Confessions of a former airport security officer

Confessions of a former airport security officer

True story!

Lately we've seen a lot of people sharing things about their profession. I'd like to be one of them, but I can't :(

I was a security officer for five years and I worked in 2006 when the terrorist plot to detonate liquid explosives in planes was revealed. It brought along the ban on liquids in planes as we know it today. It was the final nail to the coffin of quick and easy air travel.

I wasn't a security officer during 911, but I consider it a good thing. From what I know back then we didn't have the processes and rules in place to even catch the guys who did it. I would have hated to have been that guy that did everything right and as was expected but still dangerous goods and people got in the planes.

Now days security officers are better trained and tested, which can be quite stressful. There are auditors from the employer, the airport, local authorities, domestic authorities, international authorities etc. Screw something up and you lose your license and you need to train and re-pass the tests to work again. The hours are long and the pay is crap. The job becomes routine quite quickly and in this business it can be deadly.