IP: on the mundane risks of airport security

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: "Herb Lin" <HLin () nas edu>
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 2002 22:37:08 -0400
To: farber () cis upenn edu
Subject: on the mundane risks of airport security

On a flight from Albuquerque to Denver (last week), I went through security
at
ABQ.  I placed my fanny pack (containing money, keys, flashlight, and
cellphone)
on the X-ray scanner.  I went through the magnetometer, and waited on the
other
side for my fanny pack to come out.  I saw it come out, but the screener
said it
had to be run through a second time, and so she passed back to the front
end,
around the control panel side of the scanner.  I waited some more, and
eventually I received my fanny pack back.

Several hours later, I looked inside it - and was unable to find a wad of
bills
I thought was in there.  Was it stolen at the security checkpoint?  I don't
know, and of course there's no way to prove it even if it was.  But I do
know
that my fanny pack was out of my sight for many seconds-easily long enough
for
someone to have opened it, lifted the wad of bills, and closed it again.

Also, consider that even if I saw them open up the pack, I would be on shaky
ground to question them about it, even if they should open it only in front
of
me.  So, I would have to see them in the entire act of lifting the wad and
pocketing it before I could complain.  And, of course, to whom would I
complain?
These days, complaining about airport screeners at the airport is MUCH more
risky and liable to raise suspicions in and of itself.  (In fairness, the
theft
problem isn't specifically related either to the Federalization of airport
security or to the post-Sept. 11 security regime, except for the risk of
complaining.)

What to do?  Next time I travel, my paper money goes my pockets.

Herb Lin



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