that exists at Ben Gurion.’ (Wagner) but why is that?
Israel has very sophisticated ways of countering terrorism, for example, there is only one way in and one way out of the airport. Vehicles have to go through at least 2 security checks before they can even get onto the tarmac. Inside the terminals, there is a very visible presence of police officers and even some police and other law enforce that walks around in civilian clothing. Unlike the united states, the security companies are not sub-contracted to avoid negligence.
Are airports in the united states safe? For now, they are. We haven’t had any major issues beyond TSA security since 9/11. On the other hand, it is time for a major overhaul of security all over the airport. Not just at the gate.