9/11 Makes Security Part Of Everyday Life

The 9/11 attacks have made security procedures once seen as extreme a routine part of everyday life. For some Detroiters security checkpoints and guards are now as commonplace as putting on – or being ordered to remove – a pair of shoes. Like almost all government buildings, the entrances of Detroit’s Coleman A. Young Municipal Center are bracketed by metal detectors and x-ray machines with conveyor belts. Security guards there closely examine items in bags and pockets – even spare batteries for tape recorders brought in by broadcast journalists. WDET’s Quinn Klinefelter was stopped there.

He asked an official, “You a supervisor?” “Yes,” the uniformed man answered. “Hi I’m with public radio. I’m here to interview some people. She said there was a question about loose batteries?” The official frowned. “You have your press card? Long as you have your press card you’re fine.” “That new or different? I’ve been coming here 12 years and they’ve never asked for…” “I’ve been here nine and we’ve been doing the same thing.” “Well they never have asked me before.” “Yep. Without the press card they would have to take the batteries. But you’re all set.” “Thank you.” “Have a good day.” Being stopped, searched or questioned at office buildings, schools or airports increased exponentially after 9/11. Now frequent fliers like Karen Suttles say they think nothing of having guards in airports, for example, tell them to remove their shoes in order to check for explosives. She said, “I’m used to it. I travel a lot with my husband who travels a lot for his job. And going in and out of the airport you just get used to it. You know what you have to do and you just do it. And it’s for safety reasons and who can argue with that?” (15) Others, like August Dexter, understand the need for the exercise – but still find it annoying. He said, “I don’t know that I’ll ever be used to it. But change has come in all of our lives. Ah it’s a hassle but it’s needed. I mean they have to do it ‘cause people are unstable and…It’s always a drag to dig everything personally that’s in your pockets. Then on the other hand if you have somebody that has something that they’re carrying that they intend to hurt somebody with, how would they know if they don’t check these things out. And so it’s just one of the unfortunates of life.” It’s also a challenge for law enforcement officials to balance safeguarding the public with refraining from unduly invading privacy. The director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management in Detroit – Daryl Lundy – says when the department was created in the weeks following the 9/11 attacks officials were more concerned about finding and eliminating potential threats than treating people with kid gloves. “It was overwhelming for everyone I think because it was new. If we look at it right now the Department of Homeland Security isn’t even 10 years old yet. So we’re still babies in the scheme of things, we’re still learning a lot. With situations like Katrina and other disasters, a lot of lessons learned. Right to something that’s close to us, the Christmas Day bomber on the airline. We’re constantly tweaking how we do and what we do,” he said. And Lundy said instead of being angry at law enforcement, many Detroiters want to join in the effort to keep the homeland secure. “Volunteer under the medical response corps. Volunteer on the Detroit Police reserve program. We see them coming out to step forward and be a part of it as opposed to complaining about it.” Yet security procedures established after 9/11 have drawn a number of legal challenges. The American Civil Liberties Union, for one, filed lawsuits against the government over issues ranging from warrantless wiretapping to closed hearings for terrorism suspects. The head of the Michigan ACLU – Kary Moss – says the public should be very cautious about simply accepting government intrusion into their lives as a necessary evil. Moss said, “I think getting used to too much security is gonna BE evil. I think it really presents a threat. When we are routinely subjected to surveillance, to total body scans, to searches outside of the rules of the Fourth Amendment, we begin to lose something very important that defines who we are as Americans.” But since America was attacked at home on 9/11, the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches has gained a new meaning for some Detroiters. Many say being made uncomfortable is no longer unreasonable if it will help keep them safe – even if it means taking off a pair of shoes in public.