My wife and I were once harassed by two Chicago Police officers when we
approached the Meigs Field terminal several years ago... this was in the
late 1990s, after the police had "confiscated" the second floor of the
terminal to use as office space. We were asked about our business at
the airport, to which we responded that we were pilots who had never
been to Meigs and wanted to look inside the terminal. At that point, we
were promptly told to leave the property because the airport "isn't open
to the public." We came back later, when we encountered no police and
were able to enter the terminal and observation deck. We all know how
that book eventually ended.

When Mary and I landed at Meigs, shortly after the airspace re-opened
in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, we were appalled at the way we were
treated.

My then-8 year old daughter was "wanded" by a "security officer" (who,
at well over 300 pounds, certainly could not have provided much
security). We were not permitted to walk off the peninsula to get into
downtown -- we were REQUIRED to take a cab. We were treated
contemptuously by people who were being paid to guard US.

Our cab driver, a middle-eastern-looking guy, didn't understand the
added security road blocks, and blithely drove right past a bunch of
Chicago cops waving their hands around wildly. I thought we were going
to be shot, right there.

Chicago was paying probably 15 of these Keystone Cops to "secure"
Meigs. What a bunch of morons. (Perhaps one of them has found a new
job, "guarding" your mall?)

If any mall "security" officer treated me the way you described, I'd
march his sorry cop-wannabee ass into the mall office. Mall management
needs to know what's going on with this doofus.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"