Posted on 06/09/2004 4:52:23 PM PDT by JOAT
BOSTON (Reuters) - Boston's transit police will randomly search subway and commuter train riders' bags and packages, making it the first American city to do so after March's deadly bombings in Spain, officials said on Tuesday.
"This is a proactive policy designed to deter and prevent a terrorist attack," Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Police Chief Joseph Carter said.
The random searches will begin in July, before July 4 Independence Day celebrations and ahead of the Democratic National Convention at the end of July.
Boston has the nation's fourth largest rail system with nearly 1 million train and subway riders daily. Locals voiced concern about security at the convention site, which stands above a subway station and near a major train station, prompting the closure of both stations during the July event.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, U.S. cities have stepped up security. And efforts to secure rail systems have been ramped up after the March 11 train bombings in Madrid, which killed 191 people.
Carter said the random searches will be conducted by all 247 uniformed MBTA officers and four bomb sniffing dogs.
"We want the MBTA to be inhospitable to terrorists. They can go someplace else," he said.
Carter said the planned searches will randomly pick out riders and are not aimed at singling out anyone.
Call me old fashioned, but I think the fourth amendment is clear:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Not too hard to understand, even for the public (government) schooled.
FMCDH(BITS)
WTC Tower # 1 should hereafter be labelled "Fourth Ammendment".
WTC Tower # 2 should hereafter be labelled "Second Ammendment".
Al Quiada has won: we eagerly give up liberty for "safety".
effing brilliant.
FMCDH(BITS)
Please remove your shoes before entering the subway station.
Do you think they will find "WHITEY" riding the rails?
Has the ACLU be consulted on this?
Is Mz. Teri H. going to be commuting on the rails?
Is the Irish ambassador going to be riding the rails?
So much for the 4th
CLEAR violation of the 4th Amendment.
Not that it matters, I guess.
So called "DUI roadblocks" are also clear violations of the 4th Amendment, but have been upheld by the courts.
Not hard to understand, but easy to ignore.
how idiotic can you get?
..."searches will randomly pick out riders and are not aimed at singling out anyone"...
Those Back-Bay grandmothers and little white Irish babies will be randomly searched so as not to offend Mr and Ms Mohammed.
Random searches are much more constitutionally suspect (fancy talk for illegal) than are fixed checkpoints. I don't think this will pass muster, and I predict it will be quietly dropped after the Demo. convention.
Unless the passenger is arab, young, male, wearing loose garments, and appears nervous, in this case the inspectors will quickly leave the car.
"This is a proactive policy designed to deter and prevent a terrorist attack," Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Police Chief Joseph Carter said.
Mohammad, the chicken $#it Infidels will do random searches, so leave your turban on and don't shave. Act outraged if they wan to search you. Tell them you will sue them for profiling.
A million riders a day? One stinking sneeze in one of those confined cattle cars and you have 80 infected others. Really, since I stopped riding the Transit years ago, I then stopped getting colds and the flu.
Posted by nothingnew:
"...ACHTUNG!..."
The truly sad part about this story is that many, many Americans will embrace it as "common sense" and feel just peachy about the police rummaging through their briefcases, diaper bags, beach totes, and gym bags.
The wild-eyed Jihadist with the bomb is going to detonate himself the moment police are seen in the area. The better bet is a well-armed, empowered populace who can potentially prevent tragedy when they hear the Jihadist murder cry of "Allah Akbar!" in the streets.
[/rant]
~ Blue Jays ~
You tend to be interested in these 4th Amendment stories. Take a look and hold on to your hat...
~ Blue Jays ~
If I were in Boston I'd take some time to haul a very suspicious-looking bag full of copies of the Constitution with the 4th Amendment highlighted around the subway system.
So by "random" do they mean grannies and schoolkids too? Or just Muslim-looking folk?
LOLOLOL.
Thanks for a good laugh on a sad day.
You know old Ted Kennedy would be raising hell about this if it were occuring anywhere else. But to save his fat a$$ and any of the liberals it is OK!
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