No Federal Charges for Atlanta Football Fan in Airport Security Breech

Newsday ^ | 11/18/01

[heleny]

He committed an act over which others panicked. ...
the world around you changed?

Ask the same about people mailing innocuous white powder after the anthrax scares. That wastes the limited resources of our biohazard technicians. The airport security breach further taxes the already overburdened security checkpoints.

[SerpentDove]

[lepton]

If some idiot can, on a whim, blast through security in full view of numerous guards & cameras, and the breach is considered serious enough to shut down the entire airport, then the security staff responsible is clearly & demonstrably incompetent and should be replaced.

Add to that "and to get away". He was caught through chance and recycling back through. That is a serious security flaw.

[FR_addict]

I disagree with you. If using the escalator was a way to violate security measures, there should have been a national guardsman posted. It shows you holes still exist in our security measures.

[JamesinGA]

CAN A CLASS ACTION SUIT BE BROUGHT AGAINST HIM FOR DAMAGES?

I hope you're joking. Really, I can't believe you nuts that want this idiot "to be a pauper for the rest of his life," to cite but one example of your ridiculous overreacting.

He didn't give the order to shut down the freakin' airport, people. He's an idiot, not a criminal.

Yeesh, you people scare me sometime. God forbid you guys should make a mistake. Your fellow "conservatives" on Free Republic will sentence you to a life of misery.

PS -- Go Dawgs!

[FR_addict]

We think alike, but you beat me to it.

[mbynack]

The point wasn't that he was running down an up escalator. The point was that he ran around the metal detectors and security checks and the security folks have to assume a worse case scenario.

They had two choices. Treat it like a real threat or assume he had a valid reason and ignore it. If they had ignored it and the guy was trying to hijack an airplane, the whole thread would be complaining about the lack of a reaction, vice an over-reaction.

[lepton]

Ask the same about people mailing innocuous white powder after the anthrax scares. That wastes the limited resources of our biohazard technicians.

That was done with knowledge of what would happen. THAT was intentional and was specifically intended to induce panic - kind of like robbing a bank with a toy gun.

Walking past the checkpoint was something that he has a responsibility for. The irrational panic, in part caused by poor procedures, and other bureaucratic stupidity, is not rightfully his.

[LTCJ]

Hey - he was wearing a UGA football T-shirt - what's the dif?

Ramblin' Wreck Bump

[theDentist]

It was eported that the Airlines lost some $10,000,000 as a result of the evacuation due to delayed flights, and other costs associated with it. I think each airline based there should sue the dweeb for the costs that they incurred because of his stupidity.

[Sloth]

If I ever make an analogous 'mistake', I will not complain about whatever consequences there are, because I will deserve them. This guy ran around a security checkpoint. He knew it was there because he'd already been through it once that day. He should suffer for the rest of his life, as should the morons who over-reacted.

[LTCJ]

I recall hearing that National Guardsmen can be deputized (or something to that effect) and that will give them policeman type authority.

The NG, serving under State Active Duty has law enforcement powers. The "no touch" issue is a matter of "rules of engagement" - read: liability.

[heleny]

helenny said that he should be punished as if he committed a serious crime because he could have had weapons.

No, I didn't mean that he should be punished for a crime he didn't commit. I was only pointing out that such a crime as his ignoring security could have been less innocuous than some had suggested, so the terminal shutdown was necessary.
The airport had to shut down the terminal because security had no way of knowing whether the man had anything that wouldn't pass security checks. The man ran away from security. The terminal shutdown wasn't an overreaction. Similar large airport terminal shutdowns for security breaches by selfish individuals have occurred before September 11th. They weren't considered overreactions; they just didn't garner as much interest as this case. (unfortunately, I don't have any examples handy.)

[lepton]

I'm complaining about a stupid reaction, based on previous stupid procedures. BTW, any of those NG have bullets...or are they just for show? Did the guy assault anyone or blow holes in a wall, or even pick a door lock? Or did he just walk around Les Nessman's imaginary wall? And having seen him do this, why was he not findable except by chance?

All of what they did, which was not entirely rational, and it was not likely to be more effective that setting off charges and blowing up all of the boarding ramps and tossing chains into the intakes of the jets...which would also be ridiculous.

He didn't commit a crime (by traditional definition). What he did was fail to follow a rule which is used to detect crimes.

He should be punished for evading the rule, not for the panic that ensued...unless you have some reason to believe that he intended it.

[lepton]

I'm complaining about a stupid reaction, based on previous stupid procedures. BTW, any of those NG have bullets...or are they just for show? Did the guy assault anyone or blow holes in a wall, or even pick a door lock? Or did he just walk around Les Nessman's imaginary wall? And having seen him do this, why was he not findable except by chance?

All of what they did, which was not entirely rational, and it was not likely to be more effective that setting off charges and blowing up all of the boarding ramps and tossing chains into the intakes of the jets...which would also be ridiculous.

He didn't commit a crime (by traditional definition). What he did was fail to follow a rule which is used to detect crimes.

He should be punished for evading the rule, not for the panic that ensued...unless you have some reason to believe that he intended it.

[lepton]

Ask the same about people mailing innocuous white powder after the anthrax scares.

So goofs that do stupid things are now terrorists?

Please redirect your comments to the person who said that... :)