On the Airport Security Beat

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/05/insider/on-the-airport-security-beat.html

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Times Insider shares insights into how we work at The New York Times. In this piece, Ron Nixon, a Times Washington correspondent covering homeland security, describes what it’s like to spend so much time at airports that the T.S.A. screeners know him by name — before they check his I.D.

How safe are airports?

As a reporter covering the Department of Homeland Security, it’s a question I get a lot.

The recent bombings at airports in Brussels and Istanbul have understandably caused many who travel to worry that similar attacks could happen at United States airports.

It’s a concern that I share. I practically live at the airport.

I spend an average of a week or two each month in airports. In many places, the screeners know me by name. So does the lady who makes my coffee just the way I like it at Dunkin’ Donuts at Reagan National Airport in Washington — light cream and three Splendas.

There are no special perks. Just like the average passenger, I have spent more than my share of time rushing to the airport and fighting to get through long security lines. I’ve dealt with the frustration of trying to sign up for expedited screening programs like the Transportation Security Administration’s PreCheck. I went with Global Entry, which is run by Customs and Border Protection and includes PreCheck, because I had a nightmare experience when I tried to sign up for the T.S.A program.

Since starting on the beat last year, I have covered the various attempts by Homeland Security, particularly the T.S.A., to secure the nation’s airports.

I have spent time with the T.S.A’s Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response squads — VIPR teams for short — a SWAT-like group of law enforcement officers assigned to perform random security sweeps to prevent terrorist attacks at transportation hubs across the U.S.

I have traveled to San Antonio, Tex., to report on the T.S.A.’s bomb sniffing dog training center, where trainers try to keep the animals one step ahead of terrorist bomb-makers using common household chemicals to make sophisticated explosive devices for attacking airports and airplanes. There is nothing like spending a few days with puppies.

And I have written extensively on the T.S.A.’s struggles to use both its screeners and its technology to find dangerous explosives before they can be brought aboard a plane. On a personal note, I accidentally left a letter opener in my baggage that somehow made it through security for weeks at several airports before a screener finally spotted it. Oops.

Writing and reporting these stories has led me to believe that Homeland Security officials are doing their best to prevent a terrorist attack on airports and planes. And despite the public beating that T.S.A. screeners take, I’ve found them to be professional and dedicated to their jobs.

Yet for all these efforts, security experts I’ve interviewed over my time on the beat say airports continue to remain a target for terrorists. The reason, they say, is that most of the security efforts are aimed at preventing a terrorist from getting a bomb aboard an airline and launching a 9/11-style attack. Fewer efforts are aimed at protecting airports themselves.

This knowledge has made me a more conscious traveler, particularly at foreign airports. At many of the airports — which I won’t name — I’ve seen security that consisted of people sitting down and watching bags go through scanning machines. In a few cases, it didn’t appear that the monitors were even working.

I have been able to walk back through security without being scanned. In many of these places it’s hard to tell who is an airport worker and who is not. Dozens of people in plain clothes can be found handling bags or going into what should be secure areas. Rarely do I see any type of badge identifying them as airport employees. It’s frightening, and when I’ve raised the issue with security personnel many just give me that side eye. Another pushy American trying to tell them how to do their jobs.

I’ve found few places in the U.S. where the security is that lax. That doesn’t mean there aren’t problems, though. Just about anyone can enter the airport. And ticketing and baggage areas often lack the same level of security found near boarding gates. In a number of cases, I’ve seen people who just seem to be roaming baggage claim.

The long security lines are also concerning, and not just because I think I might miss my flight. It’s because the presence of large numbers of people standing in one place provides a target for a terrorist attack.

I’ve developed a habit of getting to the airport hours before my flights, even earlier than airline officials suggest, to avoid standing in crowds. I travel light so I can get through the lines quicker. And I use PreCheck: It’s worth the $100 for Global Entry to not have to take things out of your bags or wait in long security lines. (If only my employer would reimburse me for the expense.)

So after the countless hours spent in airports and reporting security issues, can I answer the question about how safe these facilities are?

No.

I can say that Homeland Security officials and the T.S.A., despite their problems, are trying their best to protect passengers and airports from terrorist attacks like those in Belgium and Turkey. Still, they can’t screen and scan everyone. And some measures that have been used in other countries — searching cars and passengers before they enter the airport and profiling travelers — would be impractical here.

In the end, it boils down to how much security we’re willing to accept before we feel it’s intruding on our rights as individuals.

Meanwhile, I’m headed to the airport.