Imagine getting through airport security in 30 seconds.

Bill Smullen, director of national security studies in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, achieved just that in Bangor, Maine as an accepted member of the Transportation Security Administration PreCheck program.

The TSA opened its PreCheck enrollment center in the Syracuse Hancock International Airport last week. The TSA PreCheck lanes, which expedite the security screening process, have existed nationwide since 2011, according to a BizJournals article. Before last Friday, Syracuse had been the only major city in New York state without a PreCheck lane in its airport, according to a Syracuse.com article.

“It should have probably been (implemented in Syracuse) much sooner because we are larger than other cities that have had the PreChecks,” Smullen said.

PreCheck members do not have to remove shoes, clothing, laptops, liquids or gels from their person or luggage. They go through a scanner different from the full body scanner that other travelers step inside of, Smullen said.

To become a PreCheck member, one must either apply online or at an application center.

Smullen said he was accepted as a PreCheck member two weeks after he applied online three years ago. The TSA reviewed his application with background checks to make sure he was a “low-risk traveler,” he said.

“‘Low risk’ is a relative term,” Smullen said. “If you’ve never done anything wrong and if you’re not on any terrorist list, you’re probably going to pass, but there are lists of people who are considered high risk because they have done something or been somewhere suspicious.”

To be considered a low-risk traveler, applicants must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national or lawful permanent resident, according to the TSA website. Applicants may be ineligible due to false application information, violations of transportation security regulations or disqualifying criminal offenses and factors, according to the website.

After being accepted as a low-risk traveler, Smullen scheduled an appointment a week later at the nearest enrollment center, which was in Oswego, to turn in paperwork, take fingerprints and pay the $85 fee for five years of membership.

“(Driving to Oswego) was a bit of inconvenience, so I think the convenience of having it here in Syracuse is wonderful for those of you who don’t have your known traveler number, which gives you the ability to go through the TSA PreCheck lines,” Smullen said.

Smullen said PreCheck would actually help national security because more people would have been validated for PreCheck and received background checks, which he said are good indicators of whether that person poses a national security risk.

“It’s additional precaution, additional safeguard, additional system, all of which benefits safer travel for all of us,” Smullen added.

Some students think differently, however.

“I think it’s smart to just take the extra precaution and check everyone,” said Melissa Mora, a freshman biology major from California. “I get that it’s hard to take off your shoes and put things in the bin — it’s annoying but it’s a precaution.”

Caoquing Fang, a freshman television, radio and film major from Shanghai, said she is unsure if one set of background checks is telling of a traveler’s actions for the next five years.

However, Fang added that she may consider applying for the program since she is a frequent traveler.

“For Thanksgiving break, I usually travel in America and then for Christmas break, I go back to Shanghai,” Fang said. “Because I bring my laptop and cameras, it takes a lot of time to pack and unpack my backpack or suitcase, so I might actually apply.”

Published on November 18, 2015 at 11:02 pm

Contact Anjani: asiman@syr.edu