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(In)security

I was going to wait until I returned home from my holiday trip to New York before posting an article about my experience of going through security at Orlando International Airport, but due the attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Christmas day, I felt compelled to post now.

On Tuesday, December 22nd, I packed my bags and headed to Orlando International to begin my holiday up North. After the normal routine of checking-in, I headed to the security checkpoint where I instantly noticed the myriad security guards just standing around chatting. Out of shape, slovenly dressed, and slack-jawed the guards joked around with one another and paid little attention to what was going on around them.

I approached the security entrance and gave my ID and boarding pass to the guard. I said, "hello," to a blank, uninterested face. The man scrutinized my boarding pass for a long time and checked my ID, making sure the picture on my ID matched my face.

Once passed the entrance, I queued up and began to wait to place my bags on the x-ray conveyor belt. While standing in line, I noticed an abandoned bag to my left. I waited to see if somebody came back for it, but as the lines marched forward, it remained. It was a large, black, canvas bag that looked nearly empty from the way it sagged in the middle. At this point, I remembered the recorded warning that plays over the PA system at the airport to report unattended bags to security personnel immediately. So, I did.

I summed the help of the closest of the four security personnel chatting to my right and informed him of the suspect luggage. The man stared at me for at least 10 seconds with a blank expression. He said nothing...ever. He did not say, "Thank you sir. I'll take care of it," or anything at all. I thought for a moment that he was angered or annoyed by me. He then sprang into action!

The security guard walked over to his colleagues and discussed the matter at length. It was after this meeting of the Rand Corporation Think Tank that it was decided to investigate the bag in question. It was poked and prodded and run through the x-ray machine. Problem solved!

I would have thought that there was a protocol for unattended luggage. One that the security guard would not even have to think about, but I was very wrong. More to the point, I would have hoped that the bag in question would have been discovered by security before I noticed it. It probably would have been overkill to push a panic button, clear out the terminal, and 'duck and cover', but shouldn't there have been some kind of hand-held technology that could sniff for explosives? Shouldn't a K9 unit be available for such a contingency?

Eight years after 9/11, the United States has buried its collective head in the sand. Security policy follows the notion of closing the barn door after the horse has been blown up. The Transportation Security Administration continues to fail the American people just as the private security setup failed us on September 11, 2001. More to the point, the Federal and State governments failed and continue to fail us every day.

Airport security should project an image of strength, professionalism, and a bit of fear. Staffed by former police and military, security personnel should be physically fit and well trained for every eventuality. In addition to the guards, there should be 'passenger advocates' that patrol the security area answering passenger questions and easing travelers nerves during the stress of getting through security. As an added benefit, traveler advocates would take the customer service burden off the security personnel The current screening process projects and image of a bunch of workers goofing off because their supervisor called in sick.

To be completely fair, I did notice some security personnel who did there jobs with professionalism and courtesy, but it is the bad apples that stick out and give a lasting bad impression.