Airport Security - pre 9/11

[winston churchi]

I want to send this question out to see if anyone knows the answer. Pre 9/11 Argenbright was the company that handled most airports security...can anyone guess who owned this company? When Argenbright was taken over, it was by another company temporarily untill the government had everything organized...but this second company only rehired all the original employees of Argenbright. If you traveled, you will recall most of the staff did not or even attempt to speak English.


So now I want to share a good story - the only one involving this company and a non English speaking security personal.


One fine day I was monitoring this one airline and happened upon the security personal who turned to me and began ranting and raving about something. There was a bag inside the xray and I gathered something was up with it. Following rules, the police were called and the customer who owned the bag. The customer swore up and down nothing was inside his bag that should not be but his bag was opened anyway (of course). Inside was a dismantled shot gun and bullets. The man said he had forgotten he had packed it and reguardless, was arrested. His final destination was London.

This same security person saw me passing in a vehical - again this under the checkin area where the xray was - I stopped and he pointed to the bag in the xray frantically. It looked like a gun-could be a toy-has happened before-many times- the police were called and the same routine. It was a fully loaded pistol. The man was headed to Iran via another country.

This security officer was an Iranian and he had pinpointed many oddities in bags that were discovered illegal including a bag full of money that he felt - from his facial expressions as he spoke almost no English - something looked odd about the contents.

Having said that - he was the only one I saw that I felt was any good at what he did. As for the rest, I could have walked through with a machine gun on my back and never asked a word.

I do not know how the airport security is now. I am out of the airport business altogether and have stayed away.

 

[winston churchi]

What I forgot to ask you - and this I have always thought odd at the time -was who contracted Argenbright at the airports?

I was recalling this other situation which occured more often than not - and perhaps mentioning it will set off steam in some of you.

One woman who spoke no English, only arabic was in charge of monitoring a particular airplane while gated. She was to ensure that anyone entering the plane have proper creditentials and reason for being there - such as caterers, cleaners ect. I recieved a complaint that she wasn't there and when investigated it had turned out she had take time out to pray. She had deserted her post and had found refuge in the rear of the craft to pray. While praying, the caterers had come on board and noticed no one was at the door and thus filed a complaint.
She did not loose her job. She was back at her post the following day only this time she had to somehow communicate with the airline staff when it was time for her to pray. The airline staff would then take her position over at the aircraft gate while she took refuge to pray.

One airport security agent was also in charge of monitoring the aircraft door at the gate. When I stepped on board she was no where to be seen. I had managed to walk all over the aircraft without anyone knowing I was there....a scary thing if I had been a terrorist....the employee was sitting in the first class cabin eathing the left over food from the inbound fight. She had not had lunch was the explanation. She was released from her duty.