Introduction
National security does not only involve safeguarding the borders on land but it also includes security of the state through implementing measures resulting in ensuring that nobody from outside comes into the country with dangerous weapons and other materials. A number of terrorist activities are carried out in US through material brought by passengers through commercial airports and airlines by simply dodging the existing security equipment and practices of airport security.
Requirement of New Security System
Recommendations have been released by TSA (transportation security administration) in order to improve the security systems within the airports. In this context, few of the resources have reported that these recommendations are not effective on long term perspectives, however, have limited effect on short-term perspective.
At the international airport of Los Angeles, in the year November 2013, an attack took place and a TSA officer was shot dead, owing to which an investigation was launched by the agencies on practices for security being done at the airport. It was recommended by the report that the local armed police should be enhanced at the ticket counters and checkpoints of airport security areas. In the report, it was totally rejected that TSA agents may be armed, which would not only be expensive but inefficient as well. The said report has been submitted by Andrew Coggins, clinical professor at Pace University in Management department.
As per his statements, he argued that the TSA may be raised at some other levels instead of this. It was also stated by him that at the place which is densely populated, or in an environment which is heavily crowded, used of a deadly weapon may cause unforeseen death and would certainly be very dangerous, therefore, at this circumstance taking help by the armed officers may not be attained.
In order to find out the deadly weapons of attackers or terrorists, it is desperately required that each and every person should be checked thoroughly before entering in the premises of the airport, says Chairman of the department of aerospace, University of Middle Tennessee, Mr. Ron Ferrara. The history of last decade reveals that four people in the vicinity of the airport were shot dead after these sort of attacks. Among them, one dead occurred due to a suicide attempt .
Measures in Security System at Airports
At airport vibe has been changed. A significant tension was observed on the airports as far as security was concerned after the attack of 9 /11 in the first year after the occurrence of the event. Every time the event of September 11 was remembered and it was remembered every year that what happened in that event. The politics go side by side but the reality must be seen about its occurrence.
The war against terror was arisen, in the form of expansions along with its numerous political overtones. The event of 9/11 was gradually changed from national tragedy towards a military activity. It was suspected that homeland security department was working only for political reasons. The raising of security protocols and threatening levels is required for the purpose of securing people and the country from any future possible attack or threat.
It should be ordered that passengers’ shoes should be removed while screening, keeping in view the current security threats and avoiding hijacking attempt, It should be practiced that elderly people with wheelchair are to be checked with handheld detectors rather than forcing them to walk through the X-ray machine. This would be a better way of keeping our land safe from these sort of untrusty and checking situations.
Passengers should march through a security line at the Airport and a new tone should emerge from the machine that people could notice it which should also be observed numerous time during the scanning process. That sound should have great usefulness there, as the threats over there need to stop right there.
Taking the shoes off should be considered essential and at every event of scanning, this practice; therefore, should be made as passengers’ habit. Through implementing such practices it would become a norm of airport security which would surely make the passengers habitual of taking their shoes off without any hesitation. In this context, serious concerns are to be made and needed to be checked really. It is also observed that most of the foreign airlines do not have these sort of security checking which are required to be enforced to take such measures in order to ensure high level of airport security.
For instance, the EIAI, an Israeli Airline which has greater reasons to be checked more than any other airline in the world, but does not exercise such activities during scanning. Despite the fact that EIAI airline is advanced significantly in procedures of anti-terrorism, yet do not implement such activities. If this kind of advanced and threatened airline does not fret over tiny things in our carry on, then TSA is also not implementing such activities.
The EI AI, of course, is considered as racially profiled airline. The passengers who regularly travel in the airline of EI AI, know that they are severely quizzed by the security officers and officials. The major tasks of these officials are to probe each and everything about the travelers before launching them on the board. It has also been revealed that such quizzes are much more difficult for the Muahmmads as compared to Michaelsons. For this reason, most of the Arabs use other airlines instead of IE AI and avoid using the facilities of this airline.
There must be a policy which would be in between the zero tolerance absurd policy of American and one which is accepted by everyone. This is the time to find out the way for implementing the revised policy. This sort of scanning and checking should not be considered as infantilizing, worse, dehumanizing and / or annoying. This seems a tiny thing, but these procedures at airport’s every terminal are necessary and make the passengers feel safe and secure. At the any terminal which is not meant for checking the persons, searching should be enforced. It not only ensures the personal liberty of people, but also unelected official impose consent upon the people.
The job done by the officials of HSD and TSA is no doubt being carried out as per instructions, but the job’s nature and procedures adopted make the officials more overcautious and overprotective. If the explosives have been smuggled by only a single terrorist, then it is absurd to stop x-rays process.
In this context, the leadership is needed to overcome this issue. Zero risk should be replaced with the balancing of benefits and cost by the administration of Obama. This had been done by most of the governmental agencies in the past in many environmental forms of the regulations. It is recommended that at macro level these balancing should be carried out as the policies are brought. On the other hand, it can be carried out on a micro level, by providing training and experience to the professionals related to security and are provided extra options individually.
In the case of failure of even a single event during security, the cost would be huge, therefore, the balance should be very conservative. But there should be a rational policy in this context and the guards should be allowed not to emphasize to check the old lady in a wheelchair or not to impound the bottles which are sealed on branded names. It would let the people keep their shoes on, taking a shampoo’s shot glass on a plane and save millions of dollar in a day in the context of lost time. It not only saves time and money but more importantly, it reduces humiliating the wheelchair passengers who are forcefully directed to go through the metal detectors where the chairs are to be disassembled. This act is ridiculous and cannot be tolerated at a humanitarian level.
If after the experience of one year with most of the discretionary policies unacceptable statistics have been yielded, and it is suggested that security guards to be trained in a better way, the policies should be reexamined. The abuse danger is not sufficient reason for maintaining the current system, rather it is one of the reasons to be proceeded carefully.
It is obvious fact that our homeland has been used by the administration of Bush as an apparatus for security for the sack of their political gain rather for benefits of people. A crime is made more severe by labeling the opponents as naive, unpatriotic and worse. The procedures for securing the safety of the nations in skies are distorted by the political motives.
The first year of 9/11 has been passed under the presidency of Obama, therefore, a fresh opening can be made at the start of the year. In this context, security professionals have been designated and trained. This personnel knows that what their role and responsibilities are and how to complete their assigned tasks. The aim is to avoid zero tolerance and letting them do as per policy .
VIP Escorting
It has been planned to introduce a new policy by the management of International Airport of Los Angeles. The policy comprised of the system in which the walks from parking lot to the plane can be avoided. However, it would be a costly option but to discard annoying walks through the frame of the parking lot to plane it deemed necessary to implement. The private entrance would be used by the travelers who are to fly out of the LAX before escorted. They have to pass through a special screening area under the administration of security transportation. This is exclusively for VIPs and for travelers paying dollars 1500 to 1800 per trips. The VIP terminal would be built by the LAX Officials for moving forward. This terminal would be termed as Suite of Los Angeles.
This terminal is meant for passing the celebrities and it is observed that a large number of celebrities are being passed on a routine basis through LAX. These celebrities are the main target, however, any of the travelers can use this terminal and would be offered for use. It has been told by one of the executives at the airport of Los Angeles that new terminal is not just for the use of celebrities and catering their issues rather for all. He further added that only 1% of the celebrities use this terminal. He said that sometimes due to a huge number of photographers and fans of celebrities gathered at the airport cause problems for normal travelers and may also be one of the hazards as far as security is concerned.
In order to avoid these crowd, the new terminal is opened to be used by the travelers through the entrance at the back side of the airport. For the VIP travelers, private suite is used, where standard screening would be submitted by them before going to the flight directly. There exit terminals dedicated for VIPs in all the international airports of the world, including in the big cities like; Paris, London, Dubai, and Amsterdam. A new attractive service for the VIPs have been announced by Delta Airlines wherein all the VIP personnel are driven along with the luggage from the plane to their transport out of the airport .
Regulation Aspects
A new proposal has been provided by a think tank of California for improvement in the airport security after the event of 9/11. This proposal is mainly based upon the strict federal regulations, centralized command, and privatization.
Another proposal routed by Viggo Butler and Robert Poole Jr. which opposed the bill to build new workforce regarding passenger screening passed by the Senate unanimously this month earlier. Centralized authority was called by Poole at every airport, under command and control of owners of the airport, rather under the control of the federal government or airlines itself. This is not wholly responsible for the screening of the passengers. These articles have been published by Dallas and Washington DC in national center for analysis of policies and heritage foundation respectively.
It has also been proposed in the proposal that new and strict performance standards should be imposed by the administration of federal aviation. In the case of lapses in security, serious fines should also be imposed and making the airports liable for passengers. Private security firms have been hired by most of big cities’ airports, for instance, airports of Brussels, London, Frankfurt, Belfast and Rome use to hire famous security firm privately offering services. It has been evaluated by Poole that this model after working of 20 years’ experience against terrorism has been developed .
The security of airport of the Israel was also privatized by its government five years ago. Now in the Tel Aviv, airport authority of Ben Gurion has hired one of the private firm; namely, Amishav. This firm was made responsible for all security related matters especially screening of passengers and other function related to security .
As per the statement by pool, that a system only is termed as effective security system if it safeguards whole of the airport, instead only screening of passengers. He says, the proposed legislation of Senate comprised of nothing about the procedures controlling the airport remaining areas; for instance, thousands of cleaners, refuelers and caterers and others who are without necessary background checks and ID cards .
For best security in the airport, security personnel must be paid significantly. He says, that more the security personnel are motivated through facilitation, the better the performance of personnel would be. Most of the airlines spend their allocation in purchasing of screeners and pay little attention towards the minimum wages and training due to which they are highly demotivated. In this context, it is suggested by Pole that about 5 dollars may be charged by the passengers as a fee for facilitation of passengers by the administration of the airports, which would be used for this purpose.
On the other hand, it was proposed by the federalization advocates that tax nationwide of many dollars should be collected against each ticket. This amount gathered through this tax be used to pay to the workforce who are engaged with screening. Some of the other analysts focused on the position of the personnel who are given charge of airport security.
Jim Lewis, the director of Technology and Public Policy in Washington DC in center of international studies, says, that latest technology screening equipment and processes may be one of the main causes of success and reduction in security threat, irrespective of the fact that these equipment and procedures are used by federal government or private firms .
Conclusion
National security not only involve safeguarding the borders on land but security of the state as well through implementing measures resulting in ensuring that nobody from outside comes into the country with dangerous weapons and other materials. A number of terrorist activities are carried out in US through material brought by passengers through commercial airports and airlines by simply dodging the existing security equipment and practices of airport security.
One of the reasons that frustrate the travelers is that all the passengers are being treated the same as the potential terrorists. There should be some discrimination although it is quite difficult to make. Most of the industrial organizations are focusing on the proposals of overhauling the security checkpoints in order to provide to avoid the profile of traveler instead of body scanners and pat downs fall overs.
Although most of the details of the procedures are just the proposals, yet it is to be determined that who would be the responsible stockholder to present better and risk-based use of intelligence of government and who watch lists and suspicious behavior, for instance, the passenger in the international flight going one way without the luggage.
The travelers in the middle group, neither risky nor vetted, would be screened at the intermediate level, but this process would be faster as compared to the current processes as the suspicious passengers during screening would be treated in a separate lane .
Through implementing such practices, it would become a norm of airport security which would surely make the passengers habitual of taking their shoes off without any hesitation. In this context, serious concerns are to be made and needed to be checked really. It is also observed that most of the foreign airlines do not have these sort of security checking which are required to be enforced to take such measures in order to ensure high level of airport security.
Works Cited
Consumer Digest. "Airport security proposal would boost public safety." July 2014. http://www.consumersdigest.com/departments/airport-security-proposal-would-boost-public-safety. 19 March 2016.
Michaelson, Jay. "Keep Your Shoes On: A Modest Proposal for Rational Airport Security." 17 November 2011. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-michaelson/keep-your-shoes-on-a-mode_b_283777.html. 19 March 2016.
Moran, Susan Helen. "Experts Differ on Fix for Airport Security." 25 October 2001. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2001/10/25/Experts-Differ-on-Fix-for-Airport-Security/47951004062577/. 19 March 2016.
Stellin, Susan. "Support Grows for Tiered Risk System at Airports." 07 February 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/business/08security.html?_r=0. 20 March 2016.
Tom Huddleston, Jr. "This Airport Terminal Is Catering to the Rich and Famous." 19 November 2015. http://fortune.com/2015/11/19/lax-airport-terminal-paparazzi/. 20 March 2016.
