Home land security ?

[cdiver2]

Monday evening I go to pick my wife up at Tampa airport, on arriving at the arrivals/baggage claim area I find the place is packed a real zoo.
The terminal is on my right and the first two lanes on the road are waiting lanes the next two are thruway only and the fifth emergency vehicles only. I manage to find a spot second lane out to wait. Cars come and go when BMW with a young girl (20s) pulls in beside me in the first lane. Out she gets with the four way flashers going, she stands by the car smokes about 1/4 of a cigarette then walks off down the sidewalk and out of view into the crowed. After a couple of minuets of looking for the girl and nervous glances at the car I call a cop over and point out the car with no driver. After the cop shouts three times very loudly "white BMW going to get a ticket she comes running back like a greyhound....no ticket.
I also found it amazing that no one else even gave the car a second thought and there must have been at least a dozen people watch her leave the car. What is it going to take to make people a little more security conscious?

 

[BigJetDriver]

Monday evening I go to pick my wife up at Tampa airport, on arriving at the arrivals/baggage claim area I find the place is packed a real zoo.
The terminal is on my right and the first two lanes on the road are waiting lanes the next two are thruway only and the fifth emergency vehicles only. I manage to find a spot second lane out to wait. Cars come and go when BMW with a young girl (20s) pulls in beside me in the first lane. Out she gets with the four way flashers going, she stands by the car smokes about 1/4 of a cigarette then walks off down the sidewalk and out of view into the crowed. After a couple of minuets of looking for the girl and nervous glances at the car I call a cop over and point out the car with no driver. After the cop shouts three times very loudly "white BMW going to get a ticket she comes running back like a greyhound....no ticket.
I also found it amazing that no one else even gave the car a second thought and there must have been at least a dozen people watch her leave the car. What is it going to take to make people a little more security conscious?

You have a good point! This is why terrorists find their work so easy! :11:

 

[simbrooks]

In the UK they have become concious of this around important buildings etc since the mid-80's - but those terrorist attacks have been going on a lot longer. Usually there is a person walking up and down the lanes whistling at you and telling you to move if you so much as go below 1mph and there isnt someone getting in your car - at least that is Orlando. Its scary that people go through life without looking around them or noticing these little things that could be a problem.

 

[MSilvia]

What get me is that things like this go on all the time while so much money is being spent on stupid things like making sure I don't have a swiss army knife in my pocket when I go to a Bruins game... as if I'm going to terrorize a stadium with a corkscrew.

 

[bwerb]

Bingo Matt,

What I can't figure out is why the "stupid stuff" we all know is complete crap is allowed...ie...the Swiss Army knife thing...or even better the "nail clippers" as a WMD...while we non-chalantly let cars without drivers idle as stated above.

Wake-up folks...the government is lying to you and pulling the biggest mis-direct in history while we gladly hand over our hard fought for rights for the "sake of the greater good".

 

[MSilvia]

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for tightening up security in sensible and meaningful ways, but trying to tighten up security in stupid and useless ways just irritates me. Especially when I know I'm being charged extra for it and sensible precautions don't seem to be implimented.

 

[hecker-the-wrecker]

Another scary story, last week I took one of our big tow trucks down to a local military base to pick up a full size bus. I had no paperwork with me.(regarding bus) I drove thru the front gate and was told to "just go find the bus" I did not show any i.d, then proceeded to drive around the base for about an hour until i found the bus. It was in a restricted area, I drove right in, someone asked what i was doing, then they gave me keys for the bus. Then I hooked up to the bus and left.No one even asked my name!!!

 

[cdiver2]

This was not the first time I have see a serious security breach and done something about it.
Dallas airport eating, in a cafeteria style place in between flights. A guy a couple of tables away with a large carry-on bag on the seat next to him and the chair is pushed under the table, a few minuets later he go's to the counter and looks at the menu's on the wall for about a minuet then walks out onto the main concourse. I'm up in a flash and go out to see if I can see where he is going and just about bump into him as he walks back in and sits down.

London Heathrow, sitting at the departure gate about an hour away from my flight to NY when a guy walks up puts a carry-on case under the seat and sits down. Within five minuets he gets up and walks back dow the concourse and out of sight, I inform the lady at the gate she immediately picks up the phone within a minuet there are police and bomb squad there while they are looking under the chair the guy comes running down the concourse. He got a very severe talking to in public.

I see in every airport people shopping and leaving carry-on bags with wheels out side while they shop

MSilva & bwerb you are right security/TSA is a joke terrorist can work around a known security obstacle what is hard to work around is a vigilant public.

I don't know if its just me thats over sensitive after working security in Northern Ireland for eight years but I would rather have a hundred false alarms than not do anything about it.

 

[bwerb]

The problem is Matt, that as a society, we more or less sit back and nod our heads in agreement with the security measures which we all know are totally bogus. We don't do nearly enough to shout from the rooftops "taking away a 90 year old's nail clippers isn't going to stop terrorism"...however..."stopping cars from being abandoned in front of airports might be a good idea."

It's the lowest common denominator thing. We sit by and accept totally meaningless "security" measures while ignoring or passing by on the measures which just might do some good...and it goes for more than just Homeland security.

(Local news story from my area...serial sadistic rapist is released from prison...he was held for the entire duration of his sentance...which is a miracle in itself...he is labeled by police and officials as more or less a guaranteed risk to re-offend...he WILL do it again. He showed NO remorse, took no councelling etc. The police do not let the community know that he has just moved in...it might violate his "rights".)

We also still have people alive and well living in Canada who were deported years ago...because although they were deported...no one actually forced them to leave!

The problem is that we've allowed common sense to be tossed into the wind.

 

[wapyaly]

In the UK they have become concious of this around important buildings etc since the mid-80's - but those terrorist attacks have been going on a lot longer.
I was in London Oxford street yesterday. Concrete blocks around buildings and armed Police everywhere. Yes we have lived with terrorists much longer than the US, but we all have to step up to the line and take responsibilty for our own, and our neighbours security. Yes there is no doubt that the security checks at high profile gatherings of large groups of people and at the airport are annoying and irritating, but where do you draw the line? Security must be stringent and robust and straight down the line with no deviation. In the UK we have to arrive 3 hours early at the airport in order to check in and get through the security checks. Personally I have now accepted that this is the way things are and I just have to 'go with it'. My hat is off to anyone who challenges or brings attention to a potential problem, but there are always going to be people (girl leaving her bmw) who are never going to get 'it' and deserve to get a good telling off and words of advise for their stupidity. Terrorists walk amoungst us like everyday citizen's, we all have to be more vigilant and be supported and encouraged to take responsibilty and bring any suspiscious incident to the attention of the authorities. Education is the key. We cannot change the uncomfortable times we live in, but we all have to do our bit to make it a safer place for everyone.