Airport security - Government's use of invasive pat-downs and body Research Paper

Airport security - Government's use of invasive pat-downs and body scans are essential to ensure passenger safety - Research Paper Example Ten years may have come and gone, yet the consequences of that singular event have forever changed the outcome of human civilization (Mitcherner-Nissen, Bowers and Chetty, 2011). The 9/11 terrorist attacks have invariably led to the tightening of security measures being undertaken all over the world. In the United States, legislative enactments have been undertaken placing security administration and defense management among the considerations to be deemed as state priorities (Mitcherner-Nissen, Bowers and Chetty, 2011). The operation of the airport has been taken over by the federal government following clear indications that there has been significant lapses in judgment and laxity of control in airport management which have exacerbated the 9/11 attacks (Parks, 2007). As a result, the United States government took over the helm of the battle against terrorism and called for the support of all nations in the international arena (Parks, 2007). With the enhancement in security measures being undertaken in US airport terminals, there has been a move towards the utilization of advanced equipments such as whole-body scanners and backscatter scanners in addition to the physical pat-downs being performed (Mitcherner-Nissen, Bowers and Chetty, 2011). However, ethical issues have caught the attention of many people as the mentioned scanners appeared to have been too detailed in its examination stepping well into the basic human right to privacy (Schauer, 2011). But the fact remains that there are those who would argue that such is a small price to pay for the relative enjoyment of peace and security of the greater many (Mitcherner-Nissen, Bowers and Chetty, 2011). In this debacle, one thing is certain, that no matter which side wins, both sides stands to benefit and both likewise stands to be injured concomitantly. Airport Management and Operation Patankar and Holscher (2000) described the airport as a highly complex set of schematic organization that allows the entry a nd egress of persons. As such, both movements to and fro are to be considered as security concerns that require efficient administration. To this end, it is vital to determine the momentous changes that US airports may have undergone in hopes of revolutionizing its operation and precluding the occurrence of an attack comparable to the 9/11 terrorist activities. Prior to the 9/11, the airport situation in the United States has been a highly efficient private affair that revolves around the rendering of services related to and relevant to the air transport of individuals from a point of origin into a point of destination. Prior to the 9/11 there was a general sub-optimal level of security in airports in US airports (Seidenstat, 2004). However, after the attacks, the United States government saw the need to change the management of the airport facilities to the federal system marking the transition of the said facility from a implement of transportation into a tool that has the capacit y to paralyze the country (Seidenstat, 2004). The transition of the airport facility into the hands of the federal government was triggered by two major issues (Seidenstat, 2004). These are: (1) the laxity of the control measures implemented by the utilization of private security firms; (2) the failure of the government to