Camera Incident in Puerto Rico: Not TSA

A story has been in the news this week about a passenger who alleged that a TSA officer confiscated his camera and deleted the footage. While TSA understands it’s hard at times to distinguish our officers from law enforcement or other officials, the person who took the camera from the passenger in Puerto Rico was not a TSA employee. TSA did not tamper with the camera or erase any of its content. Additionally, the individual that appears in the video being circulated is not a TSA employee.

For your review, our photo policy is located on our blog as well as at TSA.gov. 

Bob Burns

TSA Blog Team

If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact us by clicking here.

The New & Improved TSA.gov

If you’ve been to TSA.gov in the last few days, you’ve probably noticed that we have a new look! If not, be sure to check it out. But… while you’re taking it for a test drive, please be aware that content is still being migrated to our new page; therefore, there may be a few things you may not be able to locate. So, please excuse this minor disruption during construction and thank you for your patience.

On a related note, it has been perceived that we rescinded our photo policy. Our photo policy has not changed and is located here as well as on our blog

Bob Burns

TSA Blog Team

If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact us by clicking here.

Response to Phoenix Checkpoint Video

 ***Update: 6/9/2011 - There have been many different interpretations of the photography portion of this post, so I wanted to clarify things a bit. We recognize that using video and photography equipment is a constitutionally protected activity unless it interferes with the screening process at our checkpoints.  While our current policy remains the same, TSA is reviewing our guidance to officers at the checkpoint to ensure consistent application.  Our goal is to protect passenger’s rights, while safeguarding the integrity of the security process. ***

You may have seen the video of a woman at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport who was upset about her screening experience. 

TSA takes all allegations of improper screening seriously and investigates each claim to the fullest. After reviewing this passenger’s time at the checkpoint, we found that our security officers acted properly and neither the CCTV footage nor this YouTube video support any of the allegations levied. Real violations of our protocols are worth every ounce of our energy to investigate, but this alleged incident does not meet that threshold. 

This incident has also raised many questions about whether or not passengers can film at checkpoints. This topic is currently under review, but you can read this blog post on our current  policy for photography at checkpoints.  

Blogger Bob

TSA Blog Team

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TSA General Aviation Poster Encourages Vigilance

Photo Courtesy of Stevec77 @ Flickr

TSA’s twitter feed was abuzz today with tweets about an article concerning a General Aviation (GA) poster aimed at encouraging the GA community to be vigilant. The poster in question is one of several posters used as part of general aviation vigilance that was launched several years ago, but this one struck a nerve with photographers because it shows a person with their lens steadied towards a GA aircraft.

Some felt this poster didn’t go far enough in distinguishing between general photography and suspicious surveillance activity. These images are simply meant to represent a number of different scenarios that are common in and around GA airfields. In fact, many photographers would be prime candidates to use such vigilance programs to report suspicious activity since they’re extremely observant of their surroundings. TSA works closely with members of the GA community to implement security protocols and programs to ensure the safety of the industry.

For the most current information, visit our GA site.

Blogger Bob
TSA Blog Team