Security Madness

Security Madness

The time is six in the morning. The sun is barely rising. There is already a line for airline tickets. People of all shapes and sizes wait in this curving line. Adults appear well groomed with pressed clothes and neat hair. There is a younger generation of people present in the line that look tired, hair messy and no make up. The sound of luggage hitting the metal surface reinforces the reality of departure. The El Paso Airport's security after 9/11 has changed and left people with longer lines to deal with and short time with loved ones but, at the same time, more security.

On September 11, 2001, when the planes crashed into the twin towers and flooded national television networks, I thought I was watching a movie. After 9/11, every airport security system has changed as a result of the disaster. One change in particular is the extensive search of luggage bags, and the random inspection of passengers' carry-on bags. For example, I was on my way to the Health Occupations Students of America National competition in Tennessee because I had won first in the state competition. As a contestant in the Practical Nursing competition, I carried various nursing supplies. Not wanting the supplies to get squished in the luggage department under the plane, I decided take them with me as a carry on. I was behind a tall man with brown glasses while I was waiting in line at the inspection station. He removed his shoes, his jacket and all his gadgets from his pockets and placed them in a gray bin. I copied him and placed my purse and my royal blue HOSA bag in a gray bin right beside his. As we inched closer, I saw the security officer attending my station and asked if I had to take off my shoes as well. The officer replied no, and added, unless you think they may have metal. Anxious, I passed through the door-like metal detector with ease. Needless to say, my bags did not. One of the security officers inspecting my bag said, "Ma'am, we have to search through your bags or else we cannot let you take them on board." He then ushered me to another table while I watched him take out nursing supplies from my HOSA bag. The contents included: sterile water, a tracheostomy kit (the kit is used to change the dressing on a patient with a tracheostomy to reduce the chances of infection), sterile gloves, a stethoscope..."Ah-Ha," he said as he picked up my sterile dressing change kit (the kit is used to change the dressing on a wound, which would most likely be a surgical wound). "This had shears inside," he said. "In order for you to take this on the plane we need to open the kit to see whether they are sharp or blunt shears," the officer added. When a package is "sterile," if opened, it loses its sterility. Looking at my watch, I panicked, thirty minutes until take off. The supervisor for the security department came to my station. "This is a sterile package," I explained, almost pleading. The supervisor then replied, "Since we allow Doctors to go on board with medical scissors, and you are part of the health care profession, I'll allow you to take them onboard as well." With my sterile supplies still intact, I headed to the waiting area to board my plane. I was proud to be part of the medical profession but discouraged at the time it took to explain my situation to the officials.

Inspections at airports are not limited to people's luggage and carry-on bags, but the passengers as well are subject to inspection. If you are given a boarding pass with "SSSS" on it, be advised, it stands for secondary search. I experienced this search first hand the other day while I was heading out of town on a trip. I had my day planned out to minute, and I even had printed out my boarding pass on the internet in advance to get a better seat on the plane. I was delighted to see a big "A" on my ticket, which meant I was one of the first to be seated on the plane. When I went to check my bags in, the teller gave me another ticket and said I was to pick up official boarding pass at the counter of the waiting area. I was a bit confused, but I went along with what the teller said. My bags were taken and I went to the inspection station. While in line, I glanced at my ticket, now there was a big "B" and next to it was "SSSS." I didn't think anything of it until the officer told me to step aside and yelled "WOMAN SECONDARY SEARCH." He motioned me to step inside a cubicle, just then a small and timid lady officer stepped inside. She explained the procedure to me and asked if I had any questions. The procedure was simple, she checked to see if I had any metal objects on me, then proceeded with a mandatory pat down. After the body search, she went to another table and searched my bags. I was relieved at how the lady officer handled the situation, she was the first nice security officer I had encountered. A couple of days later, after my trip, on my way back to El Paso, I went through yet another inspection station, this time; the security officers rudely told me it was mandatory that I remove my jacket and sandals. It was the same jacket I wore when I went through my inspection on the way to my trip. Annoyed I did as the security officer demanded. I honestly did not see the point of removing my small sweater with no metal and the sandals I was wearing. What would I be hiding that they could not possibly see? After the I passed through the metal detector, I hastily put my jacket and sandals on and gave the officers a dirty look. I knew they are just doing their job, but I was annoyed with the officer's attitude towards me.

The random inspections made on people's bags can make life difficult because of time constraints. It is not just the time passengers spend acquiring their boarding passes and the time at the inspections stations, it is also the task of boarding the plane itself. Often,