Why DC Metro Bag Searches Won’t Work

Gene Healy on the random bag searches that are coming to DC’s Metro system:

“[I]f a hypothetical terrorist can walk his backpack bomb from Farragut North and board at Farragut West instead, what’s the point?“

It’s a good question. The policy clearly doesn’t add to safety.

Maybe it’s to make people feel safer; security theater rather than security.

Maybe it’s a make-work program for the overworked DC police department.

Maybe it’s rent-seeking. DHS hands out billions of dollars of grants to security companies. Maybe an explosive residue swab maker successfully lobbied the government to require DC police to use its products.

Only one thing is for sure: this isn’t about safety.