- As a father of two small children, I empathized with her about the alleged circumstances.
- As a TSA employee and former TSO, I felt it could not be true -- especially since our policy is that TSA will not ask parents to do anything that would distance them from their children during the screening process.
After watching the video footage, you'll see the video clearly shows that this individual was never separated from her baby by TSA. You'll also see that a lot of the other claims are also unfounded.
Blogger Bob
TSA Blog Team
***Update - 10/18/09 - 7:00 PM***
On Friday, TSA posted the video footage pertaining to the portion of the process where the individual said that TSA removed her child from her presence. There are 9 camera angles of the incident which were placed into sequence to show the time frame in question. For full transparency, TSA is posting the entirety of the footage from each camera of the entire time the passenger was within camera range at the checkpoint.
Part 1 - Entering Checkpoint
Part 2 - Loading Items on X-ray
Part 3 - Waiting to be Screened (Different Angle)
Part 4 - Waiting to be Screened
Part 5 - Walking to Screening Area
Part 6 - Security Screening
Part 7 - Security Screening (Different Angle)
Part 8 - Exiting Checkpoint
Part 9 - Exiting Checkpoint (Different Angle)
Also, TSA's Atlanta Federal Security Director and the TSA blog team reached out to the individual on behalf of TSA on more than one occasion regarding the incident and have not heard back.
The individual has also acknowledged on her blog that this is her in our CCTV footage.
Thanks ~ Blogger Bob
462 comments:
1 – 200 of 462 Newer› Newest»I'm glad you posted the video of this. When I read this lady's blog something just didn't seem right with her story.
I am very interested to see Nic's response to this. From her blog entry, her "reality" of what happened during this situation was very different from, well... reality.
- Shannon in CO
If indeed that is the woman and child involved in the story, the video does not match in any way the verbal story she told.
Thank you for posting the video, Bob!
Even earlier I was wondering about some of what appeared to be discrepancies in her story.
Take care,
Tom
Even though her claim of the baby being taken was not correct, the process took way to long and was completely inefficient. Your agents seems to care less that she was with a baby and intentionally worked at a snail's pace. TSA is there to protect us, not use travelers as a means to feel almighty and powerful. As a mother who has traveled with a child, I too would be upset if my screening took close to 8 minutes! Do they not teach common sense and efficiency in the two-week agent course?
Thanks for posting the video. Improper conduct by TSOs is entirely unacceptable, but so is this woman's fiction.
Nic should be ashamed of herself. Her story was almost entirely made up. She owes an apology to all the TSA officers she has defamed.
From the start of that video til the end is 15 minutes. It takes 15 minutes to check someone through if they set off the detector?? That is a joke and so inefficent, you should be embarrassed.
And what's with the plastic box? Why not deal with that person immediately if they are considered a threat!!
I'll wait to see what Nicole's response is, because I wonder if that is even her in the video, because that woman seemed very calm through the entire ordeal. The child is never even handled by anyone else as the mother places the child in the pram while she is being searched.
Sadly, the terrorists have already won, because they have turned our every day lives into one security search after another, with all of us being seen as potential terrorists. They must be laughing their heads off! :(
I am dumbfounded by what I read vs. what I just watched. I have no idea what to say.
Everyone seems so quick to condem this woman. First, this is edited video. Does that not raise alarm bells with anyone? Second, its possible that in her panicked state, she got the order of things confused. Third, the burn in of the time seems super imposed, as if it was hiding the real times. Proper watermarked time footage should have transparency. I'd say the original footage did. Fourth, how do you commenters even know this is the same person?
I'm personally disgusted that a woman with a baby would be put in a glass cage for everyone to see - it must be humiliating. Fortunately I live in a civilised country, unlike the US..
Thank you very much for putting this up Bob! It's important that we can get both sides of claims like this.
People lie, exaggerate, and dramatize all the time, so seeing both sides of this story wasn't much of a surprise.
However, as someone who works daily with security that is even stricter than TSA, I was surprised at what your video reveals about TSA operations.
First thought: is there no second chance to clear the WTMD? Beep, and get directed into the chute for secondary screening? (I haven't flown since 2000, so I honestly don't know.) That's how it appears from the video. It would be much better to allow passengers to remove items that don't clear, pass them through x-ray, and then clear the WTMD.
Next thought: when she's directed for additional screening, she doesn't have control over her carry-on. Who's responsible for those items? If she does have control of them before final clearance, that's a security breach: mixing cleared and uncleared items. If she doesn't, it's a different security breach: anyone could wander off with her stuff.
Next: there are all kinds of people wandering through, next to, right beside, etc., the passenger while she's waiting for additional screening, when she's not physically isolated nor even under constant visual supervision. If we assume the binky clip was really a big knife, she could have dumped it or passed it off while waiting.
Finally: it was cute that the blur box was superimposed while she was being wanded and patted down. I assume that was both for her privacy, and "security reasons", but again: multiple passengers were wandering through and right next to the entire procedure. There was no privacy to protect, and the security procedure was on display for everyone to see.
In short: the blogger was wrong to make up the story. And TSA procedures are still more about theater than security.
What the heck is with the little plastic holding area? Talk about disrespectful.
Also why was she just left there and ignored without being told what was going on? No Chair? What about her belongings?
For all I know this is someone else, the story on the blog rings true to me, since I know the TSA to be that respectful and to mistakenly think that they're police officers.
That video bears NO resemblance to the womans story what-so-ever.
@Amanda
> Even though her claim of the baby being taken was not correct, the process took way to long and was completely inefficient.
10 minutes total? Come on, could definitely be better but it's not quite a harrowing experience either.
Thanks for the video. I appreciate the TSA's response to this.
What the heck, I can't sleep tonight anyway.
Here's my log of the video:
11:01:39 through metal detector
11:02:00 asked to wait past metal detector. Her stuff is backing up the convey. The mom is visibly annoyed at this point.
11:02:48-3:00 other lady moves her stuff for her
11:03:30 the mom is yelling and waving to get TSA's attention
11:03:49 Female TSA agent lets her out of the first holding area
11:04:07 the mom is yelling
11:04:11 covers mouth, looks like she's going to cry
11:04:32 sitting in the screening area with son on her lap
11:04:04 TSA supervisor (presumably) asks her to calm down, TSA is moving her stuff near her
11:05:28 Male TSA agent screens the kid while he's sitting on his mom's lap
11:05:42 the mom puts the son in the stroller
11:06:15-6:50 The female TSA agent screens the mom. The son is in the stroller 3 feet in front of the mom. The mom removes something from her shoe and puts it on the table.
11:07:20-9:35 The female TSA agent rescreens the mom
11:09:35 the mom is cleared to go. She loads her stuff and leaves at 11:10:29
To summarize: She begins to get annoyed in 30 seconds, and starts yelling after 2 minutes. All told, she had to wait 8 minutes exactly.
Notable discrepancies -- the son was not picked up by the TSA agent. The son was not moved out of sight by the TSA agent. And the lady didn't make any secret cell phone calls.
I am curious to see what Nic's response is as well.
Epic great job posting this video to EVERYONE she talked to this to on Twitter... I laughed so hard when I saw how many people you posted it to! HahahahaHAHAHAhahaha... crazy lady
In the circumstances (travelling alone with baby, at risk of missing flight) I'm sure the 9 minutes seemed 2 or 3 times as long. Also, there is no audio, so we can't know what the TSOs are saying, or how agitated the traveller was. Yes she exaggerated, but I'd cut the woman some slack. Looks like it could have been handled more quickly and empathetically.
If the video is actually the particular woman from the blog entry, then indeed she lied and fabricated the bulk of her story.
Echoing Amanda's comments, the screening process shown in the video is a joke. The woman is kept in the "box" for over a minute and a half! The TSA agents shown operate at a pace that is best measured in geological epochs, instead of minutes.
Nonetheless, thank you for posting the video.
How do we know that this is even the same incident? Where's the evidence?
You're sure that this is the same person, the same story? Not that I doubt your honesty, but this video seems to only slightly similar to the events described in the blog post.
If that is her, then this woman needs some serious psychological help, as she's hallucinating.
The TSA is still actively and loudly enforcing a policy based on a fear of something which has proven is physically impossible, do you truly expect anyone to believe that this video was not either a real video that conveniently resembled what you wanted us to believe or alternatively faked entirely in a real airport?
The TSA has been evaluated by just about every real expert on real security out there and been soundly determined to offer literally nothing but a visual security "theatre".
I'll honestly be surprised if this comment gets through, because I can't be the only person who doesn't believe the TSA's side of the story...yet there are NO truly negative (toward TSA) comments on here.
I don't believe this is the same woman/child as the blog. Certainly it's possible she got some details not quite right, because even she baldly states that she was having a panic attack. It's hard to objectively observe in the midst of those. However, because NOTHING else besides there being a woman, a child, and a plastic box involved matches - there's no proof whatsoever that this video is even of the woman claiming that TSA took her child out of her sight.
Setting aside the utterly dystopic visuals of "free Americans" being forced to disrobe or stand in plastic boxes as a government-imposed condition of travel, this video does not portray any kind of reasonable screening process.
Why is the mother, carrying a heavy-ish child, forced to stand in "the box" for all that time? And what, exactly, is happening when the TSO apparently sits her down for what appears to be a lecture?
While it is nice that TSA didn't abduct the child as claimed, I would expect TSA's explanation of this video to go a little bit beyond the very low bar of "see, we're not really kidnappers".
Show some professionalism, and explain the long "time out" in the box, and the apparent long period of hectoring thereafter, and how these comport with TSA's expectations of TSO conduct and performance.
And the lady killed comments from her blog post after the truth was found out. But not the blog post itself. And of course she's probably earning a little money off the ads right now from her lies.
This doesn't excuse the TSA's conduct in the matter - she should have just been allowed to go through the scanner again. The TSA's overall bureaucracy is costing our country in image and in economy. We might have got the Olympics if our TSOs on the front line were a little less incompetent.
I look forward to her response too - amusingly comments now seem to be disabled on her blog, after they hit 316 on that entry.
The only question remaining in my mind is this - are you 100% certain that this is right checkpoint/time/etc?
@Amanda
It's very easy to chomp at the bit when it comes to the TSA in this case, and your points are valid about delays and procedures at the airport.
However her story should not have been twisted in such a manner that now her dishonesty over the incident will be the primary talking point, overshadowing the incident itself.
She could have used her common sense and talked about the delay as it happened i.e. the truth, and many would have had support by alot of people with similar experiences.
Now her dishonesty will be the primary talking point and she will be looked at as the instigator of 15 mins of fame by exaggerating.
Thank you TSA blog for putting up the video. I guess you guys and girls are guilty until proven innocent.
The dingos ate ma baby!
@Amanda
So you think it's completely okay for someone to slander the TSA for not going as fast as they wanted?
It appears she was angry she made a poor decision to be embarrassingly late to her flight, and decided to pin the blame on her insane fiction.
For those who want to compare her blog post with the video, here it is:
http://www.mybottlesup.com/tsa-agents-took-my-son/
Depending on which airport you are at, you'll experience completely different levels of 'security' if you have a child. Strangely, I've had better experiences and less hassle from your guys at LAX than at my small hometown regional airport. It's inconsistent. And intrusive, when they check every single factory sealed formula bottle. Coming to the US is my least favorite trip, and I'm a citizen. I have GREAT concerns about the big brother sensibilities with children when I see stories like this: http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/9uy7q/you_know_that_lady_who_claimed_that_tsa_agents/ YIKES.
I look forward to further salvos of transparency like this one -- even when your TSA agents are in the wrong.
You think this women had it bad. Try getting a baby pony through security.
Funny how any citizen who takes photographs/video in line at your security checkpoint is subject to arrest; but when it suits your propaganda needs, you'll release detailed video of your procedures.
How do we know this is the woman? How did you know it was her? Over 2 million passengers go through US airports every day.
It's amusing that people still choose to believe what is clearly a delusional and over-emotional blogger over CCTV footage of the event. Crazy.
She clearly thought she could spin a yarn unchecked, then her readers started emailing the TSA. Well done to the TSA for responding.
Don't worry TSA, while this story was overblown, your violation of basic human rights and complete lack of common sense in order to provide the theater of security is intact. You can still be lauded as heroes saving us from dangerous things like bottles of water and coffee purchased less than 100 yards from your scanners.
All of your overbearing fear mongering still begs the question. When your internal tests s successfully get bombs through security ~50% of the time, if some boogy monster really was trying to get us, wouldn't they have success by now? Since your own personnel routinely report that you fail half of the time it is only logical to assume that is the case.
Good for you TSA, a perfect lesson in rumor handling.
@ Anonymous and the others who have asked the same question:
How do we know this is the woman? How did you know it was her? Over 2 million passengers go through US airports every day.
Thanks for reading the blog and for your comment.
As soon as we saw the blog post, we reached out to the Atlanta airport. TSA at the Atlanta airport contacted Nic, but she didn't respond.
The blog post gave some key details: the airport, the gate (which can pinpoint the checkpoint)and an approximate time. The post also notes things that happened - the passenger calling out to people and officers from the holding area, and a female passenger getting Nic's bags for her. All of these details were helpful.
The blog has numerous pictures of the woman, the baby and the stroller. They match the video.
We take claims like this seriously, and the TSA staff at ATL used the information to pull the CCTV tape within a window of time that matched details in the blog post.
Nic was contacted more than once by TSA yesterday, but as of last night, had not responded.
I totally agree with a few of the Anons. How on earth can we be sure that this is the same person? The picture is blurred, at best, and considering the huge amount of people that pass through airports each day -- and the fact that there is NO indicator that this is even Atlanta airport -- how can we be sure that this is evidence against Nic?
After all, the TSA has been crticized badly enough in the past. I wouldn't put it past them to post a video with another person just to stop the media from breathing down their back.
Oh, and having the comments stopped? Of course, that simply couldn't be do to with the fact that she's tired of being harrowed by trolls, now, could it?
Oh, wait.
I doubt this comment will go through, but at least I've made my peace.
For those who are wondering if it's the same woman - you can simply look at her photos on her blog here:
http://www.mybottlesup.com/
Sorry to break it to you, but it sure looks like the same person to me.
Also, she had hundreds of comments on her story, yet as of now, strangely they are all hidden.
"We take claims like this seriously,"
No you don't, Lynn.
You took this claim "seriously" because releasing the video made you look good. You make it nigh-impossible for anyone to see your videos if you don't want them to, you ignore the hundreds of valid criticisms of your insane policies that have been made on this blog, you lie to us about the "danger" our shoes present, you lie to use about the "danger" shampoo presents, you want to take naked pictures of people who want to fly on airplanes, you deliberately provide misleading information about your desire to take naked pictures of people who want to fly on airplanes, your employees are by and large power-tripping thugs in phony cop uniforms with tin badges.
The fact that this woman's story appears to have been an exaggeration changes none of this. You and your agency are the bottom of the barrel.
Finally got to read her story. I wonder if she knows there is video footage of her dramatic event? I agree that it took longer than it should have but Nic was a contributing factor to that. What did she have hidden in her ankle? I also wish there was an audio and I am a little put back by someone who keeps emergency medicine in their jean pocket.
The TSA is doing a reasonable job. Airport security people are not there to serve fliers, they are they to enforce security measures. You will be inconvenienced, get used to it. 8 minutes is nothing, if you miss your plane because of an 8 minute security procedure, you didn't get to the airport in time.
It's obvious that this woman is a liar, plain and simple. You cannot explain the discrepancies in her story by saying she exaggerated or misinterpreted events. She strait up lied and vilified the TSA, probably to get blog hits. I wouldn't trust anything she writes.
People like her make it harder for real victims to be believed.
It's not considered "transparency" when you just share video to make your own point. Transparency is generally being open about things, which TSA is not (for obvious reasons).
I don't know what happened in this situation, but I will confirm that the TSA employees that I experienced in the Atlanta airport were some of the worst I've ever come across. They were rude and power-hungry and inefficient. I hope I don't have to fly in/out of/through that airport again any time soon, with or without my kids...
The editing of the video is a bit disturbing, but as it is posted, it does look as though Nic greatly over exaggerated the facts of the situation.
I do agree that the plastic penalty box in the middle of everything with no seating and her having to leave her belongings unattended (including a diaper bag, kind of an important thing to keep WITH your baby) was a fail by the TSA. And not letting her remove the baby's pacifier clip to be screened through the x-ray machine then going through the scanner again BEFORE treating her like a criminal was a huge mistake.
I do wonder if there is any audio of this incident to back up the claims of how she was verbally mistreated or clear the TSA of any wrongdoing.
Lynne,
Not doubting the validity of this video, but what is the explanation for the unaccounted for time between the holding area portion and the mother's time spent sitting near the other conveyor belt?
hahaha that was the funniest story ive ever read i went and found her story where the man "took her son away" that was hilarious shes a really good writer and she has a good imagination..but guess what? we deal with lots of crazies like her every single day and their stories are what make the papers and cause the controversy and then u see the video and see her and many other stories like hers were untrue..well i wonder wheres the apology???
Although I am not a regular visitor to this blog, I do remember seeing at least one other case where TSA released video that contradicted public claims of improper behavior on the part of their staff.
My question is whether TSA routinely posts videos when they show the agency in a bad light or support claims of improper behavior?
Is there a policy for ensuring such transparency whenever possible, or only when it supports the agency?
I assume that you will now be posting CCTV video of all the times every day that TSOs misbehave? Or is it only acceptable use of the technology to try and embarrass citizens? Or how about the video of stuff being stolen out of luggage? Why don't we get to see that? Why the one-sided approach?
I also see no reason to think that this is the family in question.
A screener posted:
We take claims like this seriously, and the TSA staff at ATL used the information to pull the CCTV tape within a window of time that matched details in the blog post.
...except when it involves a U.S. Congressman from Utah. Looking forward to your spin on that incident after the Sunday news shows.
4th Amendment to the United States Constitution in its entirety.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Although I do not expect this to be posted since the TSA ignores the Constitution continually. I do not see anything that says "except". All these searches at the airports are unconstitutional and have a disgusting similarity to all the Nazi checkpoints.
LoudPatriot
Good for TSA to respond in a way that appears sincere.
I'm no fan of airport security, (I still think it should be overseen by a division within the FAA attached to local law enforcement, mind you... ) but still - good for TSA to directly address this.
Ten minutes to search a mother with baby is excessive, unprofessional and bordering on harassment.
Reading the post and watching the video. I echo these other people's comments. I am not sure if I believe an edited video.
Either way - I hope truth is served.
Couple of questions.
1. Who is safeguarding the ladies belongings while she was being detained in the box?
2. Why did the screeing take so long?
3. If TSA can post video like this in a matter of hours where is the video of Congressman Chaffetz incident?
This is so clearly the same person. If you think it isn't, look at her web site. It is covered in pictures of her and her baby. There are even pictures of the same stroller.
I was expecting to think TSA was in the wrong, but everyone can be wrong sometimes and I was. I am also reminded that there are all kinds of crazy out there-maybe she wanted to make a quick buck, or as she says is a goal on her web site "get published." And after viewing her security experience-come on-this is not high drama.
i would suspect that someone will eventually come out with a cell phone video of her "ordeal" whether her version or TSA. I do wonder if this is the same woman in the video that postd the blog.
Lynn - you answered one question but not this good one, so let's repost it: Funny how any citizen who takes photographs/video in line at your security checkpoint is subject to arrest; but when it suits your propaganda needs, you'll release detailed video of your procedures.
I believe nothing that comes out of the mouths of this group. It is not beyond them to doctor films or audio tapes, lie before congress, or counterfeit documentation. This is an agency who feels above the law.
Thank you for posting this.
I had a hand in helping this story go viral on Twitter, and when I first heard it, it didn't add up, and I questioned its authenticity, saying "surely there would be rules about separating parent & child" but was assured by friends of this lady that she was legit.
I'll help the other way around, too, to right my wrong.
And for the record, I skip comments by "Anonymous" authors, just thought I'd let you commenters know. Many of us do, so you're wasting your time.
Thanks for replying to me on twitter @benmarks when I posted her story - she's got some explaining to do, beyond disabling comments on her blog. RT the link
After reading the woman's account of what happened to her and after watching the supposed full video, it appears that what's missing here is the video of the baby being secondarily screened. Where is that portion of the video?
Look at 11:04:06-07 when she turns her right hand upside down....you can clearly see that tattoo she depicts on her blog. This is also evident during the secondary screening when the agent had her stand, arm extended palms up.
While you cannot be 100% in identification (as we do not know how old that picture is on her blog) this appears to be the same woman.
Thanks for the post...from reading hers, I too would have been upset. While some of you state the screening process "was exaggerated and inefficient", it is procedure. Those agent must adhere to them. You have procedures at your place of employment, do you pick and choose what you want to follow? If you do, you put your job at risk as well as if these agents did that. Not to mention the TSA agents have a much more public role...there is no room for exceptions.
I fly quite frequently in my job (which is security related)and have been secondary screened several times. If you maintain a level of professionalism with them, it makes life much easier. They have a job to do just like me...I just let them do it and move on my way. I have NEVER been treated with disrespect or malice by ANY TSA agent.
And before you chastise me and say not all of them are good, just like any organization there are rogue operators, ones that feel they are above the rules and act with impunity. This is NOT the case here. These agents acted in a professional manner in accordance with their P&P.
Nic should be ashamed of herself and should either pull her post or edit it with an apology. I'm sure she was aggravated but that in no way warrants blatant lies.
Truth or not, you're still treating innocent people like terrorists. It's unwarranted and utterly ridiculous.
I don't think that posting a video, which kinda compromises the positions of your CC cameras, to refute the claims of a crazy woman.. was required here. Bloggers, lol.
How do we know that the video was not doctored by TSA? Editing out the child being taken away could easily be done by someone. Do not assume that the video is not altered. And even if the child was not take away (which I doubt she made up), the amount of time spent checking the Mom was ridiculous. Have you ever checked in in Tel Aviv? They don't spend that much time with a Mom in the riskiest airport in the world.
I don't know how she could verify her story without some support from a highly respected consumer advocates group. But I trust her more than I trust the Federal Government
I hate the TSA, all they do is cause problems and I dont believe anything they say while trying to cover up one of the many, many mistakes they made.
Nice blogger blog, lol. The TSA blog uses the crappiest blogging platform out there. Crap spawns crap I guess.
OK, I've been critical of the TSA in the past so I need to make this point:
If a man had claimed to be tased and threatened by police, and video showed them merely to be inefficient, we would rightly condemn him for dishonesty. The claims that this woman has made (assuming, of course, that it's true they were fabricated) seem to be false.
The inefficiency of the agents is only about 25% of what made her blog post so anger-worthy; most of it is being separated from her baby for reasons unknown. We can deal with the other issues at work here but merely taking the opportunity to criticize the TSA (admittedly a favorite punching bag of mine) for something else entirely seems intellectually dishonest.
I read Nic's story first. Then she tweeted the link to this post. I have a few things to say.
Supposing this video is of Nic and her son, it has been edited. We don't know what happened in the part that was edited out.
That being said, her blog post clearly admits that she needed to take Xanax after getting done with TSA. She has a diagnosed anxiety disorder. I do as well. When you get anxious because you're, I don't know, put in a plastic isolation box away from your belongings while trying to make a flight, it causes a lot of anxiety. Particularly if you're claustrophobic.
If I had to guess, I'd say that the edited portion involves her having to hand her son over to someone from TSA. She panicked, and the details grew in her mind as she got more and more anxious. I do not believe she would fabricate a story like this. I could be wrong, but I can't see what possible motive she could have.
None of us have perfect recollections of events. Eyewitness testimony is often wrong. She misjudged how long everything took. I'm sure it seemed like hours when it was happening. Maybe she got the order wrong, but I don't doubt that she had to hand over her son to someone in the missing time on the video. If you're a parent and you've ever lost sight of your child in a public place for even 10seconds, it feels like hours. You panic. And you're not entirely rational at the time.
In any case, Nic's experience with the TSA was bad enough to send her into a panic attack. It shouldn't be like this.
Hmm.. why wasn't there as quick of response to this? http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=8037216
Regardless of whether her story is true or false, or whether your video is complete or edited, I appreciate your effort to tell your side of the story, and to make us more informed on the situation.
Thank you.
Anonymous said...
"hahaha that was the funniest story ive ever read i went and found her story where the man "took her son away" that was hilarious shes a really good writer and she has a good imagination..but guess what? we deal with lots of crazies like her every single day and their stories are what make the papers and cause the controversy and then u see the video and see her and many other stories like hers were untrue..well i wonder wheres the apology???"
I hold you up as an prime example of TSA's failure to employ professional security people. It is people like you who aggravate the situation, by considering harmless passengers to be crazy,Where is your apology to the TSOs who do their job well, with respect and compassion?
Nic's reaction -- closing off comments on her blog and the lack of a response to the posted video -- speaks volumes.
As a TSA screener I am very grateful that you took the time tpo put out the video which shows the complete truth. Hopefully when the public sees this they will realise that we at TSA only have their best interests at heart.
woah in the USA you put people in plastic boxes when the metal detector goes off? youre really sick people
This is so great! I hope this prevents more false claims and frivolous lawsuits. GREAT JOB!
"You can still be lauded as heroes saving us from dangerous things like bottles of water and coffee purchased less than 100 yards from your scanners."
Why would you buy a water or coffee you know (and have known for years) you will have to forfeit in 100 yards or so? Most smaller airports even have concessions vendors and machines on the other side of the security.
Blogger Natalie Rea said...
And for the record, I skip comments by "Anonymous" authors...
Oh come on, we are all here for YOU! Some random Canadian that has been blogging for over 5 MONTHS!
Prove this is the correct footage of the woman who wrote the story. I'm sure a lot of women and babies go through TSA everyday.
Yes, it took her 10 minuites to pass through, but she never aleterted the screeners to her knee brace. She had to be wanded twice. She tried to claim it was the pacifier clip that set off the alarms, which seems like a stretch based on the small amount of metal involved. Why did she push so hard for the pacifier as the cause, when the first round of wanding clearly showed knee brace as the likely suspect. If I were a screener, that behavior would make me suspicious. The screeners were not obligated to accept her explaination of the cause, and if the video is to be believed, it appears they were justified.
On an interesting note, it seems her blog has "disappeared". All her pages are "black" with the exception of the page about this incident, which now, does not allow any comments.
I don't buy the TSA's story at all in this. It looks like the video was edited quite heavily.
I'll believe what the TSA says when video of misconduct by TSA agents is posted whenever it happens as well!
I fly out of the Atlanta Airport at least twice a week every week and I am not surprised by the TSA's ineptitude. They are hourly paid Federal employees that are not measured by any quality or customer service metrics, nor by any efficiency standards of getting people through their old, ineffective security methods. I find it interesting that the video coincidently left out the entire part of when the baby was searched, which makes it look like everything went smoothly, although it still took more than 15 minutes to be screened. For years now the warning has been "orange" and the TSA roboticly provides horrible and slow service. I believe this woman and request to see the rest of the "missing video".
Another Disappointed Traveler,
RTS
I'm more amused reading the comments here than the article. I think anyone who admits carrying "emergency Xanax" is a little nuts to begin with - so there goes her cred.
But the "patriots" in the comments here are even more scary. Bla bla bla government, bla bla bla bureaucracy, bla bla big brother. Quoting the Constitution? You people are nuts.
We're talking about airport security. Drink your water ahead of time, leave your nail clippers at home, don't act like a crazy person, and we'll all move through the line quicker.
Is there any doubt that this blog site is run by the TSA and simply covers up their hundreds of daily operational mistakes. Read the posting verbage, "TSA retains the discretion to determine which comments it will post and which it will not". The TSA video didn't even show when the baby was searched. Another Gov't Political Cover Up. I will certainly be surprised if this posting ever gets posted on the TSA site.
Ron
Folks, if you have problems with the TSA, please take them elsewhere - this thread is not the place.
The TSA has two contradictory responsibilities: maintaining complete security and providing good customer service. It sounds like people here are complaining about the time she was in the plastic box, but folks, the alternative to a short wait is having a TSA officer on duty, waiting for someone to get flagged so that they can be assisted asap.
Which would then cause all of you to make a fuss that TSA officers stand there without doing anything useful.
The bottom line is that today, the TSA was in the right. This woman was obviously very unhappy about the incident and made up details in her head, probably having to do with the fact that her child was in the stroller where someone else could have taken it.
Furthermore, for everyone saying that the TSA is a hypocrite for releasing these images, I cannot believe that you are honestly unhappy to see them. If the TSA had posted a written account, would you have believed it?
And FWIW, I've flown through ATL many times and have never had a problem with security there. In fact, I usually am through in less than 4 minutes.
Exactly why isn't *ALL* video footage available to the Public?
If you were *wrong* in the incident, would you release the incriminating video with such alacrity?
I thought it strange that the search process was blurred out, although even with the blur you could see that her clothes stayed on (besides which she was out in the open where people walking by could see; if she'd been forced to disrobe I would think she'd at least have been given privacy for that). Plus, none of the other travelers' faces were blurred, even though they weren't involved in this discussion/revelation.
Furthermore, as many people have noted, the other passengers were walking right past. Any one of them could have tossed something contraband into her unattended bags, or into, say, the bottom of the stroller.
I've "known" Nic on twitter for several months; having seen her on video before (although closer up than in this footage) I have to say it does look a lot like her - but I don't know her well enough to confirm for sure from this far away.
I actually re-tweeted her tweets and directed some traffic to her blog; I feel bad about that now as it does appear that her version was basically made up. Perhaps she wanted to "get back" at the agents for the frustrating process.
Also, I think it's ironic that my Captcha word verification is "worries."
Thank you, TSA, for providing transparency about this topic. I feel respected and very well served by a government agency which will engage in the kind of dialog presented in this blog, and which will be open regarding issues such as this.
Congratulations to TSA and the officers involved in this incident for handling a difficult situation with remarkable aplomb, and thanks for posting video to clear things up.
It is certainly frustrating to be held up unexpectedly at a checkpoint - travel is a stressful situation for even one person, and I can only imagine the difficulty in bringing a small child into the mix. Clearly this young woman was upset at having been inconvenienced, but her response was inexcusable. I am glad to see that TSA was able to so quickly and completely put this fabricated nonsense to rest.
I like that the TSA is acting swiftly on this, as they should on all issues so as not to be viewed like the 'government,' as slow, stodgy, and uncaring. I travel every week all week, and go through security on average 6 times a week, and overall the TSA crew is very good. What's bad, are the infrequent travelers who don't plan ahead then blame the TSA for their ignorance of the rules... I carry a computer and my bag everywhere I go, wearing a suit, and I can get through security in about 15 seconds... shoes and all. Anyway, good job TSA.
Well, i KNEW it was all a lie from the first sentence!
I mean this is the Atlanta TSA that she was lying about, and it is a WELL known fact that they are above reproach. These are the most professional, caring, and compassionate people you will ever encounter in life.
To disparage them with this outright lie is beyond the scope of comprehension.
In fact, i would say that the entire TSA corps is of the same cloth: eager to help and constantly looking for a chance to showcase how security at our nations airports is the best in the world.
This woman has no right to be allowed to ever fly again and should be banned from air travel in this country.
My heart goes out to her poor children in that they will grow up to think that a government employee is someone to be feared and hated. Re-education for both her and her children on how these people are only there to protect her and how vital they are...
I've worked a couple seasons now as a Park Ranger, screening boaters, checking pass/permit compliance, etc. I find there's little difference between the act of "I hate you and this whole security process you low-life rent-a-cop peon" and "I'm trying to get away with something by trying to bully and intimidate you."
Add to that I think a lot of people seriously do live in their own little worlds and believe their own embellished stories of what happened to them.
- Glen Canyon NRA
Thanks for posting but this leads to more questions: Why was the image of the TSA Agent wanding her distorted? Why did it take more than 4 minutes to complete the process? I have been through TSA and USSS magnimiter checkpoints in the past and have never seen the process take this long.
There's ~20 second discrepancy after 11:04:11 when the camera views change. What happens in those 20 seconds? It may seem silly, but a lot can happen in 20 seconds.
I know you guys are union, but do you really think over 10 minutes is an acceptable time period to make a passenger wait? Obviously this woman is a minion of Satan for making up her story, but if that's her then you made her wait about 8 minutes too long. How about you step up your game?
I don't believe either this video or the woman's story. Her story was too manufactured and focused on villainizing to be a legitimate account of what happened, and this video reeks of editing. I think this is a PR dispute at this point rather than a realistic claim.
What does it say about how your agents normally conduct themselves that enough people believed her story for you to feel the need to post this video?
Me and everyone I know never checks a bag with anything other than clothes because it's pretty much expected that the TSA agents and throwers will steal anything valuable. It's also well known that, in the event of "lost" items, there is absolutely no recourse. That's just one example. Perhaps you should use this as an opportunity to really look at why the public was so quick to believe her.
I love how it's in the interest of transparency when it makes you guys look good. Where's the transparency when a laptop or digital camera gets stolen huh?
I apologize in advance for this anonymous posting, but I am not authorized to speak for TSA.
Sam Howard posted:
except when it involves a U.S. Congressman from Utah [Chaffetz]. Looking forward to your spin on that incident after the Sunday news shows.
This video is in TSA's FOIA electronic reading room. I don't know when is was posted.
RE Other videos
Most checkpoint videos are owned by the state airport authorities, not TSA. For all those enterprising citizen journalists out there, you can always request the videos under the state open records statutes.
RE the snail's pace of secondary screening
Neither apologizing for nor condemning how long it took, but keep in mind that passengers are in most cases screened by a limited population of same gender TSOs, and that we cannot see in the video what is happening throughout the rest of the checkpoint. ATL is pretty big.
RE revealing security procedures
That's what the blurry box was for.
RE Glass cage
Yes, it is embarrassing to be in there for all the world to see, but if it was not see-through then passengers would not be able to keep track of their belongings or their traveling companions.
RE editing of the video
Assuming you are referring to the gaps in the coverage as she is moving through the airport, airports don't track you from the moment you walk in the door tho the moment you fly away. Cameras are located in various locations for security and other purposes, with limited capture areas, and the gaps reflect the different cameras as she moved into, through, and out of the checkpoint.
When I read her story-I commented on her site about the overblown theatrics in her story, and questioned some of the facts-I checked again this morning to see how many weepy women would flame me for questioning her story-and wondered why the comments were removed-now I know why!
This woman CLEARLY has a panic disorder of SOME type that was triggered by being in a small enclosed space. There are GLARING discrepencies in her account but again it's obviously a case of NOT preparing & planning ahead for the time it takes to get THROUGH the lines at a busy airport!
Also my own experiences have been much more pleasent! I've even had a TSA agent WALK MY DOG during a long delay because the airport had no way for me to do it without LEAVING the airport with 3 children by myself so, looking at my tickets to confirm the length of the trip, they found a senior member to take her out to the tarmac IN MY VIEW & walk her!
Of course I also take the problem child line for families so things go smoother, this woman didn't seem to do that, she probably went into the frequent flyer line, which she is obviously not, lol!
thanks for the vid guys!
To all the "Anonymous" fear-mongerers: put your tin foil hat back on and crawl back underneath your rocks.
- Your heroine (Nic) is a liar and just lost her credibility to the entire Internet
- While the extra 10 minutes of screening time is a bit long, it's not excessive, even with a child (I know)
- TSA *could* have handled the situation slightly better, but it's not like they acted as badly as people said they did
- The TSA doesn't have to release video and does so only when it suits them. Live with it.
- The TSA *did* release video of the Congressman Chaffetz incident. Google it.
- Kudos goes to the person who mentioned that these people get paid less than a grocery store manager.
- If I had to deal with all the whiny "entitled" people that I see when I travel (and I travel a LOT), I'd probably try to take some revenge out as well.
- For the conspiracy theorists who say "how do we know it's the same person": please join the fear-mongerers under their rock (they saved you some space)
The TSA is here to stay people and they HAVE made improvements over the years. It's always very easy to hate on them (look how quickly people all over jumped on the "TSA took my baby" and immediately thought "hey... this crazy lady is right and the TSA is wrong!") but think of all the MILLIONS of people who get screened every year without any problems.
Thank you TSA for the job that you are doing (although I too question the real effectiveness).
And no... I don't work for the TSA or any other government agency. I'm just a very frequent flier who has to deal with airports very often.
Thanks for posting. It is easy to allow legitimate fears of working with enhanced security to lead us to believe illegitimate. The fact that you posted this response is welcome because it demonstrates accountability within TSA. All the better that her story was untrue.
Good, now we know that it is extremely easy for you to get video surveillance and post it for all to see. Next time someone makes a claim that is deleterious to you, perhaps you can post that as well, regardless of whether it validates their claim or not.
In this case, TSA has made the decision to post the CCTV video of the incident online to allow for transparency.
The TSA isn't interested in transparency; the TSA is interested in showing themselves in a positive light. If they were interested in transparency, they would post *all* videos. What about this one, for example? Unless the TSA is prepared to make *all* video available to the public, it's an abuse of power to release any of them.
The only people who spend extra time going through security screenings are ones who do something to deserve it.
This is demonstrably false; racial profiling happens all the time.
The video is clearly a fabrication. Did you see the beginning? No lines at security? What turnip truck do you think we fell off of?
(KIDDING)
Even though I do not agree with having having a TSA I have to side with them here. First, when looking at the photos at her web site and then the video, who can NOT agree, it is she. Second, it was only 9 minutes of a delay for a woman who by her own account was swearing at the TSA personelle. Third, their main goal is to protect the public from 'deranged' people, this lady seems to have been acting in that manner from the beginning. I may dislike having TSA but in this case especially THANK YOU TSA!!! I would not want someone with such erratic behaviour getting on a plane I am on without being inspected.
As someone who studies public administration and generally thinks government can do good things, I would love to be able to believe that TSA is entirely correct in this situation. Unfortunately, I can't.
I used to prefer to fly when I had to travel a fair distance, now I will drive up to 16 hours if it means avoiding the airport. When I DO have to fly, I will fly from Birmingham, not Atlanta.
There's something in the air at Hartsfield that causes you to have a miserable day as soon as you check your luggage. The security lines are ridiculously slow and the TSA agents have no semblance of professionalism.
But that point aside, I'm curious to know why, exactly, the TSA felt the need to blur out the video of the woman being screened, while they found it to be entirely appropriate to conduct such a screening in plain view of other passengers moving through the security lines?
This video proves nothing since we have no confirmation of the identities of the people in it.
Please respond to this comment by bhal123 on Reddit:
"Funny how when TSA is in the right the security footage is suddenly easily available to the entire world. What about all the other complaints about the TSA where the video is mysteriously unavailable?"
Well? What about those times? Make all security footage available in the spirit of complete openness.
If you truly did post the video for transparency you would also do so in the cases that it does not exonerate the TSA et al.
I came to this site because I was infuriated that a woman in the blogging community of mothers would lie. Unfortunately, it is seen pretty often. A person gains a readership, and then makes an errant move to sensationalize her life. The attention, notoriety, and small amount of fame are too much to pass up. Unfortunately, this was not a "little, white lie." It is sad to see someone so well-liked among bloggers go to these lengths.
In truth, I will say that as a Georgian, TSA Atlanta is not really known for their dazzling personalities and helpful natures. It is widely known that if you roll your eyes or look the least bit impatient, you'll probably be pulled aside for some sort of slow down. The nationwide disparity in treatment by TSA employees is discouraging. These people need to understand that traveling post 9/11 has become unpleasant and anxiety producing. When you have to travel alone with kids, it's tough. Your nerves are frayed, and you're just praying for the moment when your kids are strapped into their seats on the plane. A smile and some compassion would not likely compromise security, in my opinion.
Well done, Bob!
Prompt, relevant posting. None of this "unavailable to comment" or "I know you are but what am I" garbage. Well done, sir.
Thank you for posting this, now if all government offices were as quick and open as the TSA is.
I admit I've said a few choice words about the TSA, but have never blatantly made up fantasizes to discredit them.
If you could, in the spirit of transparency, post the report showing the likelihood of a lone American mother w/baby perpetrating a large-scale act of terrorism on an airplane. It would be useful information to back up the necessity of the initial screening.
Why is the video edited and blurred? It's a good thing photography is not allowed in the security area, or else we could know what really happened. This blog post doesn't convince anyone of anything except those of us who have already been brainwashed into thinking that his is for our safety.
10 minutes to search someone is no big deal. I'm a bit appalled by the negative comments here over the wait time this woman had. 10 minutes to keep me and mine safe from terrorism? That's fine with me. I've certainly waited much longer and not been offended or upset.
This woman clearly has her own set of serious issues. I hope she stands up for what's right and gets some of her dignity back by apologizing to the TSA. Her behavior was pretty poor.
And why do you post that video but fail to provide video to a congressman on his request?
My husband was a TSO for a while, and has moved on to work in the admin side (FIO), and after I had him read the post he had a lot of skepticism as well, and assured me that if things DID happen they way she portrayed them, someone would be losing their job. I'm impressed with the TSA blog's ability to address this issue publicly, and with (what seems to me) clear proof that emotions sometimes color reality.
Blogger Bob, could you please post the video footage of all of the other complaints against the TSA? It seems that this sort of footage is easy to dig up, so compliance should be easy. We really should have a way to keep the TSA accountable, so I'm sure you would agree that posting the raw video footage of every incident a complaint is filed for would make for good policy.
Well done. I knew this story was bogus. The sad thing about this work of fiction is that people were very willing to beleive it. Glad to see the TSA respond to this through Twitter and the blog. I wish more agencies would engage the public in this way.
Keep up the good work.
So, it all boils down to "who do you believe?"
The video mens nothing. It could be altered, it's POV is too far away to really see much of anything.
The simple fact that the TSA has a blog at the ready to dispute public complaints seem very odd and suspicious to me. I'll reserve judgement for when I hear the facts.
Also, at 11:06, is that a oversized liquid in a bag that she is pulling out of her sock area? Perhaps the embarrassment of this, as well as being angry at having to relinquish it, fueled her tirade?
Your agents still treat us 'regular people' like dirt on their shoes. All to provide the illusion of safety.
PS. Thanks for ruining the airline industry, another one that I get to bail out with my tax dollars!
While I'm no TSA fan here, this blogger was way out of line. With her story being linked all over the internet on busy sites like Consumerist and Fark, she should be responsible for backing up what she says.
If she lied and vilified your workers unjustly (as it appears), will TSA do anything about it? A libel suit settled for a token sum and an apology might send a strong message to bloggers. They want to be taken seriously as part of the new media, so they need to be held to some standards.
I also think its horrible for someone to profit from spreading lies that were picked up and sent around the world. Blog traffic/blog income is a huge incentive for people to make up fantastic tales. Maybe penalizing libelous bloggers would create a disincentive to making up outrageous lies to boost hits.
How do we know this is the same woman and child? Bin Laden video Le Dux?
What's with locking an innocent woman in a plastic box while other travelers have access to her belongings? Treat people like that and you get what you deserve. In my experience, TSA goons are either perverts/gropers or wannabe cops who were too dumb to pass the test. There is no oversight of the TSA, and anytime there's a false accusation they post to this propaganda blog. How about some footage of TSA misconduct? Where's the footage of the several TSA goons who were caught stealing? Oh, right, TSA never makes mistakes! Ridiculous. As long as these government goons are allowed to run roughshod over U.S. citizens, the terrorists have already won.
Getting through TSA is stressful and inconvenient even for calm, emotionally stable people who are used to flying. The video proves that for anyone who hasn't experienced it themselves. The blogger's story is probably exaggerated - one can tell by reading her blog that she has issues. She says that has severe panic disorder, for one thing. Does that mean that TSA has the right to harass her? We have a big problem in this country when anybody who looks cross-eyed at authorities is at risk of being tased, shot dead, or at the very least humiliated with video releases. And what's the deal with the box? Making a woman stand alone in a plsstic box holding a toddler for several minutes? And wanding her over and over again in full sight of dozens of passengers? How exactly does this make us safer?
Two things. One, the encounter with the male TSO who supposedly picked up the child and walked away with him has NOT been edited out. Otherwise, you'd see a jump in the crowd movement. It would have to be a tremendous, easily-detected TSA conspiracy to make the passenger look bad if they DID doctor the video. Two, why all the fuss about missing the flight? Wait for the next one. That's always the best thing to do if something weird happens, so you can calmly sort out the problem. This woman, like so many people, confused inconvenience with tragedy. I've missed a flight or two before and yes, it's a little worrisome for about five seconds, until you realize you can still get where you're going if you have a little patience.
I would like to see a scan of this lady's ticket stub to see if it matches the date on the video.
I'm GUESSING that in addition to the time & photo info the TSA had for determining this was the incident in question, they were also able to identify her by her very distinctive wrist tats. Pretty blurry for us, but TSA can surely enhance. As a reader of her blog, I can say it DOES look like Nic & her son.
Also guessing that the 20 second lapse from the holding area to the chair/search area is due to the time it took her to walk there, and a switch in cameras.
Final guess: the item she took off was a knee brace, based on information from earlier blog posts.
Still waiting to hear Nic's response to all this.
In response to RB
=====================
1. Who is safeguarding the ladies belongings while she was being detained in the box?
=====================
That's why the walls of that holding area are clear. so that you can keep an eye on your possessions. They can't give you the items till after they screen you because you could put something in them.
========================
2. Why did the screeing take so long?
========================
It didn't take that long. This is a busy airport. They have specific people that do the secondary screening. They do not have one per line because that would be a waste of money. A 10 minute wait is not excessive. If that makes you late for your flight, you didn't prepare.
I'm not TSA, but I do work for an airline. My favorite response to situations like this is "A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part"
Ironic that the time I'm proudest of my government is when they own someone on the internet.
I recently flew with my 7 year old twins and went through the extra box security because I have metal knees (had them replaced last year). It is really no big deal if you are expecting it. The Boston airport TSA had my kids stay with me at all time. We did stay in the box for a little bit of time but there were alot of passangers going through and it took a minute for the proper guard to get to us. Since we could not get our items off the conveyor belt. The TSA guards held them for us until we were through with my extra screening. Since my knees will set off the metal detector, they had to run the wand all over my body. It is not a big deal and I had no worry about my kids and our stuff. But, then again, I knew this would happen so maybe that helps.
For those of you who said "Why wasn't she allowed to go through the metal detector again?" - READ HER OWN BLOG! "I told the TSA agent, who asked me to back up and walk through again, “It’s my son’s pacifier clip, can I put it on the conveyor belt?”
“Ma’am turn around and come back please,” I was told."
Did you actually see the phrase "...WHO ASKED ME TO BACK UP AND WALK THROUGH AGAIN"?
She was given a 2nd chance. She still alarmed. She was then sent for wanding.
I would like to know what it was she had strapped to her ankle and removed during the wanding.
Also, she was in the holding area for approx 1.5 minutes. hardly a long time as some of you have said.
As far as how long the screening took from beginning to end, I agree, 10 minutes is way too long. However, it would have been well shorter if she had simply gone through, alarmed, and been wanded as opposed to having a hissy fit and having to be told to calm down by a supervisor so that the wanding process could begin.
Also, she had to be wanded a 2nd time as she removed whatever it was from around her ankle. AND, unfortunately, the person wanding her took her eyes off her for a bit and she reached into the stroller. This was a possible lapse and at that point the women AND the stroller should have been rescreened.
Finally, if being in screening for a big whole 10 minutes causes you to miss, or almost, miss your flight, guess what? You were late to begin with.
It has been three years, but when I flew out of Atlanta in 2006, they were the nicest group of people I could ever hope to meet while traveling alone with a baby. Just wanted to say that unless things have changed since then, Atlanta isn't all that bad to fly out of.
I get frustrated with the security screenings as much as anyone. But, I just wanted to thank the TSA for showing the video. You were professionals and she was a liar.
Releasing video of the screening process lets terrorists study the exciting world of the TSA. Why does the TSA hate America?
After seeing the video, I read the blog. She has quite an imagination! Maybe she was practicing for a fiction story she plans to write.
Having travelled with small children, I agree that the time she spent in the "box" seemed a little excessive, but I don't see anything wrong with the way TSA performed their duties. In the big picture she was on her way in 10 minutes. Her blog said she had 45 minutes until her flight - maybe she should have arrived at the airport earlier.
Despite discrepancies in the woman's story, it was pretty horrifying seeing a woman and infant shoved into a publicly viewable cubicle, and then ignored and humiliated. That woman should have been checked immediately and sent through. The only possible reason I can see for a delay is that people with authority they don't deserve enjoy weilding over others.
Second, it should be pointed out- this is NOT uncut video- it's clearly been tinkered with. What's missing?
Well, Natalie, we who choose not to give our names to a government agency not known for regulating their own behavior really donk give a fig what you think.
I wonder why it took TSA almost a month to release a heavily edited video that isn't so clearly in their favor?
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13584450
You know what I don't see? I don't see the woman's face. I don't see any indication of which airport this video is from, nor which part of the airport.
Know what else I don't see? When she rolls her sleeves up about half way through - I don't see any tattoos. The pictures on her blog clearly show tattoos on her lower arms. This video here clearly shows a tattoo-less woman.
And we are supposed to just...take your word for it that this is the same woman, in the right airport? because you're...TSA of course. We have no way of knowing that this tape is her, in that airport.
It appears the child is a female. "Nic" had a son. This is obviously not the right person, just another of the 1000s of people TSA harasses unecessarily on a daily basis.
Come on now. Her blog and twitter accounts have gone into lockdown mode. These are not the actions of someone that was justifiably wronged. These are the actions of someone gone into hiding because they got caught. When I broke my mom's favorite glass when I was 10, I ran and hid under the bed for an hour until she found the evidence. When you make up a fabulous tale about the TSA, you go into virtual hiding. If it were true, you'd still be out there protesting your rage and fighting the man. Or have a lawyer doing it for you. This is America, after all.
I took my kids, 9 and 11, on a trip. Left my camera at the ticket desk (but I didn't know that at the time). Figured it out PAST TSA. Set the kids down in the cafe with books and aircraft to look at and their cell phone, and walked up to TSA, and one agent in particular was just incredibly helpful to me.
Searched the line I was in, searched the lost and found, knew about my girls and asked about them to make sure they would be safe, expedited me getting through in each direction (screened again coming throuhg.)
I found my camera and was back with my kids in probably 5 minutes, and then left them once more to write up a thank you to the agent and give it to his superior.
TSA like most organizations has some very good people in it. In this case an agent who really wanted to be helpful and was kind and caring about my kids.
Did you even get a release signed to use video of her and her minor child on the internet? I don't care who you are, but if you post a pic or video of my minor child, I'd be seeing you in Federal Court. And I'd win.
I don't know if this was already mentioned, but she says herself that she suffers from "severe anxiety" and had to take and "emergency Xanax". Something tells me this woman is prone to blowing things out of proportion and then being made to look like the victim.
What this video shows is not only a lying mother, but also complete TSA incompetence.
A) whenever I go through a metal detector and set off the alarm, I'm given a chance to remove anything I forgot and try again. This doesn't appear to have been done here, which shows complete disregard of common sense.
B) She was directed into a "holding area" for roughly 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. That was WAY too long. She should have been handled immediately. A person of suspicion shouldn't be left alone like that.
C) The individual screening process with the wand took almost 4 minutes total. This should take about 10 seconds for any competent security agent.
What this video shows is that airport security is a joke. It's security theater with absolutely no chance of actually catching a legitimate threat.
Wow, an edited video with no audio and with much of it blurred out. It could as likely be interpreted as a cooperative woman being singled out for needless harassment.
What was the TSO doing with that wand that had to be blurred out?
Congrats, TSA. You've bent over backwards (or so it would seem, given that you normally consider releasing video to be a threat to national security) all to prove that an admittedly mentally ill woman is, in fact, mentally ill.
The real question is "why?"
You provide no actual security. Just as surely as Timothy McVeigh and Ramzi Yousef were able to set off bombs using rented trucks, a terrorist could charter a private plane and sidestep all this "security theater." The whole point of it is to SCARE people into thinking an attack is impossible. You benefit from having the public perceive you as arbitrary, excessive, and heavy-handed. Why, then, would you feel so threatened by some random, raving blogger's account of mistreatment as to feel it warranted the release of videotape?
It almost feels as if Nic's post was part of a PR stunt on the part of TSA trying to change it's image...possibly because you're getting some negative attention from Congress?
Is that really the video of her? It doesn't really show any sort of confrontation.
The video has obviously been edited. I'm not sure why they chose to blur out the metal detector scan or the getting swabbed down.
Also is this really the quality of video you get from the security cameras in this airport?
I can't say I believe this is the security footage of the woman who described her son being taken from her.
First of all the video is clearly edited. You can easily tell by the time stamp, time was missing. Events during the missing time weren't shown. This video if used in court as evidence on behalf of TSA wouldn't be permitted since it has been altered.
Secondly, did you notice all the people staring at the woman and her child while they were incarcerated in that little box? The woman was wrongfully held and put on public display for embarassment purposes only. That in itself is a cause for a great law suit.
Thirdly, did you notice how they blocked out how they searched her? Why? What was TSA hiding? Obviously if they were that concerned about protecting her rights this video would NOT be on the internet. So I'm guessing, she was searched in a wrongful manner.
Lastly, since the video was edited, how do we know that they did not cut out the man walking away with the child?
Being in the legal profession, I strongly suggest that this woman contact an attorney ASAP as her rights were clearly violated and so were her child's.
Bob, you should be ASHAMED of yourself for putting such garbage out there. What TSA did was clearly seen as abusive power. Plus, you put that child in danger for posting this video on the internet for all the predators and perverts out there to see and exploit. Hopefully, you take better care of your own children, if not, CPS should be called on you. You sir, disgust me. I hope you lose your job for this blog posting.
I too question the validity of this "edited" video. Notice the blur when they are scanning her. This is when you might be able to identify if it was this particular mother by identifying marks.
Also from someone who travels through Atlanta A LOT (on Delta) this does not look like the ATL terminal. I know it is a bad video that has been edited but it really does not look like the Delta concourse in ATL.
Wow, crazy lady is crazy.
What other things does she make up?
I wonder if TSA is going to sue her for defamation or something?
this is a highly inappropriate way to address this situation.
please: less damage control, more proactive customer service.
You're deciding to post the video for transparency...why not post all videos then? Live stream if that's the case. Why not post videos for the countless times when TSA was in the wrong. Don't use transparency only when it helps you; that defeats the point.
Her Blog:
http://www.mybottlesup.com/tsa-agents-took-my-son/
Go to her blog above, copy the link and go to the "blogher" contact page. You can link to "blogher" from the rightside on a clickable link "more from blogher".
http://www.blogher.com/contact-us
The community guidlines of "Blogher" posted on their FAQ page do not permit any material that is "Libelous, defamatory, knowingly false or misrepresents another person".
Send complaint through the Blogher contact form. Send lots of complaints.
Could someone address the question as to whether these TSA screeners at ATL are actual TSA employees (i.e. paid by the US Government directly) or contractors like Covenant Aviation Security? I have found that airports like SFO that use Covenant have much less professional screeners than airports that use actual TSA employees.
This video still highlights why we're driving 10 hours home for Thanksgiving rather than fly. Setting aside claims on both sides, this video shows inefficient TSA security completely ignoring the needs of a parent with a small child. The fact that this video is being released to support the TSA says to me that this is an example of pretty standard operating procedure, that says a lot none of it encouraging.
why was it so easy to believe her? It seems like the kind of thing a TSA agent would do.... What does it say about how they conduct themselves the rest of the time that people believed what this woman said they did.
And what keeps the TSA from dressing someone up like this person and using that video to further their propaganda? This is coming from an organization with limitless resources that has been proven to lie and deceive in the past.
Clearly she had to be lying.. anyone that was cussing, dropping the F-Bomb, OR screaming at a TSA agent, kid or not, your butt would have been arrested. ASAP. Then you would have had your kid taken from you. Wow.. kinda buzkill to her entire blog isnt it.. LOL.. how much other stuff is or isnt "accurate"?
Aside: the comments on that blog were disabled when I saw it last night, around 10:30 central US time, so before the TSA responded. Just a note.
IF this is the same woman, and IF the spliced together video with the iffy timestamp (I believe someone else mentioned the lack of watermark) then yes, she has some serious explaining to do.
Seriously, people? Quit complaining. If you're polite and courteous, it takes 2 minutes MAX to get through security. If you look like you're in a hurry or just completely rude, it will take longer. These are people, treat them with respect. It's not your inalienable right to fly.
Anyway, yeah it's the same woman and yeah the woman is a crazy, self-obsessed liar; welcome to customer service. You see it in retail every day.
While I think it's disappointing that the woman exaggerated, the TSA's response just verified how incompetent they really are.
The screening took WAY too long. A mother with her her child was left in the sealed off screening area for WAY too long.
If she had not exaggerated, this would not have been brought to light.
In fact, even with the attention her exaggeration attracted to this issue wasn't enough.
"Bob" was so interested in proving her wrong that he didn't address the fact that the TSA messed up big time.
If your going to have a traveler lead into a sealed off area, then you better have enough staff to make sure that they are processed promptly and with dignity.
I'm sorry, but every interaction with the TSA I have had has done nothing but reflect on how incompetent and poorly trained their staff is.
All I can do is hope that eventually they will improve.
Blatantly ignoring clear evidence that this traveler was treated poorly will not better the public image of the TSA.
Something isn't adding up.
As far as anyone has stated, Delta's regularly scheduled Sunday flight from ATL to BWI left Atlanta on time at 12:20pm (ref: http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1882)
The time index in the TSA tape ends at 11:10. According to the complaint, the woman made her flight with five minutes to spare. I ask the TSA, could we please see the surveillance tapes from, say, 11:30 to 12:15, please?
Doesn't @LoudPatriot bringing up "Nazi checkpoints" make this thread officially over?
The fact that you rushed this video onto the blog so quickly, while continuing to ignore the Congressman Chaffetz situation, probably says more than any blog post could ever say.
I do appreciate the attempt to bring clarity to the story (which always has more than one side). I will post this to my own page in the interest of fairness.
However, even if this woman's blog report was coloured by her emotions, I think it's still important to look at this objectively and note that the whole process--the shoes--the machinery, the screening, the plexiglass holding room--is still a blatantly uncivil way of treating human beings, and is bound to trigger panic reactions in people--and for good reason. This is eerily similar to practices in pre-WWII Germany before full-on holocaust began. I think you'll find many people who has traveled by air has some unpleasant story about these policies and the attitudes of the people who enforce them.
I look forward to the day people are no longer treated like terror suspects or cattle for slaughter.
Christal Wood, J.D.
Wow. Even more blogs seem to be popping up supporting her, but they've all turned on moderation and none say anything about the video... and magically she's shut off comments on her own blog and blacked out the main page. >.< What an attention w.
FYI...The Glass Case is so you can see your property while waiting to be checked.
Yes, this did take a long time from start to finish. It did so because TSA needed to explain everything that TSA was going to do to the woman.
Shame on you "Nic" you are a great role model for your SON.
I think TSA should sue her for slander. What a crazy woman. She is probably one of those kind of people that convinces herself that really happened. So when she tells her story she believes it herself. I really would sue her for her ridiculously fabricated slander.
By my watch it took the lady about 15 minutes from entering the security line to being released from the search. Which is really fast. Usually the line is like 20 to 30 minutes long at LAX.
Its pretty clear she way overreacted.
Also to the people complaining about her being in the Plexiglas area. That way every one involved can full see her conduct and the conduct of the TSA employees. The Plexiglas gives "full transparency" to the situation.
The TSA acted in a responsible and professional manner.
A few things
1) where's the audio? We don't hear TSA employee telling her she's got a bad attitude and needs to do as she's told?
2) There are missing sections of the video, by the timestamp
3) There are times when the boy is hidden by one of the employees. Is there no video from another angle that can prove the child wasn't removed from the stroller?
4) Why pull a mother and baby out of line and treat her like a terrorist? Security theater like this when 75% of the time TSA screeners miss tests devices sent through deliberately to check the security make the whole process a joke.
Clearly this video does nothing to absolve TSA of gross incompetence.
I've been watching a lot of old episodes of the Six Million Dollar Man, and also The Bionic Woman.
These are great TV shows, but it sounds like from all the comments they would not be able to fly commercial ever, because they each have so many bionic implants.
Assuming this is the correct woman (and it likely is), it sounds like she panics easily. I've known mothers like that and sometimes it's about as annoying as it can get.
Bet she's getting a lot of blog hits off it today though. And that's what's important.
I watched this and thought it took f-o-r-e-v-e-r to get her through.
I keep reading comments that the video was edited.
So, I watched several times and took notes noting the time stamps.
First, here are the time stamps and basic descriptions of the various camera angles:
11:01:11 overhead view of security screening, Mom putting stroller on x-ray conveyer, leaves baby on floor w/back turned
11:01:40 going through metal detector, baby in arms
11:02:00 coming through metal detector, baby in arms
11:04:12 exited "holding box" and walking out of frame behind TSA agent, baby in arms
11:04:31 entering frame, baby in arms, 2nd level security check
11:10:30 Mom leaving inspection area, baby in stroller
11:10:32 Mom entering concourse, baby in stroller
11:10:41 Mom leaving camera view
Here are the time stamps and basic descriptions of the "major" activity:
11:04:38 Female TSA agent #1 brings over stroller, baby in Mom's arms
11:05:28 Male TSA agent #1 comes over to "inspect" baby, baby in Mom's arms
11:05:38 Male TSA agent #1 finished "inspecting" baby, baby still in Mom's arms
11:05:42 Mom gets up to put baby in stroller
11:06:04 Mom finished putting baby in stroller
11:06:12 Mom stands up to begin security inspection by Female TSA agent #2 - facing baby in stroller
11:06:56 Mom rolls up left pant leg and "something" appears on the floor
11:07:11 Female TSA agent #2 agent takes that "something" and puts it area for further hand/visual inspection
11:17:18 Male TSA agent #2 takes that "something" out of camera view
11:08:32 Male TSA agent #2 or 3 brings "something" back and sets on table for Mom
11:07:20 Female TSA agent #2 begins another inspection - facing baby in stroller
11:09:34 Female TSA agent #2 ends inspection - Mom still facing baby in stroller
11:10:30 Mom leaving inspection area, baby in stroller
11:10:32 Mom entering concourse, baby in stroller
11:10:41 Mom leaving camera view
After writing down all the time stamps you can see that the only gaps are camera angles and the longest gap of 19 seconds is from the "box" to the secondary inspection area - BEFORE the Mom state's that baby was taken.
The other think I noticed was that in reality, the inspection didn't take that long at all - a total of 9 minutes and 30 seconds.
The female TSA agent's thorough inspection that felt like a it took f-o-r-e-v-e-r? 3:22 seconds.
All I can say at this point is:
1. This story is curious to say the least.
2. Next time I fly, I am going to remind myself that while the process SEEMS to take forever, in actuality it's probably less than 10 minutes!
All I can really add to my earlier comment to this post, Blogger Bob, is that your plastic cage doesn't even begin to meet ADA requirements.
If I ever end up in the plastic box for some reason after the TSA has taken my cane from me (which the do to run it through x-ray), if there is no place to sit, I will be forced to simply collapse on the floor and let you folks figure out how to get me up and on my way.
There is no excuse, NONE, for not having a place to sit in the cage.
Tomas
I am just curious if anyone from the TSA can tell me why the 'wand' search of the woman was blurred? I could still more or less tell what was going on, and it didn't look like anything really happened, but it seems odd. The search was done in full view of other people in the airport, so why the blur?
I see a lot of comments decrying the process this woman went through. Regardless of whether the process is "too long" or "inefficient", she lied about what happened. Plain and simple. If what she went through was really so horrible, she wouldn't have had to lie.
The other part of this story that seems to be overlooked is that she was uncooperative. She probably could have been processed more quickly if she hadn't flown off the handle.
I'm quite sick of the attitude people seem to have these days that it's okay to mouth off or even assault peace officers and security guards the moment they inconvenience you. When an official tells you to do something that's not a violation of your civil rights, you do it. They are doing their job to keep the rest of us safe.
alSeen writes:
That's why the walls of that holding area are clear. so that you can keep an eye on your possessions.
And if you see someone stealing your possessions, what are you supposed to do? Break down the walls of your cage in order to reach the thief?
The video of the Congressman is in the Freedom of Information Act Reading Room... http://www.tsa.gov/research/reading/index.shtm
I worked for TSA when it first started up. What a joke. I have since flown from one end of the country to the other and back many times. The only thing that is the same is that I have to take off my shoes.
I just want to know where 11:04:12 - 11:04:31 went.
Where is the laptop that Nic spoke of? I didn't see it in the video.
The blurring of Nic during the screening proceess was not to protect her in any way shape or form. Its solely to protect the handheld wanding process. (no big secret there, scan the whole body!)
Prove that its the same woman from the blog. Really prove it. Government PII rules make me seriously question this video.
I'm not saying TSA is perfect or that I would like this to happen to me, but...it didn't seem that bad and clearly nobody took her child away from her. I think she was teed off at the delay and decided to write a dramatic story about it. It is really too overly dramatic to be credible. I mean, seriously, she would call her husband and say "Jackson is gone" about something like that, even if it did happen as she claimed?
I appreciate you posting the video, and it is important for us as citizens to be able to get to the bottom of things like this. The mother involved has posted a response on her blog. Her key claim is that the video has been edited, and it omits (a) the two phone calls she made while waiting to be searched; (b) the period of time (however brief) in which a TSA agent took her son out of her sight. There should be a very simple answer to this question - Either this is the full video, or it is not. Can you please let us know TSA's response? If this is not the full video, can you please post the complete footage, and also let us know why TSA initially chose to post only the edited footage? Again, this type of dialogue is important to make the system work better for everyone, but dialogue like this only works if their is a commitment to transparency and telling the truth.
While no one can argue that the TSA is a model of efficiency, I'd love to see the average person deal with one day of their work. I can only imagine the abuse they take, especially considering how people like to turn them into the enemy. Sure, the searches are often unnecessary and time-consuming, but it's not a surprise anymore. If you're late for a flight, it's because you scheduled your time poorly. Whether or not you're happy about the TSA or agree with their methods, you should be expecting them by now.
You don't get to blame the TSA for making you late for planes, the same as you don't get to blame traffic for making you late for work. Learn to plan.
That being said, if this is the same woman, it's pretty clear she was angry and exaggerated her experience by about a hundred. So besides her post being over-dramatic, it's just plain wrong. I'm no friend to airport security (I think it's invasive and ineffective, especially traveling with a service dog), but I don't run around spouting off lies just because I suffered an inconvenience.
And seriously, to those commenters who are saying the footage is "edited" or "touched up," aren't you missing a documentary about the moon landing being fake or something?
here is the link to my response
http://www.mybottlesup.com/my-apologies
Funny how any citizen who takes photographs/video in line at your security checkpoint is subject to arrest; but when it suits your propaganda needs, you'll release detailed video of your procedures.
Why do you think parts of the video and search patterns were blurred out?
I'm not a TSA professional, but I figured that one out. Also, notice that the screens and equipment they use also were not in the film and the resolution was limited.
It's not that they can't release ANYTHING, it's just that some of the material is sensitive. Obviously they made sure none of that was released.
Her response is now posted on her blog... she says they have edited out the part of the video where they take her son. I'm sorry, but I don't buy it... nothing in the video resembles her story.
Wow! I am embarrassed for my government right now. I can't believe I just read a post on an "official" weblog that seems to do nothing more than exploit a mother's anxiety caused by zealous TSA officials who needlessly delayed and worried her. What's next, a shouting match that you'll undoubtedly film with hidden cameras and later post to the Internet too?
Your video clip shows exactly what the TSA wants it to show. If you have that many cameras (since it seems you were able to catch this poor woman at more angles than Lars von Trier captured Bjork in his film, "Dancer in the Dark"), there's probably more video that we're not seeing - including the blurred out portions in the video posted.
If the TSA truly felt this incident was handled properly, there would have been no need to post a blog entry like this one. Instead, what you've done is create even more disrespect in the minds of many who see law enforcement agencies (and the individuals who comprise them) as nothing more than bullies with too much power and too little accountability. I detest air travel and do it only when I'm forced to by my employer and the reason I detest it is not because of some fear in the shadow of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but because of the presumption of guilt and criminality in the minds of every USG official I seem to encounter at the airport when all I want to do is get where I'm going.
I know social networking is the big thing now and I applaud TSA's efforts to "reach out" to the community, but this just makes you look silly. Our lawmakers have decided that you're a necessary part of our homeland security, so there's little we can do about that, but why don't you stick to just doing your job and let people be?
To everyone saying HOW DO WE KNOW IT WAS HER IN THE VIDEO, please see her post "apologizing" for her insane rant:
"to get right to it, yes, that is me and my son in the video posted on the TSA blog."
Obviously, this video shows discrepencies and inefficiencies in TSA's operations and disrespect for the people that pass through all day long. There are minutes missing from the video which could be when the child is separated from his mother. She also claims that she made phone calls which are not shown on the video, so what are we to think of that? If phone records show she placed those calls and it can be corroborated with the people she called, then you cannot judge this woman of lying or exaggerating based on this video alone. I believe her and her story, as I have seen similar situations almost every time I fly in multiple airports throughout the country. Shame on everyone for being quick to condemn this woman and not condemning TSA for how they conduct 'business'.
"I don't care who you are, but if you post a pic or video of my minor child, I'd be seeing you in Federal Court. And I'd win."
LOL! You wouldn't!
You folks put a mother and child into a cage. Some folks think this is routine and normal. Nice.
Anyone who admits to keeping "emergency Xanax" in her pocket needs to have everything she says scrutinized.
To Anonymous who posted on October 17, 2009 12:05 pm, the following:
Well, i KNEW it was all a lie from the first sentence!
I mean this is the Atlanta TSA that she was lying about, and it is a WELL known fact that they are above reproach. These are the most professional, caring, and compassionate people you will ever encounter in life.
To disparage them with this outright lie is beyond the scope of comprehension.
In fact, i would say that the entire TSA corps is of the same cloth: eager to help and constantly looking for a chance to showcase how security at our nations airports is the best in the world.
This woman has no right to be allowed to ever fly again and should be banned from air travel in this country.
My heart goes out to her poor children in that they will grow up to think that a government employee is someone to be feared and hated. Re-education for both her and her children on how these people are only there to protect her and how vital they are.
..................................
You have no idea who this woman is, or what she is teaching her children. Often people neglect to see that their opinion of others is a reflection of their own character.
You, without hesitation, chose to believe ill of this woman before duly examining all actions and not just what's offered as truth just because is presented in visual form (edited video) by the accused.
I have one question for you, Who's your employer?
There are minutes missing from the video which could be when the child is separated from his mother.
----------------
The only chunks of minutes barely large enough for a separation to occur happen before she even gets to the security/wanding area.
She's a liar. Own it.
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