Response Posted to White House We the People Petition

If you’re not familiar with We the People, it’s a new web platform created by the White House that gives all Americans a way to create and sign petitions on a range of different issues.

A petition was created asking for TSA to be abolished, and TSA Administrator John S. Pistole has just responded.

Take a look at the response and feel free to leave a comment here on the TSA Blog.  

Blogger Bob Burns

TSA Blog Team

If you’d like to comment on an unrelated topic you can do so in our Off Topic Comments post. You can also view our blog post archives or search our blog to find a related topic to comment in. If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact a Customer Support Manager at the airport you traveled, or will be traveling through by using Talk to TSA.

TSA Pre✓™ Rolling Out In Vegas Today

They say that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but I think folks will be glad that we’re breaking protocol and letting this news slip.

The TSA Pre✓™ pilot has expanded to the Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport and will begin today for frequent fliers traveling domestically out of Las Vegas via American and Delta airlines. Specifically, it will be at D Gates First Class screening lane.

So what are our next steps after that? In early 2012, we’ll be expanding the pilot to Minneapolis St. Paul (MSP) for Delta passengers and Los Angeles (LAX) for American Airline passengers. 

If that’s not enough good news… (Drumroll please) - US Airways will be the next airline to offer TSA Pre✓™ to eligible passengers.

Last week, we announced that United Airlines would also participate in TSA Pre✓™. Stay tuned and keep checking your inbox because  both US Airways and United will begin notifying their eligible frequent fliers soon, and their participation is expected to begin in early 2012.  Details, including an exact start date and participating airports will be determined and announced as soon as possible. 

For those who might not be familiar with TSA Pre✓™, it includes U.S. citizens who are members of existing U.S. Customs and Border Protection Trusted Traveler programs including Global Entry, NEXUS, and SENTRI programs as well as eligible airline frequent flyers. You can read more about it here on our blog or at TSA.gov.

Approximately 140,000 passengers have been screened through TSA Pre✓™ since it rolled out and the feedback has been extremely positive. 

Blogger Bob Burns

TSA Blog Team 

If you’d like to comment on an unrelated topic you can do so in our Off Topic Comments post. You can also view our blog post archives or search our blog to find a related topic to comment in. If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact a Customer Support Manager at the airport you traveled, or will be traveling through by using Talk to TSA.

Loaded .380 Found Strapped To Passenger’s Ankle at DTW With Body Scanner

Saturday at DTW, a loaded .380 pistol was found strapped to the ankle of a 76-year-old man. We’ve found over 1,100 firearms this year, but what makes this one stand out from the rest is that it wasn’t found in a bag, it was found strapped to a passenger’s ankle with one of our body scanners. It’s just more proof that this technology can and will find dangerous items.

After reading comments around the web this morning, I noticed some comments stating that walk through metal detectors would have found this pistol and that they’re far less expensive than body scanners.  While that’s a true statement, the walk through metal detectors cannot detect non metallic items like explosives, which are the greatest threat to aviation today. Body scanners are far more versatile and can find both metallic and non metallic concealed dangerous items. Hundreds of dangerous, prohibited, and illegal items have been found with the scanners since January 2010. 

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. 

Great job DTW! 

Blogger Bob Burns

TSA Blog Team 

If you’d like to comment on an unrelated topic you can do so in our Off Topic Comments post. You can also view our blog post archives or search our blog to find a related topic to comment in. If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact a Customer Support Manager at the airport you traveled, or will be traveling through by using Talk to TSA.

Clarification on Screening of Three Senior Citizens at JFK

Since we blogged last weekend about a passenger's screening experience at JFK International Airport, some additional concerns have been raised. We want to clarify a few things but first and foremost, we wanted to ensure our readers understand this:

TSA does not, and has never, conducted strip searches and no strip searches occurred in any of these incidents. 

We truly regret these passengers feel they had a bad screening experience. Our goal is to provide the highest level of security while ensuring that all passengers are treated with dignity and respect. We work regularly with a coalition of advocacy groups that represent those with disabilities and medical conditions to help TSA understand their conditions and adapt screening procedures accordingly.

Last week, TSA senior leadership convened a call with these groups to share information about our policies and procedures. TSA informed them that we're in the process of establishing an 800 number dedicated to travelers with disabilities, medical conditions, or those who may require assistance during screening. Passengers will be able to call this number prior to flying to get guidance and information about screening, based on their needs. Additionally, TSA regularly trains its workforce on how to screen travelers with disabilities or medical conditions and has customer service managers on hand at airports to answer questions and assist passengers.

We’ve had some questions since we posted on Ms. Zimmerman’s complaint last weekend. People wanted to know why we had her remove her back brace when our web page clearly states that our officers will not ask for braces to be removed. To be honest, I was asking myself the same question. Here’s what happened: There was a bit of a miscommunication and our officers were told that the passenger was wearing a money belt. Unlike medical braces and supports, money belts must be removed since they’re not providing any type of medical benefit. After the passenger removed the item, it was then determined to be a Velcro fastened support brace and not a money belt. Since the item had already been removed, our officers had it X-rayed and returned it to the passenger who was then clear to travel.

JKF officers are receiving refresher training to include scenario-based exercises on how to respectfully and safely screen passengers with disabilities or medical conditions to ensure all the proper procedures are followed. Our goal every day is provide the highest level of security, in the most respectful and efficient way possible.

We recommend that all passengers familiarize themselves with security protocols and inform officers prior to screening if they have medical devices that require special screening. It makes things easier for everybody if all parties know in advance what to expect.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind. You can find many more tips for traveling with disabilities here at our web page. 

TSA officers do not ask passengers to remove clothing to expose a sensitive area or to remove a medical device or brace. We have special procedures that allow us to safely screen passengers with disabilities.

Notification cards, are a great way for passengers to discreetly let us know about a medical condition or disability. Passengers may present these cards at the checkpoint to our officers.

Passengers should always be in view of their belongings. If you can’t see your belongings during secondary screening, please request that an officer bring them to you.

Passengers who know they may need additional screening ahead of time may contact a TSA customer support manager at their departure airport ahead of travel to ensure their needs are met. If private screening is needed, passengers are free to have a family member or travel companion join them in the private screening room.

Here are some resources for more information and ways to contact TSA in both the field and at Headquarters.  

Traveling With Disabilities – A wealth of information for passenger with disabilities traveling through TSA checkpoints.

Talk To TSA- Contact a TSA Customer Support Manager at the airport you are traveling through.

TSA Contact CenterA place to find contact information for specific offices or to just ask a general question.

Blogger Bob Burns

TSA Blog Team 

If you’d like to comment on an unrelated topic you can do so in our Off Topic Comments post. You can also view our blog post archives or search our blog to find a related topic to comment in. If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact a Customer Support Manager at the airport you traveled, or will be traveling through by using Talk to TSA.

TSA Week In Review: 5 Grenades “Grenading”

5 Grenades Grenading (EWR)

5 grenades “grenading” and a partridge in a pear tree! Not one, but 5 inert grenades were discovered in a passenger’s checked luggage at Newark (EWR). Read here and here why even inert grenades at the airport are a problem even though they can’t explode. In a somewhat related incident at LAX, an expended smoke grenade was found in a passenger’s carry-on bag.

I’m sure you’ve heard the “What’s In Your Wallet” commercials…Well, a frustrated passenger at Boston (BOS) stated he had a bomb in his wallet. The police ended up citing the passenger, so while there was no actual bomb in his wallet, there is now less cash…

Not counting all of the usual items our officers find, this week they also found stun guns, firearm components, ammunition, replica firearms, brass knuckles, a belt buckle knife, a brass kubotan containing a 2½-inch double-edged knife, switchblades, butterfly knives and batons. 

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 in their bag. That’s why it’s important to double check your luggage before you get to the airport. 

On the other hand, there are artfully concealed items...  Artfully concealed means that the prohibited item was intentionally concealed with the intention of sneaking it through security:

Sword Cane (COS)

A 20” sword cane was discovered during X-ray screening at Colorado Springs (COS). The passenger said the cane was purchased for him by a relative and he wasn’t aware of the sword.

One could say a passenger was “foiled” after his knife was found in his carry-on bag inside a box wrapped in tinfoil at Columbus (CMH). The passenger actually admitted he was trying to conceal it from us. 

Aluminum foil may protect you from aliens and mind rays, but it’s not going to hide anything from us in the X-ray.

Foiled Knife (DEN)

We’re looking for dangerous items and not booze, but miniature bottles of liquor were discovered in a passenger’s socks during screening with the body scanner at Denver (DEN). Hint – most miniature bottles of liquor are under 3.4 oz. and can be brought in your carry-on baggage as long as it’s in a baggy. No need to smuggle them…

Belt Buckle knife at Newark (EWR). It's a belt buckle. It's a knife. It's a belt buckle, it's a knife. and so on...

It's a knife. It's a Belt Buckle. (EWR)

Our officers found 25 loaded firearms and 4 unloaded firearms in carry-on baggage since I posted last Friday. Here’s a rundown of the 29 firearms our officers kept off of airplanes this week: 

• 12/2: BTR – Loaded .40 - BNA- Loaded .40 w/ One Round Chambered - LAX - Loaded .40 w/ One Round Chambered - BZN – Loaded .380 - SJC – Loaded .38 - IND - Loaded .40 w/ One Round Chambered - RSW - Loaded .38 - CLE – Unloaded .38 - DFW – Loaded 9mm w/ One Round Chambered - MIA - Loaded 9mm w/ One Round Chambered 
• 12/3: DEN – Loaded 9mm 
• 12/4: DEN - Loaded 9mm - BNA – Unloaded .25 - MCO - Loaded .380 - MEM - Unloaded .38 
• 12/5: No Firearms Found! 
• 12/6: PDX – Loaded .380 - IND – Loaded .22 - AUS – Loaded .380 - DAL – Loaded .22 w/ One Round Chambered- FLL – Loaded 9mm 
• 12/7: MCO – Loaded .22 - MDW – Loaded .357 - JAN – Loaded .40 - LIT – Loaded .380 w/ One Round Chambered 
• 12/8: BNA - Loaded .380 w/ One Round Chambered - PDX – Loaded .22 - LAX – Unloaded .45 - TPA – Loaded .38 - TPA – Loaded .45

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. 

We also look for explosives and bomb components as well, but thankfully those are extremely rare and we're happy to keep it that way. 

Including checkpoint and checked baggage screening, TSA has 20 layers of security both visible and invisible to the public. Each one of these layers alone is capable of stopping a terrorist attack. In combination their security value is multiplied, creating a much stronger, formidable system. A terrorist who has to overcome multiple security layers in order to carry out an attack is more likely to be pre-empted, deterred, or to fail during the attempt. 

Blogger Bob Burns

TSA Blog Team

If you’d like to comment on an unrelated topic you can do so in our Off Topic Comments post. You can also view our blog post archives or search our blog to find a related topic to comment in. If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact a Customer Support Manager at the airport you traveled, or will be traveling through by using Talk to TSA.