imported post
PavePusher wrote:
Krato88 wrote:
mlands wrote:
Recently while atDulles Airport a LEO was walking thru the sceening process and was told that he could not carry a pair of small fingernail trimmingscissors.He had already identified himself as a LEO andpointed to his gun on his hip and said sarcasically "What about this?"The TSA airport guardthen told him "I don't care aboutabout that. Youcannot carry apair thosescissors!"
I work for TSA @ Dulles and this is completely 100% false.
Before you think you have the right to criticize TSA for anything you hear or have experienced, you MUST work for TSA. Absolutely no other perspective allows you the knowledge to offeran informed opinion untill you have done so - sorry to be so blunt, but its true.
Worked at Dulles for close to 5 years, in and arround TSA areas prior to actually working FOR them, and no one was more vocal and critical of them at the time...now, much much different.
I'll be happy to answer any intelligent questions the best I can, however, you must understand that alot of info is considered "Need to know", which isn't government jargon, but rather, the first level of being "classified" information, hence alot cannot be made openly known.
Be that as it may, ask away
As an American citizen, I have the right to criticize anyone or thing I damn well please. It works better if I have an informed opinion of course. And having experienced TSA from the users side, I'm as informed as I need to be.
I've beenin the USAF for 18 years now.One of mydeployments, as a volunteer,to a war zone, in uniform,was not allowed to carry jewlers screwdrivers for my glasses. Had to throw them out. I am an aircraft mechanic and know dozens of ways to destroy an aircraft with my bare hands. Not to mention the almost everpresent rudeness and arrogance (see above) from public servants.
The best way you could enforce air travel security would be tohave passengers remove all clothes, then issue1911's with 3 8-round mags to all travelers.Clothes and guns to be returned at destination.
- sorry to be so blunt, but its true.
:cuss:
You were deployed,
as a volunteer, to a warzone, and weren't allowed to carry an object that anyone with more than a feeble amount of strength could use esstially as a Stiletto-style weapon. And you thought it had to do with the aircraft...hmm.
Regarding your "everpresent rudeness and arrogance from public servants"...the street runs both ways. I will grant you that some folks I work with and around are at some times rude to someone that has not been so to them. Then again...
...the people that will stop the line for minutes at a time playing with their cell phones who then show disdain and disgust at being told to move forward, aren't helping.
...the mother who slips a 2" bare-bones pocket knife into her 5-year old's jacket because it "belonged to her Grandaddy" and she doesn't want to lose it, isn't helping.
...the
law-enforcement officer who got so disgusted that his belt kept alarming the walk-through metal detector that he charged through and threw it on the floor (and was then told by me personally "You are a law enforcement officer? Stop acting like a 2 year old, go back out, and put your belt into the X-ray") ISN"T HELPING.
And yes, as an American you have the right to be critical - please do. What you do not have the right to do is be the spreader of false information that is being conveyed as truth. For example:
We are being forced to play a role in this show, and those being entertained are the ones forcing us.
Wrong. In the grand scheme, you are chosing to fly. On the local level, you walk to the security line of
your own valition and place
your items on the x-ray belt to be screened.
TSA confiscated my antique zippo lighter, just because it had a butane torch insert. I had it in my checked luggage, which I thought would be okay
This is an item more commonly known as a "torch lighter" as opposed to a standard "flame lighter". The former is prohibited, the latter is not as long as you don't have more than 2 (btw attaching the word "antique" to any item has no effect on its availability to go/not go).
TH is right.... they have force you to be searched as you approach. They even search your bags if something looks funny inside during an x-Ray. Remove your shoes... walk through the metal detector.... and I recall people were taken at random in the past and told to undress or strip down further being a partition. Under what authority does the TSA have to do this? Is it all on condition that if you want to fly.... you have to do it?
Unfortunately, this is either BS or a misunderstanding of the location inviolved (I hope the latter). You
cannot be screened without your consent prior to entering the screening checkpoint
screening area - NOT the little rope line mind you, but the screening area. This is the area
beyond the metal detector and the ajoining x-ray units - any verbage given to you in the area outside these areas are for your personal benfit for when you do go through the screening area (things like taking off shoes, removing liquids for inspection, etc). There are "programs" for pre-screening area screening using various devices, but all of those require the officer to request your permission prior to screening anything.
Now regarding X-ray bag searches, once your property has entered the x-ray, the screening process has begun - there is no "reversal". If your item(s) have gone in but you are still outside waiting to go through the walk-through, you have to...
if you want your property back. You can still say "no I don't want to go through", but no one will handle your items to give them back (prevents people from putting items in x-ray and then walking away, potentially leaving somthing dangerous in the checkpoint). Once you yourself have gone though the walk-through metal detector, you have given your consent to be searched
at any time between that point and the time your leave the secure area at your final destination -
AT ANY TIME.
Any time people were "taken" to private screening areas, it is for one of a few reasons:
-Elderly/injured people with some sort brace/partition underneath their clothing that cannot be viewed in public
-People who have a money belt or some other item under their clothing
-People who have gone through hand-held metal detector screening who have alarmed and the alarm cannot be resolved by hand-pat down. (this is sometimes silly/stupid things, like one guy that had a brand-name metal plate attached to his undies
)
Remember, "private" area means an area as private as possible, which means it really does depend on the present airport screening facilities - rest assured we make it as private as physically possible.
Hey, PavePusher, it's a new world now. He's TSA, so he gets to tell you what rights you get to keep, haven't you heard?
I suppose the next complaints are about liquids and gels screening, pregnent women screening , screening of children , IE more complaining about keeping the complainers safe. Google is your friend, but hey, you can't be bothered so I'll do it for you:
Liquids
(^click video link)
Russian sucide bombing
Pregnant women
"Religious man"
Very small powder exp.
...and thats the publically available information - the "Sensitive" info thats not relayable is much much worse. (or better for convincing I should say).
As a final sidebar, people who complain about removing bulky sweatshirts, jackets etc need to watch any of the hundreds of prison shows that come on NatGeo/Discovery almost every week, paying close attention to the parts where the guards show you their display of improvised weapons - now think "what could possibly be dangerous that isn't metal?" :? Among other things, the above...
