WASHINGTON, D.C.- The Washington Post reported that the Smithsonian Institution museums on the Mall "have now instituted security measures that are commonplace in almost all of Washington’s official buildings."
For a long time, access to the Smithsonian Institution museums was quick and easy. After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, things changed. The Smithsonian tested new security measures at the National Air and Space Museum. There the pocketbooks and backpacks of visitors were hand searched and later metal detectors and x-ray machines were installed. Metal detectors were also installed at the National Museum of Natural History and the National Museum of American History, according to Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence Small. These last two museums do not have X-ray machines but could be added in the future. Small stated that bags are only checked if the metal detectors indicate a problem.
According to Linda St. Thomas, a Smithsonian spokeswoman, the common response by visitors was: "We don’t mind waiting -- we would rather be safe". This came out in a visitor survey taken during the testing period at Air and Space. Linda St. Thomas said that female visitors preferred airport-style procedures. She stated: "They said they didn’t like the hand search of their bags. It was less intrusive to have the system similar to the airports." The funds for the increased security at the Smithsonian museums comes from its federal allocation.
Small also reported that attendance numbers have not recovered from the drop after the September 11 attack. He said: "All of this has had a depressing effect on museum attendance in the capital, particularly with schoolchildren. We are working with many colleagues to assure people about the safety of the capital, but clearly these various tensions have been responsible for the attendance."