"Airports see biggest changes since attacks"

Friday, September 8, 2006

Airports see biggest changes since attacks
Security still an issue 5 years later
BY KIMBERLY C. MOORE 
FLORIDA TODAY 


MELBOURNE - Snapshots of America in the past five years include burning
towers, snaking lines of shoeless passengers at airport security
checkpoints, a rainbow of threat levels and now airline passengers losing
their shampoos, lipsticks and bottles of Evian.

>From emergency management issues to national security, some people say new
measures, especially at airports, since Sept. 11, 2001, haven't gone far
enough. Others lament the hassle and occasional loss of civil rights,
including having phones tapped without warrants, but many say they
understand.

Airports are the most obvious places where security has changed
overwhelmingly since 19 terrorists flew jumbo jets into the World Trade
Center Towers and the Pentagon. A fourth plane crashed into a Pennsylvania
field after passengers stormed the cockpit door on the day that broke
Americans' hearts.

But heartbreak has given way to resolve, and most people have come to accept
inconvenience.

"I think we're better off," said Kevin Killea of Melbourne as he waited at
Melbourne International Airport for a flight to Atlantic City, N.J. He is
employed by Raytheon and worked in 2005 at Baghdad International Airport,
installing radar equipment. He also spent 20 years in the military,
including stints in Europe.

"They've been doing for years what we're doing now," said Killea, pointing
out that armed military personnel at airports, along with lengthy baggage
checks, are commonplace in other parts of the world. For instance,
passengers flying into and out of Israel undergo in-depth questioning before
they're allowed to board.

Killea sat in a nearly empty airport waiting area, watching Fox News
commentators discuss the war on terror. He said he supports President Bush.

"I get kind of irritated by liberals who say, 'We shouldn't be (in Iraq),
pull them all out,' " he said, noting that his son and daughter-in-law are
about to deploy as Army Military Police for a second tour of Iraq beginning
in October. "Then what are you going to have?"

Security measures

Betty Dow, 74, waited in a wheelchair at Orlando International Airport with
her husband, Albert, looking for their neighbor to arrive on an incoming
flight.

"It's hard for a handicapped person to take their shoes off if they're
alone," said Dow, who suffers from nerve damage in her feet and legs from
years as a ballerina. She also had a stroke last year.

Dow said she travels back and forth to Medford, Mass., several times a year
to visit her grandchildren, enduring more than the average passenger.

"The first thing they want to know is, 'Can you get up and walk?' and if you
can't, they're all over you with their wands and hands," she said. "But
after all my complaining, I still think it's the best thing to do to make it
safe."

Dow said she thinks airlines should cut down on the number of carry-on bags
people are allowed. She watched as tourists lugged large shopping bags
filled with stuffed Mickey Mouse dolls, carry-on suitcases, laptop computers
and purses. She said checked luggage should also be inspected.

"There could be something hidden in there," she said. "I don't want the
luggage compartment blowing up."

Dow and her husband have been married for 54 years, have four daughters,
eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild. They were in elementary school
during World War II and met at a Valentine's Day dance in high school. They
said today's worries are greater than during World War II and the Cold War.

"During the war, it was all somewhere else," Dow said. "We knew who the
enemy was, and now we don't know who they are or where they are. But you
still have to live your life -- you can't worry about it every day."

Julia Passmore and Beatrice Seaward waited to check into a Delta Airlines
flight in Orlando to Seattle, where both work for Boeing. They had taken a
cruise out of Port Canaveral to the Caribbean onboard the Carnival Glory.

"Sometimes they profile and I don't think that's right," said Passmore, 41.
"If you're going to profile, do it based on where you're from, not how you
look."

Seaward, 37, said profiling passengers is wrong.

"You treat everyone as if they're the same when we're all different with
different backgrounds and levels of education," Seaward said.

She said profiling didn't catch Richard Reid, convicted of smuggling a bomb
inside his tennis shoes onboard a transatlantic flight in December 2001. He
was sentenced to life in prison.

Marcia Davis and her family were waiting in Orlando to check in for a Delta
flight. They'd been on a cruise onboard the Carnival Fantasy out of Port
Canaveral to celebrate her 52nd birthday. She said she hasn't noticed much
difference. Lines were long before Sept. 11, she said.

She added, though, that she got pulled out of line on her flight to the
cruise ship.

"I had on pants that had a little metal thing," she said, indicating the
side of her pants. "They put you in a little space away from everybody and
wait for a female security officer to come and scan me. They were efficient
and professional about it."

More awareness

Airports aren't the only places where changes have occurred. Brevard County
Emergency Management Director Bob Lay said security is paramount among
average citizens and powerful politicians alike. His office has seen an
increase in its budget, which has risen from more than $500,000 in 2002 to a
proposed $1 million today. In addition, Lay said policies have changed for
the better.

"As a result of Sept. 11, 2001, and the declaration of war on terrorism,
security awareness has increased considerably," Lay said.

He cited changes including:

   Collaboration among law enforcement agencies.

   Increased budgets.

   Standardized incident management nationwide.

   Increased planning.

There have also been plenty of changes at Port Canaveral, home to cruise
ships and gambling boats. Port Security spokeswoman Rosalind Postell Harvey
said the port's security budget has increased significantly, from about $1
million in 2001 to $6.2 million this year.

In addition, she said people who apply for jobs at the port undergo a
federal background check and employees must undergo security training. They
have also ratcheted up security at cruise ship terminals and cargo areas.
"Pre-9-11, they were open and now they're totally restricted," she said.

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