As a frequent air traveler and former media spokesman for a major U.S. airport, the death of a trespasser on the runway of the Denver International Airport continues the “security illusion” that continues to be pushed at airports and elsewhere.
The word “illusion” is in all due respect to the late,
great, Doug Henning, who was
branded as a famous “illusionist.”
How often do we go through airport security lines to see
some little old lady getting patted down or groped by airport security? People
in official-looking uniforms look at your ID and then sternly wave you to the
security scanners, while massive security holes are present.
With all the money spent on this supposed security, hundreds
of passengers on a recent Frontier Airlines flight leaving Denver had their takeoff
aborted when an intruder apparently got easily jumped over the airport fence and ran
onto the runway and threw themselves at the plane as it was taking off.
The intruder was homeless and had a long criminal history, at
least 17 arrests and sadly, died by suicide as he was sucked into an engine.
Just think, if a homeless person can easily hop a fence, imagine
if trained terrorists decided to do this?
While little old ladies were likely being patted down inside
the building, outside there’s not even a decent enough fence or high-tech
monitoring system to trigger an alert if someone is near an aircraft in
operation.
Fortunately, the impact happened just before the pilots were
going to pull up and go into the air. If there was an engine failure at
lift-off, the Denver plane could have crashed – much like the UPS MD-11 engine
failure earlier this year that exploded, killing 14 people and injuring 23
others.
The death toll could have easily been more than 200 for the
Denver runway incursion.
During my time as media relations officer at the
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, employees who had access to the airfield
received special training. The rule was simple: the red line around the
perimeter was called “the line of death” there was no passing it whatsoever.
That line was outside the runway and taxiways.
“Hope” is not a security strategy, nor is just giving an
illusion of security.
While working in Seattle, 3,000 uninvited guests came to the
airport because the elected political leaders who ran the airport thought it
would be a good idea to have a press conference at the airport to criticize
federal immigration policies (something local airports have no control over).
That security illusion included having fewer cops for the
entire airport than you can count on two hands for a Saturday. Officials had to
stop the light rail going to the airport because the protestors far outnumbered
the few cops there.
Protestors ended up shutting down TSA security checkpoints
and incoming travelers were stranded as exit gates were closed for hours. The January
2017 incident got dicey when those “guests” refused to leave at 2 a.m. and a
wave of police reinforcements had to pepper spray people.
Security illusions get even worse. In 2018 Seattle had an
airline worker
jump into a parked plane and take off! True, this actually happened. The airplane
thief could have crashed into a full stadium or other populated area.
Fortunately, he nose-dived into the Puget Sound and only killed himself.
Big death tolls should not get people to wake up – but the precedent
has long been set. In 1993, terrorists
tried to blow up New York’s World Trade Center. The buildings were targeted again in 2001 in
widespread attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in NYC, Washington, D.C. and
Pennsylvania.
Shocking but true in 2001, items like box cutters were
allowed as carry-on items. (That’s what the terrorists used to take over the
planes) Airplane cockpit doors weren’t fortified because airlines were too
cheap to protect their most important employees, despite numerous calls for
them to do this far before 9/11.
Right before 9/11, the illusions of security were alive and
strong – travelers went through checkpoints while there were gaping holes in
basic security procedures.
Outside of aviation, security illusions happen all the time.
President Donald Trump has had several attempts on his life, despite having a
whole brigade of armed guards.
As a TV news reporter, I’ve covered several presidential
events and had to submit my date of birth and social security number the day
before the event. At the event sites, media have to leave the event room, and
put their gear there hours before for a “security sweep.”
As this illusion happens, people still have gotten too close
for comfort, including Trump being shot from 150 yards away during a campaign
rally that killed one person.
Whether it’s protecting high-profile people or airports, these
recent security embarrassments need to be a call to action for everyone.
No little old ladies have ever hijacked an airplane and
hopefully won’t soon – so leave them alone.
Doug Henning’s successors should be the only ones practicing
illusions. These recent massive security fails require a serious look at fortifying
all aspects of targeted security and increasing technology ASAP.