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April 27, 2005
Random Chance
We're currently at about 35,000 feet on our way to a conference in Alpheretta GA. On the way through the screening process we happened to get in the line of the Xray guy that wanted everyone to take their shoes off - which many people we finding annoying and it was making his the longest of all the lines. When I got to the front, he said, "Sir, I recommend that you take your shoes off to avoid a delay."
I thanked him and said that they've made it through just fine before. I passed through and didn't set the alarm off - as I knew I wouldn't - and surprise, I was selected, by him, to be randomly searched. No big deal, we had plenty of time at the airport.
It random selections like this one that make the airlines less safe, not more. Instead of randomly selecting people, he was picking people based on a criteria he decided upon. That makes the process less than it should be. It's not that I was belligerent or disobedient, had he asked me to send my shoes through the belt, I would have. But he didn't, he recommended it.
Posted by Jesse at April 27, 2005 9:39 PM
Comments
Random search should be truly random, and only one tool. For all the cries of unfairness... and sometimes it is unfair... targeted searching is most likely to reveal future problems. Terrorists have a much harder time recruiting 75 year old women than 21 year old men.
Posted by: JC at April 27, 2005 10:52 PM
I got the impression that when I was given the full search, it was totally random based on something that was printed on my ticket.
I didn't care. I was just glad to be able to get out of Portland to the IC given that all the planes for American didn't make it in that morning.
Posted by: Allyson M Dyar at April 27, 2005 11:41 PM