And You Trust the TSA to Protect You?

Jacob Sullum | June 27, 2005

My family and I flew to Israel last week on El Al, but we bought our tickets through Delta, which flew us from Reagan National to JFK. Delta let us check our luggage in D.C. for the whole trip, which surprised me, because El Al usually has its own security screening. It turned out that the bags were supposed to be screened again in New York, which no one mentioned until we were about to board the plane for Tel Aviv. At that point an El Al security guy whisked me into the bowels of the airport to identify our bags and answer questions about them. He explained that we could not get on the flight with the bags until they had been cleared by the airline. When I mentioned that the luggage had already been screened by the TSA in D.C., he laughed and said, "And you trust the TSA to protect you?" While American air travel security is just for show, he said, the Israeli version is for real.

Although he was hardly a disinterested observer, the comparison had the ring of truth. To begin with, Israeli screeners tend to be brighter and better trained than their American counterparts. Like the TSA, they scan baggage and run people through metal detectors. But much of their job involves asking passengers questions and reading their responses, including tone of voice and body language. This approach, which is in some ways more intrusive than a TSA pat-down and in other ways less so, requires skills that you can't learn in a quick pre-employment course and screeners who do more than watch monitors and wave wands. In the U.S., which has many more flights than Israel and faces a lower risk of terrorist attacks, I'm not sure whether more-professional airline security personnel would be worth the cost. But from what I've seen and read of the TSA in action, the El Al screener was right that the U.S. program is essentially cosmetic. The question is whether the appearance of security serves to deter terrorists or only to falsely reassure passengers.

Comments

Ron Hardin|6.27.05 @ 5:29AM|#

It's a roust, meaning imposing senseless inconvenience as a substitute for doing something.

Actually they should put a large hunting knife in every seat pocket. They search you for weapons and if you don't have one, they give you one.

The original error was a doctrine of cooperating with hijackers. Now the doctrine is pretty much that passengers kill anybody who looks like a problem.

The hunting knife could also be used on airline food.

|6.27.05 @ 8:35AM|#

The only change that was made after 9/11 that was effective in reducing terrorism was locking the cockpit doors. The came from the realization that you cannot allow hijackers to control the airplane, no matter what happens in the back of the plane.

Maybe the El Al process could prevent bombings, as well, but they have always considered the cockpit to be unaccessable.

|6.27.05 @ 8:51AM|#

Even with all the trouble they're in, Israel has never has a plane hijacked or bombed. They must be doing something right.

|6.27.05 @ 9:07AM|#

While El Al's model works for them (60 flights per day?), it would be a crashing failure here in the US where many airports have 60 flights leaving an hr. While I'm not sure what the solution is, it is definitely *NOT* trying to get thousands of people checked per hour at US airports El Al-style.

The government already stinks at doing what it does, do you really think they could pull off something like this?

|6.27.05 @ 9:10AM|#

Jennifer will be glad to know that she is just getting groped for cosmetic purposes, and that they are not serios about it.

In a way I am glad that our best efforts at TSA is incompetent. I would much rather an incompetent gestapo than a competent one. I like that we can't put together a well functioning welfare like the Europeans have. I like that we can't make an efficient public school. Maybe all this incompetence will in fact discourage the statist dudes. Joe?

|6.27.05 @ 9:44AM|#

Tying into andy's point, I heard an aviation consultant say several years before 9/11, "Israel doesn't have an airline, it has a hobby." El Al has fewer aircraft than a typical regional carrier in the United States, so it can concentrate its security efforts much more narrowly.

|6.27.05 @ 10:30AM|#

But even folks who leave Tel Aviv on carriers other than El Al go through a rigorous security screening which would never fly in the U.S., where people complain if security takes more than 10 minutes. I spent more than 2 hours getting through security.

Also, you have the profiling aspect which definitely goes on there.

|6.27.05 @ 10:37AM|#

Didn't TSA replace TANF which replaced AFDC? TSA gives jobs, benefits and self esteem. Real deterrence or false assurance - who cares? Vote Government!

|6.27.05 @ 11:00AM|#

Joke all you want, Kwais, but I'm really nervous about my flights this week. The TSA will no doubt spend a lot of Your Tax Dollars to ensure that Bin Laden's not hiding in my bra, but they won't do a damn thing to make sure the plane's cargo hold is bomb-free. They'll violate my privacy to make sure there are no nukes in my cosmetic kit, but won't lift a finger to make sure the maintenance crews aren't doing bad things to the engine and landing gear.

Just for fun, I'm going to try and bring a metal curling iron out West in my carry-on bag. I figure I have a fifty-fifty chance of getting it through, though it might be confiscated on the grounds that with a curling iron, I might be able to break into the cockpit and find an electrical outlet and plug in the iron and wait five minutes for it to warm up and then REALLY fuck up the hairstyles of any pilot who gets within range of the iron's three-foot power cord. "Take this plane to Arabia, or I'll give you SPIKY HAIR!" If I have to attend my Colorado business meetings with really bad hair, at least you guys will know that my cowlicky appearance is keeping you safe from al-Qaeda. Somehow.

I'm also worried about my driver's license; in Connecticut, if you change your address before your license expires they give you an El Cheapo fill-it-in-yourself white sticker to put on the back of your expensive holographic driver's license. I figure the airport guys in New York might recognize the cheap sticker as part of a legit Connecticut license; the question is, will the guys in Colorado? I'll find out soon enough, I guess.

|6.27.05 @ 11:17AM|#

Jennifer,

Colorado also uses the cheapie sticker when you move, so the TSA folks should be familiar enough with the concept to let you through.

|6.27.05 @ 11:19AM|#

Just to clarify: I am NOT particularly worried that my plane will blow up; I'm worried that I'm going to be harassed by TSA, and ticked off because, as illustrated by the original story for this post, if some terrorist really DOES try to blow up my flight, nothing the TSA might do will prevent that.

|6.27.05 @ 11:20AM|#

Mike-
I made my last post before I saw yours; thank for saying that, because it really IS a load off my mind. I don't want to be stranded two thousand miles from home, especially not on a holiday weekend.

|6.27.05 @ 11:20AM|#

kwais,

Your ideological purity is reassuring, but--like public schools--the TSA ain't goin' anywhere. And given that the private screeners were just as incompetent, it's hard to imagine that getting rid of the TSA would improve the situation, partly because of incompetence but mainly because Americans just would not tolerate the level of security that's actually necessary.

Windypundit|6.27.05 @ 11:22AM|#

"Maybe all this incompetence will in fact discourage the statist dudes."

That hasn't worked yet with the War on Drugs, which dates back-depending what you count as the start-to the Nixon administration, to the Marijuana laws of the 1930's, or to the 130-year old opium laws.

the regulator|6.27.05 @ 11:28AM|#

Jennifer,
I go through PDX many times a year and have never had a problem at security. The worst part is having to take off your shoes, but that's not that big a deal. Arrive early though, because sometimes there's no line, sometimes it takes an hour.

|6.27.05 @ 11:33AM|#

Regulator-
Yeah, I already went ahead and bought a pair of laceless 'business' shoes. They're the ugliest shoes I've ever owned (and I say this as someone who had to wear Corrective Footwear as a child in the Seventies), but I must admit they're comfortable. I'm mainly nervous because I have read a LOT of stories about TSA guys harassing lone women trying to fly.

|6.27.05 @ 11:35AM|#

I don't think the appearance of security either deters terrorists or reassures passengers. It only reassures the airlines that they can blame the government if something should happen.

|6.27.05 @ 11:36AM|#

Also, my ticket advised arriving an hour early if you have all carry-on bags; I'm the nervous type, so I'll be there two hours early. I have plenty of good books to read; my plan is to park myself outside my boarding gate at least an hour earlier than necessary.

Well, I'm off to New York to start my whirlwind week of Focus Groups. If I AM arrested for the curling iron, you guys will hear about it because the MSM will brand me with some horrible punny nickname like "The Hair-Orist." Christ, did I ever pick the worst possible time in American history to get a professional, travel-required job.

|6.27.05 @ 12:34PM|#

"Even with all the trouble they're in, Israel has never has a plane hijacked or bombed. They must be doing something right."

Pedantry I know, but I believe that an El Al flight was hijacked by the PLF in 1968.

|6.27.05 @ 1:21PM|#

Regarding the locking of cockpit doors:
How do the air marshals and passengers storm the cockpit when there's a terrorist masquerading as a pilot?

|6.27.05 @ 2:21PM|#

Regarding the locking of cockpit doors:
How do the air marshals and passengers storm the cockpit when there's a terrorist masquerading as a pilot?

Well, I guess then everybody's just fucked.

|6.27.05 @ 3:00PM|#

I agree that the El Al guy has it right. A great analysis of the problems with CAPPS 2 and other TSA schemes ran in the Chicago Tribiune last year. Couldn't find their version, but it looks like an update of same piece is here: http://reclaimdemocracy.org/civil_rights/capps_2_illusion_safety.html

|6.27.05 @ 3:08PM|#

I'm too lazy to dig up the link, but recently a lawyer had his audi switchblade-style key taken by the TSA. His much sharper house keys were fine, though.

(For those who haven't seen them, audis and vw's have a key fob with a button that swings out the key, like a switchblade.)

|6.27.05 @ 3:11PM|#

"Pedantry I know, but I believe that an El Al flight was hijacked by the PLF in 1968."

Correct, but that was before their security system started:

"Having lived for decades with bombs and suicide attacks, Israel designed the industry's most impenetrable flight security more than 20 years ago. Officials say it is a stunning success. Despite several wars and endless conflict at home, El Al's sole hijacking was in 1968, before the system began."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/sept11/2001/10/01/elal-usat.htm

Keith|6.27.05 @ 3:41PM|#

Jennifer--

You get white stickers to put on your license? When i changed addresses here in NYC, they told me to just cross out the old one with a pen and write my new one wherever it would fit on the back.

|6.27.05 @ 3:42PM|#

Tom, that's got to be pretty unusual. My Mercedes key does that (I think Range Rovers do as well) and the TSA goons didn't take it from me on my recent flight to Chicago. They did take my very dangerous Zippo, however. The thing that blows my mind is that they won't let you put the lighter into your checked baggage, but they will suggest that you could mail it to yourself, in which case it just ends up in the cargo hold of a commercial airplane anyway. Really, what is the point?

|6.27.05 @ 4:46PM|#

Keith-
Well, you know how we Connecticut folk are all millionaires with country-club memberships; free stickers are the LEAST of our perks.

I'm typing this behind glass at a focus group, and I'm lame enough to be proud of the fact that the stuff I wrote is really, really resonating with the test subjects. Sheesh. If I get a dog and name it "life," maybe I'll have one, huh?

|6.27.05 @ 5:19PM|#

Nothing wrong with taking a little pride in your work, Jennifer. Although I understand that work sucks, and I wish I were independently wealthy so I didn't have to get up every morning. Or if I could just telecommute. That'd be dope.

|6.27.05 @ 5:21PM|#

The question is whether the appearance of security serves to deter terrorists or only to falsely reassure passengers.

Neither. The fact that a 9/11-style attack won't work, because American passengers will no longer sit by and allow it to happen, deters terrorists. I don't think that even a bomb on an airplane is going to work as terrorism, and it'd be a pointless waste of resources to even try. The problem with government reactions is that they're always fighting the last war; we're trying to prevent 9/11, even though it's already happened. Why not try to predict what terrorists will do next, and prevent that? Probably too hard for politicians to stomach.

|6.27.05 @ 5:32PM|#

Christ, did I ever pick the worst possible time in American history to get a professional, travel-required job.

That's one of the reasons I left mine. I was so sick of the b.s. security at airports. You will get sick of it. But I don't hvae to put up with it anymore. Got me a nice stable engineering job at a power plant. No travel, except to drive to the corporate office if I have to.

|6.27.05 @ 5:49PM|#

DB-
My previous jobs were public-school teacher, and copyeditor for the military-industrial complex. The sad thing is that even with the BS security stuff, this is the best job I've ever had. For example, I'm being paid an obscene salary plus expenses to post on Hit and Run right now.

Of course, I may be less sanguine when I have to actually fly in a couple of days. And I really am nervous about flying as a lone woman. I have read far, far too many stories about TSA guys being completely perverted bullies in such situations, and I can't afford to not fly. I want to bring a camcorder with me to the airport, in case anybody is acting like a sleazeball but I suspect that will automatically catapult me onto the no-fly list.

|6.27.05 @ 7:31PM|#

Jennifer,

I fly single as much as possible. The only time I have had delays is when I've been carrying a laptop. They always want you to open it and turn it on. It doesn't help that I can pass for someone from the Middle East. But post 9/11 I have rarely had a problem with flying. Here are my tips for the day:
(1) Get yourself a passport. My GF always laughs at me because she thinks that a driver's license is adequate ID. But it seems to me that TSA takes me a little more seriously when I flash them my passport.
(2) Be as cheerful as possible. Let's face it, it must suck to work for TSA. If you show a good attitude, they're more likely to show it back.
(3) Take off your shoes and put them in the bin even if they don't ask you to.
(4) Just do whatever they do and follow it with a cheerful, "certainly". They'd much rather deal with someone who is friendly and complying.
(5) Take off all jewelry, keys, change in pockets, etc. and put them in your carry on. It will make it less likely that the metal detector will sound the alarm. This goes for metal belt buckles, too (shoes with buckles should already be in the bin, as mentioned above).
(6) I just flew from Boston last week and the lady behind me set off the detector. They had a female TSA staff wave the wand, etc. so you shouldn't worry about lewd men staring at your cleavage.
(7) Definitely get there early, and by all means bring something good to read, like Reason Mag!

Hope this helps!

|6.27.05 @ 8:26PM|#

Billboardsong,

Your friendly advice doesn't seem to account for the antisocial, misanthropic types that frequent Hit & Run.

Me, I just don't fly. Car, Train, bus, whatever else.

|6.27.05 @ 8:27PM|#

Thanks, Billboard. I have no choice but to bring my laptop with me, though; the whole point of my going to these things is to do on-the-spot rewrites of stuff whenever the clients deem it necessary. I've got the slip-on shoes, and I'm not wearing jewelry, and despite my personality I LOOK like a sweet and friendly type, so I'm hoping to slip through without too much difficulty. Although I'll probably still set off the metal detector because of my underwire undergarments.

I'm not worried about acting in a way that will make some TSA guy WANT to fuck with me; I'm worried about running into the type who's just looking for someone to fuck with, regardless of behavior.

Regarding the laptop, do you think it would help if I had it already turned on by the time I got in line? It takes something like five minutes to boot up.

|6.27.05 @ 9:11PM|#

Jennifer,

Regarding the laptop, I honestly can't remember. I actually flew a lot with laptop pre-9/11. If you carry a laptop looking bag (as I do, but nowadays sans laptop), they will ask: is there a laptop in there? They will most likely want to watch you turn it on, just to make sure it's really a laptop. They might even swab it with some non-liquid bomb-sensing stuff. Since it needs to go through the x-ray scanner, I don't know if turning it on beforehand will help. You might want to call the airline for more info on that.

Regarding the underwire garment, I wear those too and last 2 flights within the last month I didn't have a problem. Perhaps they don't make them with metal wires anymore, but with something else like kevlar.

I wouldn't be too worried about the TSA type who might have an inferiority complex. They are mostly concerned with getting as many people through as possible. And most of the time they are so bored out of their gourds that a smile and friendly attitude REALLY makes their day.

Good luck in your travels. Have fun. Let us know how it goes.

Jadagul|6.27.05 @ 10:11PM|#

Jennifer: I always fly with a laptop, and it's never caused any trouble. Just make sure you take it out of your bag and send it through the metal detector separately, in its own bin. If you do that, they can look inside it and tell it's a laptop...like I said, I've never had any trouble.

|6.28.05 @ 1:22AM|#

FWIW, I've only flown once with a laptop -- a couple months ago, between STL and Chicago. They didn't make me turn it on. I did take it out off its carrying bag and put it in one of those plastic trays and sent it through the X-ray machine by itself.

|6.28.05 @ 2:47AM|#

Anybody know why they require you to take a laptop out of its bag? X-rays aren't impeded by the bag...

Jadagul|6.28.05 @ 3:31AM|#

I think it makes it clearer to them what they're scanning. If you have a bag full of unidentifiable circuitry and a power source, it can look a little suspicious. I remember one time when I was younger, and my carryon had a roll of quarters and a battery charger in it...the x-ray showed up a box of circuitry (the battery charger) and a cylinder that was completely x-ray-opaque (the quarters). They had to open up the bag to see that it really was just a battery charger and a roll of quarters before they'd let me on.

|6.28.05 @ 11:12AM|#

I fly solo several times a month through many different airports and have never been groped by TSA employees nor have my undergarments, even my special-occasion undergarments, ever set off the metal detector. The security procedures are annoyingly inane, but that's not the fault of the people working the checkpoints. They mostly want to simply get people through.

|6.28.05 @ 12:51PM|#

I hope y'all are right. Maybe it's like corrupt cops--every day an innocent person is beaten or framed by a corrupt cop in this country, but with almost 300 million people here the chance of any one person being thus beaten or framed is pretty small. I hope.

|6.28.05 @ 1:41PM|#

I would not fret overmuch. You'll be fine.

|6.28.05 @ 1:59PM|#

Stevo-
History would suggest otherwise. But we'll see. I fly out tomorrow.

|6.29.05 @ 8:35AM|#

Has anybody told Rick Barton that a Reason writer and his family have visited Israel?