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Hand-Held
Security Scanners/Metal Detectors
Becoming
Common in Business and Social Situations
It used to be
that the only place you would encounter
hand-held security scanners for metal detection
was at an airport. They are generally utilized
when a passenger sets off an alarm bell going
through the full-body scanner and security
guards must follow up to find out if there are
any suspicious items on them.
Things are
changing rapidly; you are now liable to find
hand-held security scanners just about
anywhere. Businesses, hospitals, nightclubs,
schools, public buildings, athletic events and
yes, even private homes. Handheld metal
detectors are becoming the device of choice at
many of these locations.
A report on the
Athletic Business web site discussed changing
attitudes among administrators of high schools
throughout the country due to a growing weapons
problem. A Fresno, Calif., high school was in
lockdown mode recently after a gun was fired
outside a crowded gymnasium. A high school
basketball game inside the gym was halted for a
good while so that a search could be made. It
was unsuccessful.
In Norwalk,
Conn., a man was shot in the leg leaving a high
school game in which the home team lost in a
blowout. The superintendent of Norwalk Public
Schools ordered all fans entering a game at
another high school the following week to be
scanned by hand-held metal detectors. “We did
what we thought a reasonable person would do in
terms of trying to ensure the safety of the
environment,” the superintendent, Sal Corda,
said.
Hand-held metal
detectors are even being used at home-based
events. A prominent businessman who asked not
to be named held a congratulatory party at his
home for his son’s championship basketball
team. Some 100 guests were expected.
“We did not
want any trouble,” the homeowner said. Guests
were a bit surprised at first, according to the
host, but everyone quickly got with the
program. “We used two Pro-Scan hand-held
security scanners,” he said. “There was some
good-natured joking, but no real objections.”
This homeowner
reported that the security detail at the door
did take temporary possession of three pocket
knives. “And a few guests were noticed turning
back to their cars after spotting the scanning
procedures,” the homeowner reported. “So I
think it was a good investment.”
Another private
citizen who owned several Pro-Scan hand-held
security scanners reported in a recent newspaper
article that his family and friends used them
for entertainment. His children use them while
searching for metal objects in the ground in
public parks and at beaches. Children are
thrilled when they dig up coins using the
scanners.
Parks and
recreation officials in Kansas City, Mo., were
reviewing their security procedures after shots
rang out at a basketball game at a
community-owned site. They were looking at
hand-held security scanners as one possibility
among many to boost security.
Back in
Norwalk, Mr. Corda was quoted as saying, “if I
were concerned about whether my kid was going to
be safe at a basketball game – and I knew the
school was going to wand everybody to make sure
that no one was carrying a weapon of any kind –
would I be okay with that? And if my answer is
‘Yes, I would,’ then that is what guides my
thinking.” |
