The lameness of airport security in the USA - or security theater, as it should be called - is difficult to properly express. It will end when people consistently demand better - and not one second of useless inconvenience before.
Before I forget, and for future reference, here's a fine post about the contrasting way the Israelis do it. With far less inconvenience, and a better security record.
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Notice: No mention of racial selection. Get people who know how to read people.
One of the problems with American systems since Ford(in corporations/government etc) is that we like to believe that any job can be coordinated to the lowest common denominator. If we have enough screen checks/equipment, any idiot should be able to tell the difference between a bomb and a hair dryer.
There simply is no substitute for a well-paid, intelligent, experienced crew on security.
Of course, finding good people for all the major airports in the US would take some serious planning.
Giving security to the lowest denominator is like getting a discount boob job. Not a good idea.
Yes, though people can be filtered for aptitude, then trained. Quite a few potential applicants about, these days, and this is the sort of thing where a college degree doesn't mean very much (and may even hurt).
Meanwhile, you have to wonder how many retired cops who've been reading people for quite some time might want to make a few extra bucks for part-time work. Not to mention all those people that have been getting military interrogation training. Plan better still, and perhaps it becomes known as an entry-level career path for police detective work and the FBI.
The Israeli system won't work here. Not because of scalability, pay rates, or any of those sorts of reasons; but because "that guy seemed hinky" just isn't going to cut it as a defense against the inevitable claims of bias in the case of false positives.
Phil,
Depends how tired people get of being inconvenienced for nothing, and still feeling unprotected.
My recollection is that 25 minutes to the lounge is a little optimistic, but the Israeli security procedure doesn't have the overwhelming feeling of timewasting executed by clowns who couldn't get hired at any real police force that US security does.
On the other hand, the first question I was always asked in the non-Israeli queue (they were separate) was "Do you speak Hebrew?" and the second (when yes) was "Where did you learn it?" At this point my then-7 y.o. son said to the official, in perfect Hebrew, "We're Jews, can we go now?" and we were waved through on the spot. I can see this not carrying over so well to America.
Other than that, I agree with the linked article.
My recollection is that 25 minutes to the lounge is a little optimistic, but the Israeli security procedure doesn't have the overwhelming feeling of timewasting executed by clowns who couldn't get hired at any real police force that US security does.
On the other hand, the first question I was always asked in the non-Israeli queue (they were separate) was "Do you speak Hebrew?" and the second (when yes) was "Where did you learn it?" At this point my then-7 y.o. son said to the official, in perfect Hebrew, "We're Jews, can we go now?" and we were waved through on the spot. I can see this not carrying over so well to America.
Other than that, I agree with the linked article.