Arresting People for Walking Away from Airport Security

A proposed law in Albany, NY, would make it a crime to walk away from airport screening.

Aside from wondering why county lawmakers are getting involved with what should be national policy, you have to ask: what are these people thinking?

They’re thinking in stories, of course. They have a movie plot in their heads, and they are imaging how this measure solves it.

The law is intended to cover what Apple described as a soft spot in the current system that allows passengers to walk away without boarding their flights if security staff flags them for additional scrutiny. That could include would-be terrorists probing for weaknesses, Apple said, adding that his deputies currently have no legal grounds to question such a person.

Does anyone have any idea what stories these people have in their heads? What sorts of security weaknesses are exposed by walking up to airport security and then walking away?

Posted on May 31, 2016 at 6:35 AM • 84 Comments