AS ANY University student who traveled this Thanksgiving may have seen, the supposedly improved security at airports and major public centers is an illusion which does little more than provide a safety blanket to the public. The much-publicized additional security measures are minor and inconsequential. Airports are singularly focused upon preventing travel with dangerous "weapons" such as razors, box cutters, even tweezers and nail clippers. If officials truly wish to show that security is maintaining order, they should increase the presence of officers or guards. The appearance of safety is critical in allowing Americans to live their daily lives without fear, but some real change must occur before the gaps in security are exploited again.
Airplane travel may pose the greatest security threat to the nation as the planes that struck the World Trade Center originated from multiple locations on different airlines. For all the media coverage of the airport security changes, very little progress has been made.
The presence of military police and the M-16s hanging from their shoulders is the most notable change at airports. The mere presence of these men is all that is needed to get the point across that airplane security is paramount. The security point inspection looks stricter with these men standing at the sides, but the process has not changed. Random baggage checks are no different than they were before the attacks, except more of them are done and they take longer to perform. Additionally, only ticketed passengers may go past security and the number of carry-on bags is limited, causing a major bottleneck at the main terminals and pickup zones. These new changes slow down the flying process with no real benefit other than the perception that security is heightened.
The increased scrutiny of luggage is the wrong place for security to be focusing its attention. Officials now examine bags multiple times at the checkpoint as well as at the gate. At these stops, airline passengers have had small scissors, razors, laser pointers, tweezers and other pointy objects taken away by security because of the potential danger. Security guards can take away all the tweezers or box cutters they want, but something as simple as a pen can be used as a deadly weapon. Since a person could theoretically take a pen through security and use it as a weapon, something must be done to discourage the person from doing anything with the "weapon."
Focusing most of the security on these "weapons" is a flawed approach and should be substituted with an increased focus on security presence. The Federal Air Marshal program, the positioning of armed guards on airplanes, is perhaps the only worthwhile change being made to beef up security. The addition of the marshal to the plane will be a non-intrusive factor to airline travel.
A military or police presence at airports should follow the Air Marshal program. Having armed men watching the terminal would make it more difficult for terrorists to use weapons. The addition of guards at airports would serve as a visual reminder to anybody intending to commit a crime. Their standing guard might intimidate terrorists from action. Though it is unlikely that terrorists will stop entirely, it will be more difficult for them to attack when surrounded by armed guards.
Real security comes at the cost of freedom, which Americans will never pay. If Americans want to live without terror, they must cede some of their rights in exchange for governmental protection. But to cower from living life normally is to let the terrorists win. There absolutely is nothing preventing a dedicated man from walking into a stadium, mall or major building and detonating a bomb. Terrorists always will find a hole in security regulations as they did with the utilization of box cutters. The difficulty of the task is no reason to give up. However, they may be less likely to hijack a plane if they know that security personnel are watching them and are ready to react with force. The illusion of safety cannot last forever under the current system and it is time that the government and the airlines do more before the security blanket goes up in flames.
(Brad Cohen's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at bcohen@cavalierdaily.com.)
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