I passed through three security checkpoints on this trip. I was fortunate enough to be ‘randomly’ selected for a security screening.
I was passing through the metal detector and made it through safely without any notice from the machine.
The security person yelled, “Security check, no alarm,” and I was directed to a separate line. Then I had the privilege of being asked – “Do you want a private screening?”
Not me. Right out in public. That how I like to be searched.
After my check, I asked another security personnel – “So, how are the security check, no alarms determined?”
“Oh, those are random,” she quickly replied.
I thought I was talking to myself, but I guess I said out loud, “That’s interesting because this is the second time this trip that I’ve been checked.”
Without missing a beat, she replied, “Well, that’s because of your pants – too many pockets.”
“Well, that wouldn’t make it random, would it?” I replied.
Silence.
How Effective Can Random Security Screening Be?
When I was going through security at LAX, I noticed that about 1 in 20-25 passengers were randomly selected. I wonder what percentage of the population actually has any evil intentions. Small. Could we say one in a million. So, by selecting about 4% of traveling public, is there a good chance we are going to find that 1 in a million?
Perhaps the security is there to make us feel better.
Perhaps doing something is better than doing nothing.
Either way, I’m not going to believe that random checking is random.
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