I will never cease to be amazed at the stupidity of people. While I am at it, if anyone wants to complain at the procedures you guys utilize to keep us all safe, then tell them they can have a special flight chartered for non searched baggage and passengers, cos if you are prepared to get up in the morning and deal with the issues of global travel that we have today, I think everyone else should tow the line or just shut the hell up.
God Bless.
September 21, 2012 4:45 PM
Concerned Taxpayer said...
You still haven't convinced me that the body scanners are worth the cost and health risks. Your big catch this week was at least a weapon. Realistically, is a knife really that much of a threat on a plane anymore? I can't see any other outcome other than a severe beatdown of the passenger who pulls out a knife on a plane.
Why are they replacing the body scanners at BOS? Is it because of the health risks or the naked pictures that the backscatter x-ray scanners generate? It seems like such a waste of money to install the first set of machines and then replace them so soon.
I may have missed it, but did you mention the gun found at ABQ? It was being carried by a homeland security official and is mentioned in this article:
http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S2769787.shtml
September 21, 2012 5:14 PM
Anonymous said...
If people who try to board an aircraft with prohibited items were treated as criminals, which they are, and if our prisons weren't such a nice place to live actions like these would slowly cease.
September 21, 2012 5:19 PM
Anonymous said...
In reply to Skol: not all person mishandled at the check point are complaining about being searched, in general, instead what they are complaining about is being treated rudely. The people working for TSA are humans, but when working with large numbers of people, it is easy to become tired and stressed when working with so many people and passengers are sometimes mishandled: it is these mishandled passengers, sons, daughters, husbands, wives, who have complaints. We cannot broad brush all the complaints as insignificant. But yes, in the end, it is amazing how some people think they can get by with some of their "creative" ways in concealing illegal items as carry on.
September 21, 2012 7:17 PM
Anonymous said...
Knives are very much a treat because knives can be used to kill people. A person with a knife who kills someone puts the airplane passengers at risk. Scenario [just for argument sake]: you are sitting next to someone with a knife, you do not know they have a knife, you rest your head against your chair. The person with the knife turns off his ipod, reaches in his sock for a knife and then stabs you or slices your neck near the brachial or carotid atery. What do you do?
In Charlston, SC last May after a body scan, it was determined that there was a metal object in the groin area where my dungaree zipper was. I am 71 yrs old and was forced to submit to a full body search even after I offered to take off my dungarees! Obviously the zipper set off the scanner. I was told that there was no room for moving off rules in this regard. They were most professional, but I still did not enjoy having them pat my backside and my front side.
September 21, 2012 9:19 PM
Anonymous said...
In reply to concerned Taxpayer, it was 47 guns in one week and 38 were LOADED, not just one. Not to mention the gun powder, fuse, sword, bullets and all the other dangerous items. I'm all for TSA protecting us.
September 22, 2012 9:23 AM
Anonymous said...
People who are critical of the TSA still want security. We just think it could be handled better. Look at the items found this and every other week. They are almost always found by the traditional metal detector and baggage x-ray machine. The scanners have found some non-metal knives. However, I've been given larger metal knives in airport restaurants and on planes.
Let's say someone gets a knife on a plane. That person may stab and kill one or two people before being swarmed by other passengers. It would be a sad event, but nowhere near as tragic as 9/11. The 9/11 type event would never happen because of someone with a knife. Anyway what is stopping someone from stabbing you in the airport parking lot or just walking down the street? You are far more likely to get killed driving to the airport than on an airplane.
September 22, 2012 9:36 AM
Anonymous said...
Anonymous said... Knives are very much a treat because knives can be used to kill people. A person with a knife who kills someone puts the airplane passengers at risk.
It may put an individual or two at risk... maybe, assuming the person had ill intent to begin with.
But it doesn't put the plane at risk, because, while the knife holder may stab a person or two, they will not be able to take over the plane.
And as for the possible risk to the one or two people who may get stabbed- it's the same risk they take walking down the street (where there are no strip searches, and anyone may have a knife).
As for the person with ill intent- there are plenty of ways to kill one or two people on a plane, even after getting through the TSA 'security'. For instance, crack a CD or DVD in half and use the edge or point to "stab you or slice your neck". Or take their laptop and hit you in the head. Strangle you with a purse strap. Etc.
So, we have shown that a knife on a plane, while it can be used to harm a person or two (just like it can be used anywhere else), cannot be used to take over the plane. Thus, taking away the knife is useless, security-wise.
Also, taking a knife away from a person with ill intent will not stop them from harming or even killing. Thus, taking their knife is useless, security-wise.
To repeat- taking a knife away is useless.
September 22, 2012 9:37 AM
Insulin Pump User said...
I still want security, but I am tired of being treated like a criminal almost every time I fly. My crime is wearing an insulin pump. The pump manufacturer says not to use the body scanners due to the scanners possible ability to damage this life sustaining device.
When I'm selected for the body scanners, I have to involuntarily opt out. That means that I get a patdown. This patdown varies from airport to airport. I still feel that I am being touched too much in any case. However, some patdowns are more suited to entering prison. They involve multiple contact with my genitals (the TSA calls it "resistance"), hands inside my waistband, and my 1/2" long hair searched. It seems excessive. I'm more than willing to go through the metal detector and have my pump swabbed for explosives. I just object to being constantly touched just because I wear an insulin pump.
September 22, 2012 9:45 AM
Jami Higdon said...
Security procedures are put into place to keep everyone safe. I am more than happy to put up with all of the security protocols just to ensure that everything is safe. Yes it is inconvenient but in my opinion being involved in an incident just so we can accommodate everyone that wants to complain about it is unacceptable.
September 22, 2012 10:52 AM
Anonymous said...
@Skol:
These procedures don't keep you safe at all. If you consider how many guns and weapons are missed by the detectors, and how many of those missed items result in incidents on airplanes, you realize that these people wouldn't have caused any problems either.
September 22, 2012 1:05 PM
Chip said...
"..If people who try to board an aircraft with prohibited items were treated as criminals"
I suspect your tune would change quite a bit if the rules were to be changed just a bit to disfavor you in a situation. When something you have on your person is deemed by the TSA to be a prohibited item, on the spot because the TSA has that authority, and you are suddenly treated like the criminal you make everyone else out to be.... well what would you and that other person worried about being stabbed by the person in the next seat do? If the world is that scary to you maybe it is best if you just stay at home and leave things like Air Travel to the adults of the world who can judge for themselves the potential risks versus rewards that most everything else in the world requires to exist in what has become commonly called 'society.'
September 22, 2012 2:47 PM
Anonymous said...
I can't believe that people want to be safe but don't want to do anything to be that way. Since I have nothing to hide I don't care if I do have to be patted down if that makes me safe.
Do they auction this stuff??? I'd love to buy a couple of those pistols and knives!
September 22, 2012 8:27 PM
Anonymous said...
Only mothers with babies in arms should be allowed "certain" hand baggage. Is there any real need for hand baggage at all ? Isn't safety more important to people ? Should we not move towards that ?
September 23, 2012 5:31 AM
Anonymous said...
TSA locks are found missing from baggage. This is not encouraging but discouraging the use of TSA locks. Authorities should look into this.
I agree that these procedures don't keep you safe at all. If you consider how many guns and weapons are missed by the detectors, and how many of those missed items result in incidents on airplanes.
September 23, 2012 11:00 AM
Anonymous said...
" Anonymous said...
I can't believe that people want to be safe but don't want to do anything to be that way. Since I have nothing to hide I don't care if I do have to be patted down if that makes me safe."
-----------
So exactly how does searching you improve security and make you safe if you aren't hiding anything? Such a search is a waste of time, resources, and money.
But since you don't mind, I'm sure you have no problem if we come over to your house and take a look around. Just to keep you safe.
Is it me or are there more than the usual number of Anonymous TSA apologists on this thread? I mean how does someone get on a plane if their worried about the person sitting next to them slitting their throat? How does that person get on a bus or walk down the street?
Or the person who want to send everyone to prison who tries to bring on a knife.
Don't get me wrong, it's insane how many people attempt to hide LOADED guns in their luggage.
As everyone should know, you're more likely to die driving to the airport than in a terrorist attack. Sigh.
Is it me or are there more than the usual number of Anonymous TSA apologists on this thread? I mean how does someone get on a plane if their worried about the person sitting next to them slitting their throat? How does that person get on a bus or walk down the street?
Or the person who want to send everyone to prison who tries to bring on a knife.
Don't get me wrong, it's insane how many people attempt to hide LOADED guns in their luggage.
As everyone should know, you're more likely to die driving to the airport than in a terrorist attack. Sigh.
Peace, Randy
September 23, 2012 11:28 AM
Anonymous said...
To be completely safe, the TSA should make every passenger walk through the metal detector, use the body scanner, and get a full patdown. Wouldn't that be the only way to ensure safety? The TSA could come check your house before you go to the airport. After all, if you have nothing to hide, why would it bother you?
The TSA found lots of guns this week. So what? That's the bare minimum of their job requirement. If they can't find a gun, how much else would they miss. Wal Mart doesn't put out a press release when a cashier gives back correct change.
The body scanners seem like such a waste of money with possible negative health effects. Look at all the items found this week. Almost all of them would have been found with the safer, faster, and less intrusive metal detector.
September 23, 2012 11:52 AM
Anonymous said...
I am voting Republican in this election; I voted for Mr. Obama in 2008. I refuse to vote for any person or party who believes law-abiding taxpaying Americans must be groped or virtually strip searched by the TSA to board a domestic US flight. The next time your arms are above your heads and your legs are spread at an airport checkpoint, ask yourself if your happy with the direction of our country. American can, and must, do better! The current TSA practices are a disgrace.
Does a standard TSA Screening Pat Down require the TSA screener to make contact with a persons testicles, penis, labia, anal region, or breasts either directly or through a persons clothing?
Screen shot captured.
September 24, 2012 1:55 PM
Anonymous said...
In response to Concerned Taxpayer, TSORon has informed us elsewhere that the TSA is phasing out backscatter in favor of MMW with ATR.
screenshot
September 24, 2012 2:11 PM
Sandra said...
Yes, Randy, it does seem as if Bob has been rounding up his friends to post pro-TSA comments. It's so transparent.
Screen shot taken
September 24, 2012 2:19 PM
Anonymous said...
So my previous comment was not posted, apparently. Glad to see Blogger Bob is doing everything he can to serve the public!
September 24, 2012 5:20 PM
Anonymous said...
"They who can give up essential liberty, only to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety, and SHALL eventually lose BOTH." -Benjamin Franklin
"In my many years, I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm and three or more is a congress". -John Adams.
"The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution....So as, the second will not become the legalized version of the first". -Thomas Jefferson
"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led like sheep to the slaughter". - George Washington
"...Since I have nothing to hide I don't care if I do have to be patted down if that makes me safe."
First... Safety is not a Constitutional Right. Government is not here to make you 'safe.' And the specific problem with the 'safety' the TSA provides is exactly that the Government is providing it in a manner that we, the People, originally prohibited Government from doing. If a private firm wants to do what the TSA does then groovy. The TSA, however, is the Government and it has rules to follow that are supposed to have prevented it from doing what it has been doing, badly, for the last decade.
Then.... Having nothing to hide is not the same as showing all you got. This logic has been refuted time and time again, but since you obviously missed it the first several hundred times here goes: You have nothing to hide so you should have no problem telling me your Social Security Number, telling me your mothers maiden name, and your banking account numbers. I work for the government so I can be trusted, I promise.
September 25, 2012 4:37 PM
Anonymous said...
TSA notes that for many of the loaded firearms found in baggage the passengers had "simply forgotten" they were in their bag. This begs the question of whether someone who forgets a loaded gun in their bag should have a gun in the first place. People that careless and/or forgetful don't need guns.
September 26, 2012 1:36 PM
Anonymous said...
Bob, when will we get the usual whitewash about the TSA guy in Florida who stole an iPad?
You won't get a whitewash about the TSA guy in Florida. He was fired.
But how about some numbers to put ABC and Congress' "tip of the iceberg" into perspective.
Over the last 10 years TSA has employed in excess of 190,000 individuals as airport screeners. 381 of them have been fired for criminal acts. That is around 1/10th of 1%. Not too bad considering 3% of the entire U.S. population are under correctional supervision (incarcerated or on probation/parole) Or how about this nice little tidbit. In the time that TSA has existed, 2.5% of all Congressional Representative and Senators have been convicted of felonies. If TSA's 381 are the tip of the iceberg then Congress is Antarctica.
September 28, 2012 5:20 PM
Anonymous said...
@ Anonymous
Comparing TSA screeners to our elected officials is a straw man argument. One has absolutely nothing to do with the other.
Better to compare the number of criminal screeners to criminal DMV clerks.
And neither comparisons change the fact that too many screeners have too much access to our private property and too many of them are dishonest.
October 2, 2012 11:57 PM
Anonymous said...
I've flown multiple times with pepper spray and a kubaton in my bag that I'd forgotten. A friend flew international from vacation with a 30" spear tip...brought on the plane. He noted ironically that the TSA confiscated his nail clippers on that trip. I deliberately flew with 2 quarts of alcohol in soft flasks. Those sailed right through while they took my sunscreen because it was 6oz. instead of 3oz.
I'm all for confiscating obvious weapons, but honestly, the biggest changes to airplane safety happened because we reinforced cockpit doors, and now passengers know not to sit quietly during a hostage situation.
October 4, 2012 12:42 PM
TSORon said...
Anonymous said... [[In response to Concerned Taxpayer, TSORon has informed us elsewhere that the TSA is phasing out backscatter in favor of MMW with ATR.
screenshot September 24, 2012 2:11 PM]]
No Anon, I didn’t. You should have read my post more carefully instead of posting your misconception here.
I am a Sheep Dog, not a sheep. I stand up to defend myself and others. That said, here is my ridiculous suggestion to appease everyone. Simple segregation, Separate flights and separate ends of airport. Those who believe TSA is doing a fabulous job at one end of the airport to wait in line and be accosted. Those who believe they will ban together to fight back against hostile attackers and take their own risks with the way things used to be before Sept 11, on another flight at the other end of airport. Make me sign a waver and send me on my way. Have air traffic control monitor our high risk flights and shoot our asses down if we fail in our attempt to stop the attackers. We knew our risks. I am a firm believer if someone manages to take away everything on earth that is capable of hurting us in some way, we will all be dead anyways. Just give someone to much water or oxygen to see what I mean. Sincerely, Sheep Dog
October 5, 2012 11:34 PM
Anonymous said...
I do believe in security and traveling safe. Even if it means being inconvienced to protect that safety. What I don't agree with I or other people research the TSA website for what is allowed or not allowed and special requests that can be made. Case in point several weeks ago in the news a woman while on a plane found a firearm in her purse which the TSA failed to find. Sure they have found many firearms, yet failing to find one is one too many mistakes. Now a woman with leukemia had her privacy violated and an IV bag ripped open. As a nurse, I am appalled that the TSA who is supposed to be trained and know by the book that such courtesy should be extended to people who ask such request is unacceptable.
How many more unfortunate stories do we have to hear before something is done. How many more people have to be humiliated before TSA agents understand that these are people you are being insensitive to. These agents should be re-trained add more sensitivity training towards people. These agents must be more respectful, these are husbands, wives, sons and daughters, how would they feel if their mother or father, their grandmother or ill family member were treated like this? It only makes me sad that we as humans, cannot be humane to others......
October 10, 2012 1:13 AM
[Image]
Black
Powder and Other Items Discovered During Bag Search – While resolving an explosives alarm at Grand Junction (GJT), TSA Officers discovered three - 2 lb. cans of black
powder, detonation cords, and a timing fuse. The passenger stated he was
transporting property from his father’s home,
which was used to remove tree stumps.
[Image]
Non
Metallic Knife Discovered With Body Scanner – A non metallic
knife was discovered in the ankle area of a Houston (IAH) passenger. The knife
was found during a pat-down after being detected by a body scanner.
[Image]
Inert Grenades Etc. –
We continue to find inert hand grenades and
other weaponry on weekly basis. Please keep in mind that if an item looks like a bomb, grenade, mine, etc., it is
prohibited - real or not. When these items are found at a checkpoint, they can
cause significant delays. I know they are cool novelty items, but it is best
not to take them on a plane. Read here
and here on
why inert items cause problems.
A Mark 24 shock tube
initiator used to detonate explosives was discovered during a bag search at San
Diego (SAN).
Three inert grenades
were discovered this week: Two at San Francisco (SFO) and one at Norfolk (ORF).
An inert 20 mm round
was discovered at San Francisco (SFO).
[Image]
[Image]
Items in the Strangest
Places –It’s important to check your bags prior to
traveling. If a prohibited item is discovered in your bag, you could be cited
and possibly arrested by local law
enforcement. Here are a few examples from this week where prohibited items were
found in strange places.
A .22 caliber magazine
was discovered wrapped in aluminum foil inside a DVD player at Fresno (FAT).
Sharper vision? A knife
was discovered inside a box of contact lenses at Milwaukee (MKE).
A cane sword was
discovered at Albuquerque (ABQ).
Stun
Guns – Five
stun guns were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints around the nation:
Akron (CAK), San Francisco (SFO), New York Kennedy (JFK), Birmingham
(BHM), and Denver (DEN)
[Image]
Miscellaneous
Prohibited Items - In addition to all of the other
prohibited items we find weekly, our Officers also regularly find firearm
components, realistic replica firearms, bb and pellet guns, Airsoft guns, brass
knuckles, ammunition, batons, and a lot of sharp pointy things -- to mention
a few…
Firearms
-
Here are pictures of some of the firearms our Officers found in carry-on baggage since I posted
last Friday. See a complete list below.
[Image]
[Image]
[Image]
[Image]
[Image]
[Image]
[Image]
You can travel with
your firearms in checked baggage, but they must first be declared to the
airline.You
can go here for more details on how to properly travel with your firearms.
Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality. Travelers should
familiarize themselves with state and local firearm laws for each point of
travel prior to departure.
Unfortunately these
sorts of occurrences are all too frequent which is why we talk about these
finds. Sure, it’s great to share the things that our officers are finding, but
at the same time, each time we find a dangerous item, the throughput is slowed
down and a passenger that likely had no ill intent ends up with a citation or
in some cases is even arrested. This is a friendly reminder to please leave
these items at home. Just because we find a prohibited item on an individual
does not mean they had bad intentions, that's for the law enforcement officer
to decide. In many cases, people simply forgot they had these items.
Bob
BurnsTSA
Blog Team If you have a travel
related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact us by
clicking here.
posted by Bob Burns (TSA Blog Team) at 4:01 PM on Sep 21, 2012
"TSA Week in Review: 6 lbs. of Black Powder, Detonation Cords, and Timing Fuse Discovered in Colorado"
38 Comments -
I will never cease to be amazed at the stupidity of people.
While I am at it, if anyone wants to complain at the procedures you guys utilize to keep us all safe, then tell them they can have a special flight chartered for non searched baggage and passengers, cos if you are prepared to get up in the morning and deal with the issues of global travel that we have today, I think everyone else should tow the line or just shut the hell up.
God Bless.
September 21, 2012 4:45 PM
You still haven't convinced me that the body scanners are worth the cost and health risks. Your big catch this week was at least a weapon. Realistically, is a knife really that much of a threat on a plane anymore? I can't see any other outcome other than a severe beatdown of the passenger who pulls out a knife on a plane.
Why are they replacing the body scanners at BOS? Is it because of the health risks or the naked pictures that the backscatter x-ray scanners generate? It seems like such a waste of money to install the first set of machines and then replace them so soon.
I may have missed it, but did you mention the gun found at ABQ? It was being carried by a homeland security official and is mentioned in this article:
http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S2769787.shtml
September 21, 2012 5:14 PM
If people who try to board an aircraft with prohibited items were treated as criminals, which they are, and if our prisons weren't such a nice place to live actions like these would slowly cease.
September 21, 2012 5:19 PM
In reply to Skol: not all person mishandled at the check point are complaining about being searched, in general, instead what they are complaining about is being treated rudely. The people working for TSA are humans, but when working with large numbers of people, it is easy to become tired and stressed when working with so many people and passengers are sometimes mishandled: it is these mishandled passengers, sons, daughters, husbands, wives, who have complaints. We cannot broad brush all the complaints as insignificant. But yes, in the end, it is amazing how some people think they can get by with some of their "creative" ways in concealing illegal items as carry on.
September 21, 2012 7:17 PM
Knives are very much a treat because knives can be used to kill people. A person with a knife who kills someone puts the airplane passengers at risk.
Scenario [just for argument sake]: you are sitting next to someone with a knife, you do not know they have a knife, you rest your head against your chair. The person with the knife turns off his ipod, reaches in his sock for a knife and then stabs you or slices your neck near the brachial or carotid atery. What do you do?
September 21, 2012 7:23 PM
Wow! Where have these people been?
September 21, 2012 8:46 PM
In Charlston, SC last May after a body scan, it was determined that there was a metal object in the groin area where my dungaree zipper was. I am 71 yrs old and was forced to submit to a full body search even after I offered to take off my dungarees! Obviously the zipper set off the scanner. I was told that there was no room for moving off rules in this regard. They were most professional, but I still did not enjoy having them pat my backside and my front side.
September 21, 2012 9:19 PM
In reply to concerned Taxpayer, it was 47 guns in one week and 38 were LOADED, not just one. Not to mention the gun powder, fuse, sword, bullets and all the other dangerous items. I'm all for TSA protecting us.
September 22, 2012 9:23 AM
People who are critical of the TSA still want security. We just think it could be handled better. Look at the items found this and every other week. They are almost always found by the traditional metal detector and baggage x-ray machine. The scanners have found some non-metal knives. However, I've been given larger metal knives in airport restaurants and on planes.
Let's say someone gets a knife on a plane. That person may stab and kill one or two people before being swarmed by other passengers. It would be a sad event, but nowhere near as tragic as 9/11. The 9/11 type event would never happen because of someone with a knife. Anyway what is stopping someone from stabbing you in the airport parking lot or just walking down the street? You are far more likely to get killed driving to the airport than on an airplane.
September 22, 2012 9:36 AM
Anonymous said...
Knives are very much a treat because knives can be used to kill people. A person with a knife who kills someone puts the airplane passengers at risk.
It may put an individual or two at risk... maybe, assuming the person had ill intent to begin with.
But it doesn't put the plane at risk, because, while the knife holder may stab a person or two, they will not be able to take over the plane.
And as for the possible risk to the one or two people who may get stabbed- it's the same risk they take walking down the street (where there are no strip searches, and anyone may have a knife).
As for the person with ill intent- there are plenty of ways to kill one or two people on a plane, even after getting through the TSA 'security'. For instance, crack a CD or DVD in half and use the edge or point to "stab you or slice your neck". Or take their laptop and hit you in the head. Strangle you with a purse strap. Etc.
So, we have shown that a knife on a plane, while it can be used to harm a person or two (just like it can be used anywhere else), cannot be used to take over the plane. Thus, taking away the knife is useless, security-wise.
Also, taking a knife away from a person with ill intent will not stop them from harming or even killing. Thus, taking their knife is useless, security-wise.
To repeat- taking a knife away is useless.
September 22, 2012 9:37 AM
I still want security, but I am tired of being treated like a criminal almost every time I fly. My crime is wearing an insulin pump. The pump manufacturer says not to use the body scanners due to the scanners possible ability to damage this life sustaining device.
When I'm selected for the body scanners, I have to involuntarily opt out. That means that I get a patdown. This patdown varies from airport to airport. I still feel that I am being touched too much in any case. However, some patdowns are more suited to entering prison. They involve multiple contact with my genitals (the TSA calls it "resistance"), hands inside my waistband, and my 1/2" long hair searched. It seems excessive. I'm more than willing to go through the metal detector and have my pump swabbed for explosives. I just object to being constantly touched just because I wear an insulin pump.
September 22, 2012 9:45 AM
Security procedures are put into place to keep everyone safe. I am more than happy to put up with all of the security protocols just to ensure that everything is safe. Yes it is inconvenient but in my opinion being involved in an incident just so we can accommodate everyone that wants to complain about it is unacceptable.
September 22, 2012 10:52 AM
@Skol:
These procedures don't keep you safe at all. If you consider how many guns and weapons are missed by the detectors, and how many of those missed items result in incidents on airplanes, you realize that these people wouldn't have caused any problems either.
September 22, 2012 1:05 PM
"..If people who try to board an aircraft with prohibited items were treated as criminals"
I suspect your tune would change quite a bit if the rules were to be changed just a bit to disfavor you in a situation. When something you have on your person is deemed by the TSA to be a prohibited item, on the spot because the TSA has that authority, and you are suddenly treated like the criminal you make everyone else out to be.... well what would you and that other person worried about being stabbed by the person in the next seat do? If the world is that scary to you maybe it is best if you just stay at home and leave things like Air Travel to the adults of the world who can judge for themselves the potential risks versus rewards that most everything else in the world requires to exist in what has become commonly called 'society.'
September 22, 2012 2:47 PM
I can't believe that people want to be safe but don't want to do anything to be that way. Since I have nothing to hide I don't care if I do have to be patted down if that makes me safe.
September 22, 2012 3:59 PM
Do they auction this stuff??? I'd love to buy a couple of those pistols and knives!
September 22, 2012 8:27 PM
Only mothers with babies in arms should be allowed "certain" hand baggage. Is there any real need for hand baggage at all ? Isn't safety more important to people ? Should we not move towards that ?
September 23, 2012 5:31 AM
TSA locks are found missing from baggage. This is not encouraging but discouraging the use of TSA locks. Authorities should look into this.
September 23, 2012 5:35 AM
I agree that these procedures don't keep you safe at all. If you consider how many guns and weapons are missed by the detectors, and how many of those missed items result in incidents on airplanes.
September 23, 2012 11:00 AM
" Anonymous said...
I can't believe that people want to be safe but don't want to do anything to be that way. Since I have nothing to hide I don't care if I do have to be patted down if that makes me safe."
-----------
So exactly how does searching you improve security and make you safe if you aren't hiding anything? Such a search is a waste of time, resources, and money.
But since you don't mind, I'm sure you have no problem if we come over to your house and take a look around. Just to keep you safe.
September 23, 2012 11:21 AM
Is it me or are there more than the usual number of Anonymous TSA apologists on this thread? I mean how does someone get on a plane if their worried about the person sitting next to them slitting their throat? How does that person get on a bus or walk down the street?
Or the person who want to send everyone to prison who tries to bring on a knife.
Don't get me wrong, it's insane how many people attempt to hide LOADED guns in their luggage.
As everyone should know, you're more likely to die driving to the airport than in a terrorist attack. Sigh.
Peace,
Randy
September 23, 2012 11:28 AM
Is it me or are there more than the usual number of Anonymous TSA apologists on this thread? I mean how does someone get on a plane if their worried about the person sitting next to them slitting their throat? How does that person get on a bus or walk down the street?
Or the person who want to send everyone to prison who tries to bring on a knife.
Don't get me wrong, it's insane how many people attempt to hide LOADED guns in their luggage.
As everyone should know, you're more likely to die driving to the airport than in a terrorist attack. Sigh.
Peace,
Randy
September 23, 2012 11:28 AM
To be completely safe, the TSA should make every passenger walk through the metal detector, use the body scanner, and get a full patdown. Wouldn't that be the only way to ensure safety? The TSA could come check your house before you go to the airport. After all, if you have nothing to hide, why would it bother you?
The TSA found lots of guns this week. So what? That's the bare minimum of their job requirement. If they can't find a gun, how much else would they miss. Wal Mart doesn't put out a press release when a cashier gives back correct change.
The body scanners seem like such a waste of money with possible negative health effects. Look at all the items found this week. Almost all of them would have been found with the safer, faster, and less intrusive metal detector.
September 23, 2012 11:52 AM
I am voting Republican in this election; I voted for Mr. Obama in 2008. I refuse to vote for any person or party who believes law-abiding taxpaying Americans must be groped or virtually strip searched by the TSA to board a domestic US flight. The next time your arms are above your heads and your legs are spread at an airport checkpoint, ask yourself if your happy with the direction of our country. American can, and must, do better! The current TSA practices are a disgrace.
September 23, 2012 6:40 PM
Question for the TSA Blog Team.
Does a standard TSA Screening Pat Down require the TSA screener to make contact with a persons testicles, penis, labia, anal region, or breasts either directly or through a persons clothing?
Screen shot captured.
September 24, 2012 1:55 PM
In response to Concerned Taxpayer, TSORon has informed us elsewhere that the TSA is phasing out backscatter in favor of MMW with ATR.
screenshot
September 24, 2012 2:11 PM
Yes, Randy, it does seem as if Bob has been rounding up his friends to post pro-TSA comments. It's so transparent.
Screen shot taken
September 24, 2012 2:19 PM
So my previous comment was not posted, apparently. Glad to see Blogger Bob is doing everything he can to serve the public!
September 24, 2012 5:20 PM
"They who can give up essential liberty, only to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety, and SHALL eventually lose BOTH." -Benjamin Franklin
"In my many years, I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm and three or more is a congress". -John Adams.
"The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution....So as, the second will not become the legalized version of the first".
-Thomas Jefferson
"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led like sheep to the slaughter". - George Washington
September 25, 2012 11:46 AM
"...Since I have nothing to hide I don't care if I do have to be patted down if that makes me safe."
First... Safety is not a Constitutional Right. Government is not here to make you 'safe.' And the specific problem with the 'safety' the TSA provides is exactly that the Government is providing it in a manner that we, the People, originally prohibited Government from doing. If a private firm wants to do what the TSA does then groovy. The TSA, however, is the Government and it has rules to follow that are supposed to have prevented it from doing what it has been doing, badly, for the last decade.
Then.... Having nothing to hide is not the same as showing all you got. This logic has been refuted time and time again, but since you obviously missed it the first several hundred times here goes: You have nothing to hide so you should have no problem telling me your Social Security Number, telling me your mothers maiden name, and your banking account numbers. I work for the government so I can be trusted, I promise.
September 25, 2012 4:37 PM
TSA notes that for many of the loaded firearms found in baggage the passengers had "simply forgotten" they were in their bag. This begs the question of whether someone who forgets a loaded gun in their bag should have a gun in the first place. People that careless and/or forgetful don't need guns.
September 26, 2012 1:36 PM
Bob, when will we get the usual whitewash about the TSA guy in Florida who stole an iPad?
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/abc-news-tracks-missing-ipad-florida-home-tsa/story?id=17331937#.UGRDOlG6n9Y
September 27, 2012 12:13 PM
You won't get a whitewash about the TSA guy in Florida. He was fired.
But how about some numbers to put ABC and Congress' "tip of the iceberg" into perspective.
Over the last 10 years TSA has employed in excess of 190,000 individuals as airport screeners. 381 of them have been fired for criminal acts. That is around 1/10th of 1%. Not too bad considering 3% of the entire U.S. population are under correctional supervision (incarcerated or on probation/parole)
Or how about this nice little tidbit. In the time that TSA has existed, 2.5% of all Congressional Representative and Senators have been convicted of felonies.
If TSA's 381 are the tip of the iceberg then Congress is Antarctica.
September 28, 2012 5:20 PM
@ Anonymous
Comparing TSA screeners to our elected officials is a straw man argument. One has absolutely nothing to do with the other.
Better to compare the number of criminal screeners to criminal DMV clerks.
And neither comparisons change the fact that too many screeners have too much access to our private property and too many of them are dishonest.
October 2, 2012 11:57 PM
I've flown multiple times with pepper spray and a kubaton in my bag that I'd forgotten. A friend flew international from vacation with a 30" spear tip...brought on the plane. He noted ironically that the TSA confiscated his nail clippers on that trip. I deliberately flew with 2 quarts of alcohol in soft flasks. Those sailed right through while they took my sunscreen because it was 6oz. instead of 3oz.
I'm all for confiscating obvious weapons, but honestly, the biggest changes to airplane safety happened because we reinforced cockpit doors, and now passengers know not to sit quietly during a hostage situation.
October 4, 2012 12:42 PM
Anonymous said...
[[In response to Concerned Taxpayer, TSORon has informed us elsewhere that the TSA is phasing out backscatter in favor of MMW with ATR.
screenshot
September 24, 2012 2:11 PM]]
No Anon, I didn’t. You should have read my post more carefully instead of posting your misconception here.
October 4, 2012 1:54 PM
I am a Sheep Dog, not a sheep.
I stand up to defend myself and others. That said, here is my ridiculous suggestion to appease everyone.
Simple segregation, Separate flights and separate ends of airport. Those who believe TSA is doing a fabulous job at one end of the airport to wait in line and be accosted.
Those who believe they will ban together to fight back against hostile attackers and take their own risks with the way things used to be before Sept 11, on another flight at the other end of airport. Make me sign a waver and send me on my way. Have air traffic control monitor our high risk flights and shoot our asses down if we fail in our attempt to stop the attackers. We knew our risks.
I am a firm believer if someone manages to take away everything on earth that is capable of hurting us in some way, we will all be dead anyways. Just give someone to much water or oxygen to see what I mean.
Sincerely, Sheep Dog
October 5, 2012 11:34 PM
I do believe in security and traveling safe. Even if it means being inconvienced to protect that safety. What I don't agree with I or other people research the TSA website for what is allowed or not allowed and special requests that can be made. Case in point several weeks ago in the news a woman while on a plane found a firearm in her purse which the TSA failed to find. Sure they have found many firearms, yet failing to find one is one too many mistakes. Now a woman with leukemia had her privacy violated and an IV bag ripped open. As a nurse, I am appalled that the TSA who is supposed to be trained and know by the book that such courtesy should be extended to people who ask such request is unacceptable.
How many more unfortunate stories do we have to hear before something is done. How many more people have to be humiliated before TSA agents understand that these are people you are being insensitive to. These agents should be re-trained add more sensitivity training towards people. These agents must be more respectful, these are husbands, wives, sons and daughters, how would they feel if their mother or father, their grandmother or ill family member were treated like this? It only makes me sad that we as humans, cannot be humane to others......
October 10, 2012 1:13 AM