TSA Veterans Still Proudly Serving

Whether in times of war or peace, seeing our military men and women in uniform often compels us, each in our own way, to recognize them for their sacrifice. Maybe you’ve seen a spontaneous round of applause in the airport for a returning service member or you’ve watched as complete strangers walk up to someone wearing the uniform just to give them a handshake and thank them for their sacrifices in putting our security, and that of our country, ahead of their own.

I serve alongside our proud veterans who deserve that gratitude. Here at TSA, I am privileged to work with many employees who are veterans of the United States Armed Forces. I myself served in the U.S. Army’s Third Armored Division during the end of the Cold War and in Operations Desert Shield and Storm. Across our entire agency, veterans account for nearly 25 percent of the workforce. They’re still serving, only in a different uniform.

In addition to the veterans among us, there are many other TSA employees who continue to serve our nation as reservists. Every month some of our colleagues throughout the agency deploy to active duty and others return from military service to their work at TSA.  

We are proud that so many veterans have made the choice to wear the uniform of a transportation security officer when their commitment to wearing the uniform of the United States military has been fulfilled. Our workforce is strengthened by the qualities and disciplines our service men and women possess as a result of their military training. 

Thank you to all veterans who have served and sacrificed for our great nation.

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.

TSA Week in Review: 7" Nonmetallic Pocketknife Discovered With Body Scanner

Nonmetallic Pocket Knife – A 7” plastic pocketknife was discovered on a passenger during a pat-down after an anomaly was detected with a body scanner at Salt Lake City (SLC). The passenger stated he was trying to get the knife through security and was arrested on a federal charge.

Inert Ordnance and Grenades Etc. – We continue to find inert hand grenades and other weaponry on weekly basis. Please keep in mind that if an item looks like a realistic bomb, grenade, mine, etc., it is prohibited - real or not. When these items are found at a checkpoint or in checked baggage, they can cause significant delays. I know they are cool novelty items, but it is best not to take them on a plane.  Read here and here on why inert items cause problems. 

IED Training Aids Discovered at Austin (AUS)

• Inert explosive training aids were discovered in a golf club case  after an alarm in checked baggage at Austin (AUS).
• Two inert hand grenades were discovered in checked baggage at Norfolk (ORF).

Two inert grenades discovered at Norfolk

Items in the Strangest Places –It’s important to check your bags prior to traveling. If a prohibited item is discovered in your bag, you could be cited and possibly arrested by local law enforcement. Here are a few examples from this week where prohibited items were found in strange places. 

• A cane sword was discovered in the carry-on bag of a passenger at LaGuardia (LGA).

What Not to Say at an Airport – Statements like these not only delay the people who said them but can also inconvenience many other passengers if the checkpoint or terminal has to be evacuated:

• After being denied boarding due to intoxication, a Columbus passenger told the gate agent that she had a bomb in her bag.

Stun Guns –  Seven stun guns were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints around the nation: Denver (DEN), San Juan (SJU), Las Vegas (LAS), Reagan Washington National (DCA), Jacksonville (JAX), Tallahassee (TLH), Grand Rapids (GRR). The stun gun discovered at DCA was disguised to look like a smart phone. 

Stun Gun Disguised as Smart Phone Discovered at DCA

Miscellaneous Prohibited Items - In addition to all of the other prohibited items we find weekly, our Officers also regularly find firearm components, realistic replica firearms, bb and pellet guns, Airsoft guns, brass knuckles, ammunition, batons, and a lot of sharp pointy things -- to mention a few…

Firearms - Here are pictures of some of the firearms our Officers found in carry-on baggage since I posted last Friday. See a complete list below.  

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You can travel with your firearms in checked baggage, but they must first be declared to the airline. You can go here for more details on how to properly travel with your firearms. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality. Travelers should familiarize themselves with state and local firearm laws for each point of travel prior to departure. 

Unfortunately these sorts of occurrences are all too frequent which is why we talk about these finds. Sure, it’s great to share the things that our officers are finding, but at the same time, each time we find a dangerous item, the throughput is slowed down and a passenger that likely had no ill intent ends up with a citation or in some cases is even arrested. This is a friendly reminder to please leave these items at home. Just because we find a prohibited item on an individual does not mean they had bad intentions, that's for the law enforcement officer to decide. In many cases, people simply forgot they had these items.

Bob 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.

TSA Week in Review: Items in the Strangest Places

Knife Discovered in Foot Powder at DTW

Items in the Strangest Places –It’s important to check your bags prior to traveling. If a prohibited item is discovered in your bag, you could be cited and possibly arrested by local law enforcement. Here are a few examples from this week where prohibited items were found in strange places. 

Knife Fell Out of Passenger's Pants at RIC

• After alarming the walk through metal detector, a passenger at Richmond (RIC) was referred for a pat-down. During the pat-down, a knife with a 3” blade fell out of the man’s pants leg. He admitted that he was intentionally trying to conceal the knife.
• Sword + Cane = Sword Cane. These seem to be a very common item and the majority of people who possess them had no idea there was a sword in their cane. Tip - if you have a second-hand cane, try pulling it apart. You might be surprised. The latest one was discovered at Akron (CAK).
• A pocketknife was found wrapped in foil and concealed inside a plastic bottle of foot powder at Detroit (DTW).
• A knife was discovered under the lining and under the frame of a carry-on bag at Philadelphia (PHL).
• A lipstick knife was discovered at Ft. Lauderdale (FLL).
• A credit card knife was discovered at Albuquerque (ABQ).
• An airport cleaning employee in Atlanta (ATL) discovered a loaded .38 caliber pistol in a flower pot in the public area. Apparently, somebody realized they had their firearm at the last minute and ditched it before going through security.

 

 

Inert Grenades Etc. – We continue to find inert hand grenades and other weaponry on weekly basis. Please keep in mind that if an item looks like a realistic bomb, grenade, mine, etc., it is prohibited - real or not. When these items are found at a checkpoint or in checked baggage, they can cause significant delays. I know they are cool novelty items, but it is best not to take them on a plane.  Read here and here on why inert items cause problems.

• Four  inert/novelty grenades were discovered this week -- two in carry-on baggage at Chicago O’Hare (ORD) and two more in checked baggage at Las Vegas (LAS).
• An inert nose cone for a rocket was discovered in the carry-on baggage of an instructor at NYL (Yuma). As I’ve said before, we’re all too familiar with instructors and other people in this type of business needing these sorts of items for their jobs. People that need to travel with INERT items should plan ahead and contact their preferred shipper about mailing the training aids to their destination.
• A replica grenade belt buckle was discovered at Madison (MSN). With the naked eye, you could tell this was a belt buckle, but it looks real on the X-ray monitor. This is just another example of why anything  resembling a grenade should be left at home.

What Not to Say at an Airport – Statements like these not only delay the people who said them but can also inconvenience many other passengers if the checkpoint or terminal has to be evacuated:

• During a bag check at Baltimore (BWI), a passenger stated that her bag was going to explode.

Stun Guns –  Seven stun guns were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints around the nation: three at Denver (DEN), and one each at Los Angeles (LAX), Colorado Springs (COS), Detroit (DTW), Burbank (BUR)

Miscellaneous Prohibited Items - In addition to all of the other prohibited items we find weekly, our Officers also regularly find firearm components, realistic replica firearms, bb and pellet guns, Airsoft guns, brass knuckles, ammunition, batons, and a lot of sharp pointy things -- to mention a few…

Firearms - Here are pictures of some of the firearms our Officers found in carry-on baggage since I posted last Friday. See a complete list below.  

You can travel with your firearms in checked baggage, but they must first be declared to the airline. You can go here for more details on how to properly travel with your firearms. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality. Travelers should familiarize themselves with state and local firearm laws for each point of travel prior to departure. 

Unfortunately these sorts of occurrences are all too frequent which is why we talk about these finds. Sure, it’s great to share the things that our officers are finding, but at the same time, each time we find a dangerous item, the throughput is slowed down and a passenger that likely had no ill intent ends up with a citation or in some cases is even arrested. This is a friendly reminder to please leave these items at home. Just because we find a prohibited item on an individual does not mean they had bad intentions, that's for the law enforcement officer to decide. In many cases, people simply forgot they had these items.

Bob 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.