IN FRATERNAM MEAM: T E R R O R I S M.....

IN FRATERNAM MEAM

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

T E R R O R I S M.....

SAFER BY DEGREES
Terrorism has changed air trvel dramatically. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has thousands of screeners and machines to detect weapons and explosives, but gaps remain:

CURBSIDE
Improvement National Guard troops now patrol airports.
Problems Curbside check-in, briefly suspended after 9/11, is again offered. The often hectic process at crowded airports can increase the potential for lethal suitcases to enter the system.

CHECK-IN
Improvement Identifications are closely checked at counters.
Problems The growing use of electronic tickets means a passenger without bags no longer has to stop at the counter to get a boarding pass, eliminating one layer of security.

SECURITY
Improvement Checked and carry-on bags are scanned and serached more often. The TSA has installed explosives-detection systems at most commercial airports to screen checked bags and is testing phone-booth-size machines that use puffs of air to detect explosives residue on passengers.
Problems Private security companies are increasingly being used, diluting the TSA's mandate and possibly creating greater vulnerability. Government reports have cited insufficient training and the need for better technology.

SPOT THE BOMB
None of the items nely banned by the TSA would explode if mixed. The fear is that those common containers could be filled with bomb ingredients and carried openly onto aircraft, to be combined later.
Good News Liquid explosives tend to be quite volatile, and concocting a bomb on a plane in flight woild be a difficult. noxious job.
Bad News Explosives can be made to look like almost anything - drinks, even a child's toy. The use of machine that detect bombs and traces of explosives is spreading, but liquid-chemical sniffers aren't in airports - yet.

RESTAURANTS
Improvement The TSA grants varying levels of clearnace to the mostly minimum-wage employees of airport stores.
Problems Boarding-area concessions can pose a serious threat. A restaurant worker, for example, could pass a knife to a passenger.

BOARDING
Improvement Only ticketed passengers and employees are allowed in boarding areas.
Problems Passengers connecting from smaller airports might have undergone less rigorous screening but still have full access to gates.

ON THE TARMAC
Improvement The process for obtaining worker credentials is tighter.
Problems Many people -- including cleanrers, caterers, mechanics, refuelers and baggage handlers - have access to planes, and the grounds of a large airport can be difficult to secure. In 2003, for example, three fioshermen wandered onto a runway at New York City's John F. Kennedy Inernational Airport and walked around formore than an hour until they sought police for an exit. At air-cargo facilities, neither cargo nor personnel undergo the same scrutiny as airline passengers and their luggage.

(Source: TIMEMAG by Amanda Ripley)

posted by infraternam meam @ 3:12 PM

2 Comments:

At 1:59 AM, Sidney said…

Luckily that traveling by air is relatively safe. Look at the security measures. What about the train...?
At 3:02 AM, infraternam meam said…

To Sidney...

The security on the trains in the states is also well secured, including Greyhound buses. After Sept 11 and the bombings of the trains in Madrid, USA raised up their trains security, be it local of inter America train.