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Printer-Friendly ModeUndercover air marshals leave skies unfriendly
December 12, 2005 —
Two U.S. air marshals shot and killed 44-year-old Rigoberto Alpizar Wednesday at Miami International Airport after he allegedly claimed he had a bomb and ran from the plane screaming. While an investigation of the shooting is still underway, the recent incident fuels debate as to the presence of armed air marshals on flights and whether they create safer travel or present a greater danger to passengers and crew.
According to CNN.com, the air marshal service began in 1968 and for a time flourished under President Reagan. However, at the time of 9/11, there were only 33 marshals nationwide. Four years later, there are now thousands, a drastic increase that is perhaps too much too soon.
One of the biggest concerns with air marshals is that they operate undercover. They can be on any flight and blend in with regular passengers. Marshals only identify themselves when necessary and if everything on the flight goes accordingly, passengers never know they were there.
But in cases where they do become necessary, such as Wednesday's shooting, controversy and rumors of inappropriate action surface quickly. Alzipar was bipolar and off his medication, according to his wife, leaving some people to say Alzipar was more sick than dangerous. Also, several passengers have come forward saying they never heard Alzipar say anything about a bomb and others have accused the marshals of having quick trigger fingers because of a situation earlier in the week in a New York airport. With terrorism threats at an all time high, it is difficult to imagine this has never happened before.
But just because something has not happened before does not mean it cannot. It is easy to imagine how a passenger would react if they looked over and saw the person sitting next to them with a gun tucked into their sock. And while marshals are probably trained to remain incognito, they are human and are capable of making mistakes. When that happens, it is likely a marshal could be attacked by passengers already on edge after hearing years of threats and going through hours of security checks. That then puts the marshal in a defensive position, where anything is essentially possible. Innocent people could easily be hurt or killed.
Likewise, one can imagine potential terrorists imitating marshals and boarding planes armed. While the administration has most certainly considered the possibility, recent terrorist attacks have shown this country that nothing is impossible in regards to possible attacks.
What could be most disturbing about all of this, though, has nothing to do with planes. The United States appears to be continuing its recent trend of taking away some of the freedoms of this country's citizens in the name of safety. If this disturbing trend is allowed to continue, it could be possible that armed guards will infiltrate all areas of our lives. Soon, bus marshals will be on every greyhound, snipers will have their scopes fixed on taxi passengers and United States jogging agents will follow runners through Central Park.
Mistakes can happen, and whether the recent shooting in Miami is eventually considered one remains to be seen. Prior to 9/11, few marshals existed and yet there were probably only a handful of situations where they could have prevented an incident - and even that is speculation. But if the United States continues to try and keep its citizens safe by arming everyone with guns, it will soon be difficult to tell the good guys from the bad.