Finding a comfort zone in security practices

OUR VIEW

As much as we may wish for a return to more innocent times, the lines and the bag checks and the metal detectors aren't going away. They are likely to remain a staple at public venues in the midstate and around the country as we adjust to the elevated threat of terrorism and violence onU.S. soil.

It's easy to understand why one might think the current state of affairs is temporary. In many cases, security practices still feel a bit makeshift, built into places where easy access used to be the norm. But as last year's terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., showed, no place where people gather can be considered truly safe.

Sadly, the adjustments being made by businesses are anything but temporary. Companies have an obligation to protect both customers and employees, and that task is increasingly complicated, as demonstrated this week by the stories in our Inside Business section.

It's heartening to see midstate businesses taking seriously this obligation. The owners of the region's baseball stadiums, for example, are already thinking about opening day this spring, long before pitchers and catchers arrive for their first workouts. Businesses also are weighing the costs and benefits of terrorism insurance, the kind of policy no business owner wants to have to pull out of the filing cabinet.

The challenge for businesses is to strike a balance between safety and access. You don't want to force customers to stand unnecessarily in long lines while they wait to be patted down by off-duty police officers. But you also want customers to relax and feel at ease once they are inside, not looking anxiously over their shoulders.

The balance doesn't come naturally to Americans. We prize our freedoms and our rights. We don't like it when guards prevent us from carrying a can of shaving cream onto a plane, or when someone rummages through our purses on the way into a theater.

We can't eliminate the risks, but with time and patience, we can hopefully reduce the tensions that stem from tightening security.

"We must also reject the false choice of liberty versus security. We can and must have both." - Tom Ridge (1945-)

Companies have an obligation to protect both customers and employees, and that task is increasingly complicated.