I made an overnight trip to Tucson on business Tuesday. On my return through the Tucson International Airport, a funny thing happened. I was checking in through the security checkpoint when one of the inspectors asked if she could look in my bag. I said sure but thought it was somewhat funny because two other guards were standing behind her checking me out, and as I turned, I noticed two more guards behind me. I was guided to a private area, shoes in hand, and asked to sit with my hands on my knees. Two guards stood behind me, two stood in front, and one guard watched from about 15 feet away. I noticed they had stopped letting people through the security checkpoint, and that everyone was looking at me. About this time, my pulse started to race and I broke out in a cold sweat. The nice lady searching my bad asked me questions to keep me focused on her, then she reached in a pulled out one of my very nasty double bladed lock back knifes. One blade is a serrated web cutter, then other a razor sharp utility blade. I freaked. I mean I really freaked. For those of you who know me, it was a very un-Joe moment. And then it got interesting.
I was expecting to be arrested. I was expecting trouble; I was expecting embarrassment, missed flights, police reports, etc… What I got was just the opposite. The woman checking my bag said “Supervisor” loudly. On older man walked over to me and said, “Calm down”. He picked up the knife and continued with “You are not in any trouble, this is legal, and you have options.” He explained that I could leave with the knife an mail it home, that I could check it as baggage, or I could dispose of it. He said if the blade had been any longer than three inches, I would have been arrested. I was relieved, and embarrassed. I elected to dispose of the knife. They took it away immediately. The supervisor said, “Don’t worry. This can happen to anyone. Do you need any help?” I offered an apology and ran to the nearest bar, then drank my nerves back to normal.
I had carried the knife through the security checkpoint at LAX without any problems. Yet the security crew at Tucson’s Southwest terminal caught it without a problem, and handled it nicely. I had always complained about how in-depth the screening was at Tucson, now I’m a fan.
