The 'Israelification' of airports: High security, little bother

[RichieLion]

This article is to bolster my comments on another thread when I was asked, in response to my tirades against the TSA security procedures, "What alternate plan can you give", and I suggested the Israeli model.

The reporter talks with Rafi Sela, who is the president of AR Challenges, a global transportation security consultancy. He's worked with the RCMP, the US Navy Seals and airports around the world.

He thinks our methods of security are "mindboggling". The Israeli system protects life and limb without annoying you to death.

Security in Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport as not been breached since 2002, when a passenger carried a handgun onto a flight in error.

How do they do this without taking naked pictures of the passengers or groping their genitals?

In our country, somehow it's more "politically correct" to grope the genitals of your children than it is to "profile" the prospective fliers.

Read this fine article if you'd like to know how airport security should work.


http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/744199---israelification-high-security-little-bother

[collie1228]

RichieLion, I'm 100% with you on this one. Right at this minute I'm at the Admiral's Club at Tokyo's Narita Airport waiting for a flight home from a business trip. Unfortunately, what you notice here in Japan, and in Taiwan and Korea, is that these Asian countries seem to always follow the US model. When the US decided to ban liquids (ridiculous in my opinion), the Asian countries I travel to all did the same the very next day! Many times I have experienced the Israeli method of screening passengers, and it's quite interesting. Yes, they definitely profile terrorists. It's ridiculous to think that the TSA can "protect" us without profiling terrorists. Every passenger getting on an Israeli airplane goes through an interview, sometime more than one, with a no-nonsense, professional interviewer who asks very direct questions (politely, but directly) which require you answer directly. The eye contact is scary, actually. It feels intrusive, but there are no personal questions that I can remember. Mostly questions concerning what do you do, where have you been, where are you going, are you nervous, etc. You would have to be well trained to get by those guys. I really wish the US would pay attention to the Israelis on this, but due to the "profiling issue" our government is afraid. I think political correctness will cost US lives in the long run, and I'm not happy about it. That's it for me - any more comments and we'll get sent to Political!

[jebartle]

It is my understanding that there is NO profiling because EVERYONE is asked the same question in Israel security, correct me if I'm wrong...

[bmarlo767]

I agree! I am a retired airline pilot and once had an Israeli security officer explain that The US looks for wepons and we look for Terrorists

[bmarlo767]

There are several layers of security, Some are picked for more, some get less.
They DO profile.

[jblum8156]

Sorry, it's not profiling to body search grandmothers and small children. It's just a waste of time and money.

[Ajack]

Profiling is a legitimate and effective method of screening. I agree with previous poster that political correctness will destroy USA.

[JenAjd]

I've not yet traveled to Israel...BUT having said that, have read (and heard) their security system is "state of the art" and very effective. I concur that the U.S. could/should take some pointers from them.

My question here is "wonder 'IF' the U.S. Government will have a re-do of how they're doing things at the airports??

[Ajack]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_mJdxtnpTQ&feature=player_embedded#!

[RichieLion]

It is my understanding that there is NO profiling because EVERYONE is asked the same question in Israel security, correct me if I'm wrong...

Don't think of profiling as merely a country of origin or racial thing; it is also a profiling of actions and reactions and behaviors.

[villages07]

I have also heard and read that the Israeli system is better. Other than "profiling" concerns, the main reason I've read that it would not be workable here is the sheer number of flights and passengers we have compared to Israel. It would bring gridlock to our passenger terminals.

[billethkid]

"...The US looks for weapons and we look for Terrorists..."

btk

[bmarlo767]

Sorry, it's not profiling to body search grandmothers and small children. It's just a waste of time and money.

The US does not profile, The post was about Israel's security system

[Talk Host]

Sorry, it's not profiling to body search grandmothers and small children. It's just a waste of time and money.

Do you think that terrorist groups WOULD NOT use grandmothers and children to transport bombs into airports? I personally think they would. Specially if they knew that grandmothers and children were not screened.

[RichieLion]

Do you think that terrorist groups WOULD NOT use grandmothers and children to transport bombs into airports? I personally think they would. Specially if they knew that grandmothers and children were not screened.

If you were right, and profiling techniques would not detect "grandmothers and children", how do you explain the lack of "grandmother and children" bombers at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv?

People are hung up on racial stereotypes when profiling is discussed. It is also country of origin, flying status, behavior, actions, reactions, eye contact and their air of suspiciousness that get you more scrutiny in Israel.

This has to be analyzed with a clear head and an open mind. The machines we have are already obsolete to the future of terrorism with bombs inserted in body cavities and surgically implanted.

There is no other way than to use intelligent profiling to detect the threat. It's not perfect, but then nothing is.

[red tail]

back before the tsa, airline passenger screening was under the auspices of the faa. there were then and there are now certain profiles used in the screening of passengers. these profiles are for obvious reasons on a need to know. these profiles do not include anything racial. they do include many of the same things mentioned in the isreali article. so rest assured there is much more involved in our security at the airport than what you read in the media. im retired from a major airline and spent 40 years very involved in this area.

[Don H]

The Israeli system is an effective one but I don't think it would "scale up" well in the U.S. market. I think this market is just too huge for such a system to work. Not that I agree with the way we're doing it now....

[RichieLion]

The Israeli system is an effective one but I don't think it would "scale up" well in the U.S. market. I think this market is just too huge for such a system to work. Not that I agree with the way we're doing it now....

I keep hearing the refrain "it won't work here", and I don't believe it. You are being checked in now, one by one, as you enter the airport and go through security. It can be done, if we would only train the personnel.

[Don H]

But you would have to replace all of those tsa drones with a highly qualified, motivated and train staff....with brains. And..you'd have to hire a huge number of them.

[Jim007]

Don't think of profiling as merely a country of origin or racial thing; it is also a profiling of actions and reactions and behaviors.

RichieLion, you are 100 percent correct. We could indeed profile terrorists without profiling ones cultural or religious affiliation. There is one big problem, as I see it, when we talk about the Israeli security system. They only have to secure one major airport (Tel Aviv), and maybe a half a dozen minor airports. We have hundreds of airports across this country of ours. Also the Israeli officer that is interrogating the passenger is highly trained in the art and science of profiling individuals. How much of a tax increase would we be willing to pay for the additional training, it would take to place these highly trained interrogators in our airports?

[RichieLion]

RichieLion, you are 100 percent correct. We could indeed profile terrorists without profiling ones cultural or religious affiliation. There is one big problem, as I see it, when we talk about the Israeli security system. They only have to secure one major airport (Tel Aviv), and maybe a half a dozen minor airports. We have hundreds of airports across this country of ours. Also the Israeli officer that is interrogating the passenger is highly trained in the art and science of profiling individuals. How much of a tax increase would we be willing to pay for the additional training, it would take to place these highly trained interrogators in our airports?

That is a good question; but these imaging machine costs millions of dollars and have to be serviced; and we're also paying a TSA staff of 50,000, or so, who make good salaries and benefits and will soon be union employees with even bigger perks. I don't think we'd need more personnel, just better trained personnel.

[billethkid]

related travel...the terrorists are focused where?

Just think for a moment of all the other means available to them in the so many vulnerable aspects of our open life style here in America.

My fear is while we are so intensely focused on airline security there may be less scrutiny in and around other vulnerable venues.

Profiling is a definite legitimate means to an end. To not profile to satisfy any notion of political correctness is just outright stupid!!.

btk

[K9-Lovers]

http://i1018.photobucket.com/albums/af306/doggiewood/PatDown.jpg

[Yoda]

Once they get a union, we'll never be safe. Just think of everything that is government run and unionized. Many do not do well what they are paid to do.

Yoda