Security Theater

[draggonlaady]

Some more info on the nitrate detectors, courtesy of Hagbard.

It's a broad spectrum IR-stimulated catalysis test. What the false positive rate is depends on what you mean by 'false positive'- ie, alerts on non-nitrates, or alerts on non-terrorist. If the former, very low. It's a pretty good way to detect nitrates reliably. If the latter, crazy high. It detects nitrates, which means if you set foot on a farm or military base within 48 hours of being swabbed or so it hits a lot of people and then they want an explanation. ("I was on a farm" is good enough, and if you're in fatigues, they don't even swab you.) For the record, the TSA has never stopped a single terrorist. Not one. Mostly they annoy, patronize, confiscate nail clippers, and catch people with pot.

This information is interesting, in a "good god what are they thinking" sort of way. Seriously? Farmers, construction workers, US military employees, people on heart medication... these are threats to national security and need to be pulled aside at airport terminals for investigation? The terrorists have won, people.

Comments

[sphynx-again.livejournal.com]

oh goodie. And I get to fly tomorrow.

[draggonlaady.livejournal.com]

Tell them you fertilized your garden yesterday if they ask. Apparently that's good enough.
Alternately, just go through security naked, so they don't have to bother patting you down. That may be my next move. :)

[sphynx-again.livejournal.com]

well, if it hadn't been raining today, just mentioning that I live in a region *swarming* with crop-dusters this time of year would probably do it too. And considering that the local airport is smack dab in the middle of crop fields, I suspect they don't use nitrate detectors here. I don't plan to leave the secure areas of SeaTac or PDX while I'm there, so I should be good.

[draggonlaady.livejournal.com]

Yes, well. I wasn't planning to leave security at SeaTac, but I ended up sleeping over at a hotel instead. I also wasn't planning to leave security at Ketchikan, but they didn't tell me I'd have to go back through if I got off. I foolishly thought that I'd be inside security unless I left the immediate area. Just be glad I'm not traveling with you; that would guarantee you issues!

Also, don't count on rationality in whether they use nitrate detectors. Recall that we concluded my nitrate positive was due to construction in their own damn building.