Originally Posted by Spiff
Agree with all except #2. Air marshals increase the chance of an incident occuring by bringing a weapon on board. ...I would trade every air marshal in for a device that does a chemical check on an entire person with no x-rays or strip searching. Several devices exist and could be implemented today, were the leaders of the TSA not criminally incompetent fools.
Spiff, the chances of incident increasing are dependent on the professonalism of the air marshalls. In all the years that El Al has been using them, there has never been a problem. Of course, the training they undergo is far beyond that which the Israeli police take -- probably somewhere along the lines of what an FBI SWAT team would have.
You might be interested in a story which appeared in Friday's newspapers in Israel. A mid-sized high tech firm here has developed a device that will detect any explosives or chemicals (including drugs) on your person or in your luggage. It uses a harmless laser and can work from a distance of several yards. It sends a chemical analysis to a computer which immediately identifies the substances you are watching for.
The company says that its own field tests have shown the device to be 100% effective and that several security companies in Israel, Europe, and the States have expressed interest. They expect it to go on the market in January, after independent testing.
If the device lives up to their expectations, they say, both passengers and their luggage will be able to be scanned in a matter of seconds.