Welcome to The HalenGroup Inc.

"I'm sick of this." Little did I realize when those words slipped from my lips at an airline security checkpoint in January that they would prompt a brief flirtation with an automatic weapon. An M-16 to be precise. It seems as if questioning any new security measures is tantamount to heresy in post-Sept. 11 America. I will continue to do so, nonetheless.

I understand what went wrong on that evening at New York's La Guardia Airport. And I know that I was partly to blame. But I've come away from the experience convinced that passengers are suffering needlessly from aggressive checks while bigger problems behind the scenes are being neglected. Last week more than 140 food service workers, contract construction workers and baggage handlers at the Washington area's three major airports were indicted for allegedly lying about their identities or prior criminal convictions including gun, drug and assault charges. That's an indication of how poor the screening of airport personnel has been -- and the indictments are a step in the right direction. But far more attention should be paid to the notoriously lax security that exists in airports' restricted areas. Right now, the emphasis is all wrong -- and it's making passengers mad without much benefit to our security.

As a consultant to law enforcement agencies and corporations on personnel training, I think of myself as someone who knows a bit about avoiding conflicts and about settling them when they do arise. I know about the importance of setting off on the right foot. (My company's Web site opens with a graphic that reads, "Did you know that first impressions are made in less than 200 milliseconds?") I know how valuable it is to develop constructive methods of intervening and negotiating in tense situations -- and have even worked with the Secret Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration about honing those skills. I've conducted seminars with private companies such as American Express and Citibank on how to use a mixture of empathy and creativity to manage disputes. That's my beat. I'm a kind of professional non-combatant. So you can imagine how surprised I was to find myself fueling rather than dousing the flames of a disagreement.

Here's what went wrong. The stage for the confrontation -- at least the stage on which I was acting -- was set by events that happened long before my wife and I got to the airport. Karina and I had had the misfortune of scheduling a romantic getaway at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York during the World Economic Forum, where about 3,000 well-heeled invitees had paid as much as $20,000 to caucus behind the velvet ropes, beyond the reach of globalization protesters. Those presumptive planners of our planet's future were outnumbered by their guards -- more than 4,000 NYPD officers.

Now, my own background in law enforcement grants latitude to -- even appreciation of -- the police in the performance of their duties. But even I began to harbor a tinge of resentment at the in-your-face questioning and demands for ID every time I entered or even exited the hotel that I happened to be sharing with the likes of Secretary of State Colin Powell. The cops wanted to know where I was going! So Karina and I were relieved to escape the scrutiny and glad to depart for La Guardia and the shuttle home.
At the airport, I knew what to expect. Like most frequent flyers navigating the new reality of airplane travel, I took everything in my pockets and put it into my bag and jacket to pass through the X-ray machine. I walked through the archway. Then, despite not setting off any bells or whistles, I was directed to one side to undergo an additional wanding of my body.

That's when things started to go wrong. The instrument was in the hand of a particularly forceful woman who, after ensuring the absence of metal in my pockets, shoes or under my arms, focused on my belt buckle. She asked if she might turn it over. I obliged, whereupon she thrust a burly paw into my pants, considerably down past my belt buckle, in what was my first experience with non-consensual sex. Apparently unaware of how that made me feel, she then moved on to re-check my shoes by banging on the bottom of them and passing the wand over them for a third time.

I grimaced -- and that was my first mistake. She directed me to sit down and take my shoes off. It was as I did so that I let those words slip: "I'm sick of this."

I'll admit, it was a clear case of emotion hijacking reason. But so, too, was the official response. A young National Guard soldier in fatigues with an automatic weapon bolted toward me. Towering over my seated, shoeless frame, he admonished me for having the audacity to say anything to the screener who "was just doing her job." With little will left to suppress myanger, I retorted in my hometown, Paterson, N.J., style: "I wasn't speaking to you, bud." That was it. No expletives (though, yes, they were implied). "In fact I wasn't speaking to anybody. And perhaps you need to mind your own business," I added.

The evening travelers fell silent. The soldier told me to remain in the security area to be interviewed by other officials. When I asked what crime I could have committed, he advised me that if I wanted to fly home that night I'd "better stay put ." Rather than attempt to diffuse the situation, I became emboldened by my belief that I had been wronged. I stormed off to the gate with the words: "That's where I'll be -- so come and get me."

I headed to the bathroom and discovered from Karina when I came out that airline agents had been scouring the gate area for me and questioning her. A few minutes later, three NYPD officers arrived along with the National Guard soldier, who identified me as the culprit. Did they intend to prevent me from boarding, I wanted to know. They made clear that, despite the fact that I hadn't violated any laws, they could "deem" me a risk to others on board. At that point reason returned, suppressing emotion, and I reckoned it would be best to apologize. I did. (And I was allowed to board.)But I was insincere.

Forgive me if you think I'm overreacting. I may well be. But I come to it honestly. My parents and their families were inexorably stripped of their freedoms in Poland, and you know how that story turns out. I am growing increasingly apprehensive of misdirected security checks -- all conducted in the self-righteous name of patriotism.
I know better than most that the police have a tough enough job being umpires in a free society. The sentries at the gates of airports and hotels are under pressure. However, in our rush to feel safer we are granting increased license and authority to many who fail to exercise it judiciously.

Must we forfeit freedom of expression or stifle frustration in fear of a security guard who may deem us an enemy of the state? It's clear to me that many of these new security measures are merely symbolic. Do you honestly believe that plastic (instead of metal) butter knives really prevent a hijacker who is bent on causing harm? Are we going to ban pens and paper clips as well? I don't feel any safer now than before.

And that's because my experience working with law enforcement tells me where the real security problems lie. What we need is some guarantee that our federal, state and local agencies are collaborating and commu-nicating with the intelligence community in a coordinated manner. As of yet there has been little resolve from the Office of Homeland Security in naming which department will take the lead in this. The office needs to focus on, among other things, more stringent enforcement of immigration policy. And it needs to look further into the kinds of adjustments that can protect against future attacks (such as beefing up cockpit doors on airplanes). The new federal security force that will begin screening passengers at Baltimore-Washington International Airport this summer is a step in the right direction. But while ostentatious screening and other symbols of safety may temporarily quell some fears, they must not be used as a sword to shred the very rights and liberties they purport to protect. This time, I'm being sincere.

Harvey Goldstein, is a psychologist who specializes in executive coaching and negotiation skill training. He is the director of the HalenGroup Inc., a consulting company that focuses on organizational and leadership development.

Back to top