Saturday, January 28, 2017

DOES SECURITY HAVE IT IN FOR ME?

     We are a small city of about 100000 people although we think we're pretty big. But then none of us have been to New York!

      We have a courthouse that handles most cases except for Court of Queen's Bench.

     Somehow a few incidents of security happened a few years ago. People involved in court cases became unruly. One poor guy accidentally entered through the back door and security attacked him. He had a breathing tube which they knocked out and the poor guy just about died. Then a security system was set up. The security system has grown larger and larger. In the old days people just walked in and went where they were supposed to. I was called three times for jury selection. I was called at other times for custody disputes. I walked to the rooms I was assigned to.

     So now you have to go through security to enter the Courthouse. A couple of years ago I went to the court house and didn't know there was security. I entered the wrong side of the door . They got a little excited.

    This month I went to the court House. I knew there was security and I thought I was ready. I don't hear well and if it's noisy I have difficulty. So I had to put my coat in a basket  and walk through the scanner while my jacket is being scanned. I got through and was looking for my coat. One of the security guys leans over and asks me to pull my pant legs up. I could have asked , "How high?" but that might have been  big mistake. So here's this old grandpa kind of guy who at times isn't steady on his feet and he has to pull his pant legs up at the same time. It's funny I didn't fall over!

    The pant legs up really got me going. Do they think some 77 year old guy is going to have a knife in his shoe or some other dangerous contra brand?

    I was not amused. I expect security to be able to size people up better than that. As we go about our daily lives our antennae are always up watching for someone who may pose a risk. Why can't security who do this work everyday have a little better sense of who to thoroughly check?

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