Amtrak spokesperson Cliff Cole would like to inform you that the company doesn’t conduct searches because there’s an actual threat. That would be silly! Instead they do it randomly, you know, just to make sure you’re paying attention.
It’s a delicate line that Amtrak has to walk between vigilance and privacy invasion. So delicate in fact that treating it with this kind of flippancy is entirely inappropriate. And certainly doesn’t make me feel any safer than I did an hour ago, before I read this quote. [Courier Post via The Agitator]
Dean
Saturday, September 11, 2010 at 1:25 PMIf I was a terrorist, I would be planning Amtrack as my next target because:
1. I have as much chance of being searched as any other passenger. There may even be a degree of predictability to their ‘randomness’ that I can exploit to lower the odds of being selected.
2. If another passenger is searched then the chances that I will be searched are reduced because the searches are evenly spread not completely random.
3. Because the searches are random, I don’t have to be excessively concerned about trying to not attract attention to myself as other factors are used to select those to be searched.
4. Because the searchers are used to having negative results, it is easier to bluff my way out of suspicious results. I can expect to get the benefit of the doubt.
A case of security theatre actually making us less secure.
Bernhard de Kok
Saturday, September 11, 2010 at 4:49 PMWhat’s to stop anyone from imitating an Amtrak Security personnel?
Anyone could come up to you and claim they’re security and go through your possessions. I have no idea what a valid ID would look like to prove a real Amtrak security person. I wonder how many people could identify a valid ID.
Hmm is it me or does the US have toooo many levels of security, police, special agents etc…. They currently seem worse than the worst stories we’ve heard about cold war USSR. No citizens have rights or can deny search and siezure.
bob
Sunday, September 12, 2010 at 5:48 AMAmtrak security are actually police officers with badges, guns, and trained K-9 dogs, so they look and are trained like any other police officer. And to think we should have everyone searched on airplanes but ignore the passenger rail system when all the recent attacks around the world since 9/11 have been on passenger rail seems naive. I constantly ride Amtrak and have not found the police presence intrusive and frankly was glad to see it go from almost zero to where it is now.
Bernhard de Kok
Sunday, September 12, 2010 at 11:33 AMFair enough.
I’m not from the US, and you’re probably a local. That you are happy and comfortable with the situation is the best outcome.
I’m not as paranoid and live in a country that doesn’t have a history of screwing with other countries politics, so I don’t feel targetted, and I would find that level of security overbearing.