Case Study: Changes in Airport Security and its Impact on Drug Enforcement Before the attacks on September 11th, the government did not establish a coherent set of security guidelines for each airport. Instead, each airline had the responsibility of hiring an airport-security provider. Unfortunately due to capitalistic motives, the airlines did not have the security of their employees or passengers in mind at the time. As a result, many airlines hired the airport-security provider that offered them the most affordable deal, allowing the airlines to save money and gather more profits. However, these affordable deals resulted in insufficient security procedures and protection. The primary reason for this is that the workers hired to be in charge …show more content…
For instance, the government has introduced full body AIT scanners at major airports to provide more protection. This scanner provides “anatomically detailed pictures of each passenger’s body”, allowing this device to be quite effective in detecting any harmful or illegal objects.10 Airports have began using this device has the primary method for screening their passenger, while using pat-downs as a secondary screening method. These new regulations and procedures have proven to be successful in ensuring people’s safety, thus far. According to official statements, the number of knives and similar harmful weapons apprehended by airport security has tripled after 9/11.11 Therefore, the stricter and more homogenous regulations involving airport security have raised the level of protection in airports, especially due to changes in the workers hired and the technologies that are being …show more content…
The United States General Accounting in 1996 provides specific details on technologies that were used by customs and airport officials, and also discusses different devices to search passengers and baggage. One device that searches passengers is the millimeter dielectric portal that produces an image of the human body to reveal drugs.12 In addition, the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration has authorized and trained agents to survey passengers. They file and detect possible narcotics by examining and searching people based on a profile of a drug smuggler, which is a list of characteristics that are common amongst drug dealers. The agents use this profile to find and search potential drug traffickers, under the clause of probable cause.13 However, in airports today, there are now over twenty levels of security in airports to ensure the safety of its passengers. This includes behavior detection, pat downs, x-ray scanners, puff portals, etc. These are all methods that the TSA uses to detect and find narcotics. Puff portals provide very precise detection since they can analyze little bits of drugs that can be on the clothing of
“In 2001, airline security was minimal and was the responsibility of the airline. Passengers were asked a few questions by ticket agents before they passed through checkpoints with metal detectors that were calibrated to sound an alarm for anything larger than a small caliber handgun. If an alarm did sound, security at the checkpoint would use a hand wand to scan the passenger again to determine what had set off the alarm. Bags were simply passed through an x-ray machine.... ...
This paper describes our nation and the worlds mindset about airline terrorism before 9/11 and airline terrorism today. This remains a very real and deadly subject even though we don’t have as many incidents occurring at this moment in time. Still the potential for countless lives being lost in an aircraft accident from the actions of a terrorist or terrorist organization is still very real and innocent families across this nation and abroad remain the targets. Additionally, it will show that the security measures in place at airports prior to 9/11 were far less adequate, than today, and personnel responsible for airport security at the gates and throughout were either poorly trained or not trained at all when it came to hijackers and terrorist. This paper will also identify the extensive security measures, rules and training that have been put into place, which helped to curtail acts of terrorism onboard airliners.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, four airplanes were hijacked and two of them, brought the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York City. As a result of these attacks on the United States, airports have come to the realization that the only way to prevent another hijacking is by strengthening the security on aircrafts through the cockpit. In order to secure the cockpit and ensure the safety of the passengers on board, guns were introduced as a possible solution in the event of an emergency situation like those that took place in September of 2001.
As the demand for drugs in the United States has risen, the amount of drug–trafficking cartels in the US has increased proportionally. Each cartel, or a group of people that controls the production and distribution of drugs and other illegal substances, is trying to gain their own place in the multi-billion dollar black market. Violence is used to gain and maintain trafficking routes and ports into the United States. This makes the 2,000+ mile border between the United States and Mexico a warzone for cartels fighting against each other and against law enforcement. Cartels use immigrants wanting to enter the US, as mules to carry over drugs as they enter the US’s.
Drug trafficking has been a massive concern between the borders of Mexico and the U.S. “since mid 1970s” (Wyler, 1). Drug trafficking is “knowingly being in possession, manufacturing, selling, purchasing, or delivering an illegal, controlled substance” (LaMance, 1). A dynamic relationship exists amongst Columbia, Mexico, and the U.S. the informal drug trafficking economy. This growing informal drug economy leads to many individuals creating a substantial living through this undercover market. These individual drug cartels monopolizing the trafficking market are a growing problem for the U.S economy and need to be located and controlled. If this trafficking continues, the U.S. informal economy will crush the growth of legal industries. The trafficking and abuse of drugs in the U.S. affects nearly all aspects of consumer life. Drug trafficking remains a growing issue and concern to the U.S. government. The U.S. border control must find a way to work with Mexico to overpower the individuals who contribute to the drug trafficking business. This market must be seized and these individuals must be stopped.
. “The illegal drug market in the United States is one of the most profitable in the world. As such, it attracts the most ruthless, sophisticated, and aggressive drug traffickers.” Throughout the years drug trafficking has been a major issue in America. These issues have impacted our economy, security, which promote new laws and policies throughout the U.S. and among our boarders. Drug Trafficking has created conflict with other countries such as Mexico. “…criminal groups operating from neighboring Mexico smuggle cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, amphetamine, and marijuana into the United States. These criminal groups have smuggled heroin and marijuana across the Southwest Border and distributed them throughout the United States since the 1970s.” (Policy Almanac).
Hosted by the DEA Museum & Visitors Center, ‘Target America: Traffickers, Terrorists and Your Kids’ brought together government officials with the private-sector experts in an effort to educate the American public about what DEA Administrator Asa Hutchingson called the ‘extraordinary link between drugs and terrorism.’ The symposium was part of an effort by the Association of Former federal Narcotics Agents (AFFNA) to develop a museum exhibit and educational program that will explore this theme.
...es all resulted in failure. The government's failure to suppress drug trade at the international level is due to two reasons: the international drug trade was far too complex and resilient for law enforcement to deal with and and the national security operations in the “drug source countries”, primarily during the Cold War, had seriously undermined the “U.S. Interdiction effort.”18
Over the last decade, Southwest border violence has elevated into a national security concern. Much of the violence appears to stem from the competing growth and distribution networks that many powerful Mexican drug cartels exercise today. The unfortunate byproduct of this criminality reaches many citizens of the Mexican border communities in the form of indiscriminate street gang shootings, stabbings, and hangings which equated to approximately 6,500 deaths in 2009 alone (AllGov, 2012). That same danger which now extends across the border regions of New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and California has the potential for alarming escalation. Yet, despite the violence, evermore-brazen behavior continues to grow, as does America’s appetite for drugs. Even though drug-related violence mandates that law enforcement agencies focus on supply reduction, the Office of National Drug Control Policy should shift its present policy formulation efforts to only drug demand reduction because treatment and prevention efforts are inadequate and strategy has evolved little over the last three decades.
Methods include: Explosive Trace Detection (ETD) of passenger’s hands and property, Bottle Liquid Scanner (BLS) for all oversize liquids that meet exemption requirements such as medicines, X-ray technology to screen for organic and inorganic masses in luggage that could be part of an IED or other components such as an initiator, Advanced Imagery Technology (AIT) body scanners to search for hidden prohibited items under a passenger’s clothing. Millimeter waves produce anomaly images on the AIT equipment for TSA officers to perform screening measures on, Walk Through Metal Detectors (WTMDs) search for prohibited metal objects like guns and knives, and Biometrics to confirm fingerprints for international
According to Drugs, Society, and Criminal Justice, "drug courier profile" served as a tool to assist drug-law enforcement agents in identifying potential drug smugglers (Levinthal, 2012). There are several factors that solidify a drug-law enforcement agents' determination for this particular theory such as the individual is traveling solo and coming from an identified source country, the individual has an unusual itinerary and carries a minimal amount of luggage, the purchased flight ticket was paid with cash, the individual appears nervous and avoids any types of questions, and/or the individual gives contradicting answers to questions they are asked (Levinthal, 2012). "In the United States v. Sokolow (1989), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that drug courier profiles at airports could be used as a legitimate law enforcement tool, the Fourth Amendment to the U.S.
"National Drug Threat Assessment Summary." Welcome to the United States Department of Justice. U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. .
Does the thought of going through airport security make you want to jump off a bridge? Some people may think that security in airports is either too strict, or it is not enforced enough. Airport security has certainly developed over time, both in terms of more technology, and in terms of increased security. It has had a lot of reasons to step up, both with terrorist attacks, and with other incidents, such as the way that explosive technology has evolved. The topic of airport security is a big debate: is it too strict or not strict enough? It is important that people know and understand both sides of this important issue.
Drug trafficking is now considered as one of the most illegal profitable business in today’s world. The borders of every country have the control to reduce drug trafficking and to protect their nation from illegal businesses. Drug enforcements corporations encounter risky tasks when it comes to protect the borders of any country because now it is known that illegal drugs and all those substances considered as such are being transported through various ways and various groups.
Throughout the first years of the program the DEA was established their main focus was to stop the flow of marijuana from Mexico to America. Around the mid seventies the “enemy” face began to change, the enemy was now cocaine and it was coming from the country of Colombia. On November 22, 1975 the Colombian police seized over 600 kilos of cocaine from a small plane at the Cali Airport. The plane was believed to be headed to Miami, Florida. The amount of cocaine that was seized that day was the largest cocaine bust to date.