Taking the annual WGMD Radio station trip to Atlantic City was a whoppin’ good time, however, I do have a question regarding security protocol on the NJ side by the Delaware River and Bay Authority and the Operation of the Ferry.

Does this seem suspect to you? Going to NJ from the pristine DE terminal, Security agents checked bags, emptied pockets and even made riders walk through a metal detector, all the time acting in a polite and professional manner. However, on the way home, in the NJ terminal, no security officers were present during the pre-boarding 5pm process.. and odd still, the metal detector check in station was left un-manned and closed. One listener remarked to me, “I guess the terrorists retire at 4 pm.”

What good is it to offer security on the DE side and not on the NJ side.. do they figure that criminals and terrorists would only be going to NJ and not to Lewes?

The DRBA authority website says “Policing a ferry is like no other kind of policing. Officers at the Cape May and Lewes troops actively patrol ferry vessels, terminals and access roads, with a multifaceted mission. First, officers proactively patrol the vessels and terminals to deter and detect criminal activity. Secondly, officers look for possible security breaches. Lastly, but certainly not least, officers are highly visible representatives of the ferry operation.”

However, no metal detection, no ID checking, no even looking any of the passangers up and down… In an era where travel security is of the utmost concern, what is the excuse for such a lack of planning? Why offer any security in the first place?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 13th, 2006 at 12:46 pm and is filed under Police. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.