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November 12, 2001
Airport Security Standards: If
Only You Knew...
by Adam Schorsch
In the weeks and months following the
September 11th tragedy, we've all heard a whole new batch
of buzzwords - perhaps the least understood being 'airport
security'. To the average citizen, 'airport security'
conjures mental images of people shuffling through lines
at the metal detector, bored expression on both their
faces and those of the minimum-wage 'security officers'
who are supposed to watch for potentially dangerous items.
The expectation, as anyone who has ever been to an airport
knows, is that no one is in any real danger - even in
the wake of 911, people expect to be inconvenienced at
least and really inconvenienced at worst.
For the most part, despite what these
'security officers' are paid, things usually work pretty
well. In all honesty, there are so many people looking
over their shoulders that even if some of them were incompetent,
the overall threat would still be very low; keep in mind,
the terrorists used box cutters and the like - very small
blades - and a little manipulation to control the crews
and passengers aboard the hijacked flights. This was no
fault on the much-maligned minimum wage security force,
just an unfortunate example of how easily a loophole can
be exploited by someone with enough determination.
It's the dangers that are on the ramp,
outside the airport proper, that people should be more
concerned about.
I don't know about anywhere else, but
security at Sea-Tac (Seattle-Tacoma Airport in Washington
State) is a joke. Argenbright, a company whose name has
surfaced frequently whenever the issue of sub-standard
security is brought up, is only one of many low-budget
cargo outfits that operate out of Sea-Tac. Employees are
usually either too busy or disgruntled to give a damn
about possible security breaches, and their supervisors
are more worried about covering their own asses (and keeping
tabs on troublesome and/or lazy employees) to care much
more.
If someone were to sneak into Sea-Tac
with criminal intentions, they'd only have to go to the
warehouses past the passenger terminals and wait for an
opportunity. It's easier to just walk right up to the
warehouse in plain clothes, wait for someone to let you
in, and stroll right though and out onto the ramp. No
need to keep a low profile or sneak around, just pretend
like you belong there and people will hardly give you
a second glance.
Hell, do it when the warehouse is packed
with workers - why not wave to a few of them? Just wander
around aimlessly for a bit, looking lost. Walk up to someone
who is obviously very busy and toss a name at them, "Have
you seen Jane? I need to call her...I was told she was
out on the ramp?" You're more likely to be met with a
shrug and waved onto the ramp than stopped and asked to
show your badge. The more people think you're just someone's
boyfriend or spouse, either bringing them their lunch
or a spare set of car keys, the less likely you are to
be impeded on your way to blowing up a 747. ***
Adam Schorsch is the Managing Editor
for The American
Partisan Magazine. He can be reached through email
at aschorsch@hotmail.com.
***
© 2001 Adam Schorsch
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