The TSA Blog

Friday, September 7, 2012

TSA Week in Review: Knife Discovered With Body Scanner

Knife Discovered With Body Scanner – Using the body scanner, Officers detected a knife concealed in the groin area of a Los Angeles (LAX) passenger. The Los Angeles World Airport Police arrested him on a state charge.

Seal Bombs – Two seal bombs were discovered in the carry-on bag of a 12-year-old passenger traveling with his father at Seattle (SEA). A seal bomb is a small explosive device that resembles a large firecracker.

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 law enforcement. Here are a few examples from this week where prohibited items were found in strange places.

A 3-inch knife was detected inside a passenger’s shoe at Fresno (FAT).
A 12” cane sword was discovered at Los Angeles (LAX).

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

An inert grenade was divested into a screening bin by a passenger at Seattle (SEA).
An inert grenade was discovered in the carry-on bag of an 11-year-old passenger at Baltimore (BWI).
A grenade belt buckle was discovered at Columbus (CMH). If you were looking at the item outside of the X-ray, it would obviously be a belt buckle, but on the X-ray screen, it looked like the real deal.
An inert grenade was discovered in a carry-on bag in Huntsville (HSV).

Stun Guns – 7 stun guns were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints around the nation: Nashville (BNA), Salt Lake City (SLC), Atlantic City (ACY), San Francisco (SFO), Jacksonville (JAX), Minneapolis (MSP), and Kansas City (MCI)

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. Just to mention a few…

Firearms - Here are the firearms our Officers found in carry-on baggage since I posted last Friday.

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 Pre✓™ Begins at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport

As of this week, TSA Pre✓™ is now available at the Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) for select American, Delta, United, and US Airways frequent flyers, or members of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Trusted Traveler Program. The TSA Pre✓™ line is located at the main terminal.

I stopped by the TSA Pre✓™ lane at CVG yesterday and asked a passenger what he thought of the TSA Pre✓™ experience. Hear what he had to say! After chatting with a few of the Officers, I learned that passengers have been very pleased with their TSA Pre✓™ experience.

Have you already opted into TSA Pre✓™ but rarely get selected for expedited screening? Here are some possible reasons why as well as some tips:

First off, to keep things random and unpredictable for anyone with bad intentions, there are times where you may not be selected for expedited screening.
TSA Pre✓™ is currently only available for U.S. citizens traveling domestically on a participating airline, out of a participating airport. Click here for the most updated list.
If you are a member of a CBP Trusted Traveler program, be sure you’re including your PASS ID – found in the top-left corner on the back of your membership card – in the ‘Known Traveler’ field every time you book a flight. If you’re not sure it’s in there, especially if you’re not booking it yourself, you can always call your airline to confirm that your number is on the reservation before you fly.

In case you're wondering what TSA Pre✓™ is, you can go here to read all about it. Long story short, it's an initiative that allows passengers to keep their shoes and belts on, and keep their laptops in their bags. Also, it is free to many members who have been opted in by participating airlines. To see if you may qualify for TSA Pre✓™ benefits please click here.

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.

Friday, August 31, 2012

TSA Week in Review: 35 Firearms Discovered in Carry-on Bags This Week

Firearms - 35 firearms were discovered in carry-on baggage since I posted last Friday. 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. See the spreadsheet and photos below.

An 18” sword was found inside a walking cane at Memphis (MEM).
A dagger brush was discovered during a bag check at Palm Beach (PBI). The handle pulled apart from the brush to reveal the dagger.
A stun gun disguised as a smart phone was discovered during a bag check at Detroit (DTW).

Stun Guns – 8 stun guns were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints around the nation: Los Angeles (LAX), Ontario (ONT), 2 at San Francisco (SFO), Detroit (DTW), Baltimore (BWI), Oakland (OAK), San Juan (SJU), and Chicago O’Hare (ORD). The stun gun at DTW looked like a normal smart phone, but after a closer look on the X-ray, our Officers knew what it was, and prevented it from making it onto the plane.

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.