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| Dagger (SLC) |
Concealed Non-Metallic Dagger - A dagger was
discovered on a passenger at Salt Lake City (SLC) after he alarmed Advanced
Imaging Technology (AIT). During the pat-down, a plastic dagger was found
hanging by fishing line around his neck and under his shirt.
 |
| Discovered in a Carry-on Bag at DSM |
30 Firearms
Discovered This Week –
Of the 30 firearms, 26 were loaded and 11 had rounds chambered. Here are
pictures of some of the firearms. See a complete list and more photos at the
bottom of this post.
 |
| Flare Gun (MDW) |
Flare Gun – A
passenger at Midway (MDW) had a flare gun and four flares in his carry-on bag. You know, if you
want to signal a flight attendant, there is a little button above your head.
You don’t need a flare gun. Flares and flare guns are prohibited items.
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.
 |
| PHX Novelty Bomb |
- Two novelty bombs looking like something Wile E. Coyote would lob at the Roadrunner were discovered at Phoenix (PHX).
- Six inert/novelty/replica grenades were discovered this week: Two at Omaha (OMA), two at Las Vegas (LAS), and one each at Asheville (AVL), and Denver (DEN).
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:
- An individual approached a general aviation ramp at Knox County Airport (RKD) and stated that aircraft were buzzing his house and if it did not stop, he was going to shoot one down.
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…
 |
| Fireworks Discovered at MYR |
Firearms Discovered This Week
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. The passenger can face a penalty as high as $7,500.00. 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 order to provide a timely weekly update, I compile my data from a preliminary report. The year-end numbers will vary slightly (increase) from what I report in the weekly updates. However, any monthly, midyear, or end-of-year numbers TSA provides on this blog or elsewhere will not be estimates.
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. The passenger can face a penalty as high as $7,500.00. 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 order to provide a timely weekly update, I compile my data from a preliminary report. The year-end numbers will vary slightly (increase) from what I report in the weekly updates. However, any monthly, midyear, or end-of-year numbers TSA provides on this blog or elsewhere will not be estimates.
If you haven’t seen it
yet, make sure you check out our post highlighting the dangerous, scary, and downright unusual items
our officers found in 2012.
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 Blog Team
If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact us by clicking here.
46 comments:
Please explain why the plane that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West was not emptied, searched, and the passengers searched again. After it was found that they had bypassed the TSA checkpoint? Normally you do this when non-celebrity passengers do this. Why was an exception fro the SOP made and who authorized it?
However, had the passenger at SLC put a scissors with 4" blades and a screwdriver in his carryon, he would have been able to have TWO knives on the plane!
I'm still not convinced that the body scanners are a good use of our tax dollars. One plastic knife found doesn't seem like a good use of resources. Is a knife a threat to the plane any more? How is someobdy going to access the cockpit with a knife these days? I've been given larger metal knives at airport restaurants and on planes.
Were any of the people with the porhibited items charged with terrorism related crimes. If not, then why make such a big deal out of some forgetful passengers bringing guns on a plane? Especially when they were found with the metal detectors and x-ray machines used for decades and not the expensive body scanners.
A plastic dagger - oh, the horror of it all!
Get real, Bob.
screen shot
My suggestion is for the TSA to post LARGE signs by the entrance to the screening queue with letters 12" high in red, saying "NO GUNS! NO KNIVES! NO FAKE EXPLOSIVES! NO! BAD! NO!" Make it simple for the rocket scientists among the travelers.
I traveled from Seattle to Anchorage and a week later, from Anchorage to Seattle, and once again, I encountered only polite, helpful and courteous TSA screeners.
Thank you TSA for keeping us safe!
Bob, your employer's web site says, "Scissors smaller than 4 inches, small needles carried for special medical needs, and other sharp objects that do not contain a blade may be placed in carry-on baggage."
That "dagger's" "blade" is shorter than four inches, and looks no more dangerous than a pair of scissors.
So why was it confiscated?
Is a plastic dagger with a 4" blade a threat to aviation, now that the cockpit doors have been secured? And before someone points out that no, it's not, but could be used to stab someone, well, yeah, it could. But so could that 4" pair of scissors which can be quickly converted into TWO stabbing weapons instead of just one, and yet is an allowed item.
How exactly is a stun gun a threat to aviation? Guy might stun 1 person before the rest of the passengers take him down and beat him into a bloody pulp.
So for the TAXPAYERS EIGHT BILLION DOLLARS tsa finds one little plastic dagger, a little to no danger item all while the public is treated like prison inductees getting sexually assaulted and having property confiscated by the kind and loving TSA clerks.
I want my money back!
Yeah! The Nudie Scanners found something!
Well.... a thing. They found a thing. Not a terrorist. Not a terrorist plot. Not even a threat to anyone really.
But they did find something!
That means that so far for 2013, the plastic knife as jewelry cost the taxpayers about $64,0000. Considering that particular knife costs about $35 and is only dangerous to one person at a time..... what I am trying to say is I am not going to congratulate the TSA for this 'find' because it is merely an attempt to project success onto something that is very obviously a failure.
Remove the scanners TSA.
Remove the screeners TSA.
Follow the model of your FAA counterparts and set the standards to be followed and leave the actual delivery of service to the people best able to do it.
saw the story that Kanye and Kim were allowed to bypass security, but were stopped and screened on the jetway. I realize the airline employee bypassed security for them improperly. However, I am concerned that the screening wasn't properly conducted.
Since this was done in the jetway, how were the bags and shoes x-rayed? Were explosive residue tests conducted? Why weren't these two taken back to the security checkpoint for screening? Would a regular passenger be allowed this special screening on the jetway?
Shouldn't the terminal be evacuated in this situation? Either of these two could have handed off a prohibited item to another person. I've seen terminal dumps done in the past for this. I've seen TSA screeners threaten scared children from hugging their parents because of the danger of something being handed off. Out of an abundance of caution, shouldn't the terminal have been evacuated?
Bob,
I think this week's choice of what not to say at airports is a bad choice. It sounds like maybe the man has a mental illness. It probably would be a good idea of the police check him and his home out to make sure he won't hurt himself, but this was not a terrorist threat.
He wasn't flying anywhere was he? I highly doubt he has any weapon that could hit, much less seriously damage a flying plane.
If the best you can do is weekly point out joking, satirical, mentally ill, etc. type statements by travelling citizens (or airport neigbors), it might be best to cut out the "What Not to Say..." section. As it is, it makes the TSA look foolish.
Does the TSA confiscate obvious toy/replica/fake grenades after they have been inspected? Who actually does the inspection? Do screeners have to call in someone who actually knows something about weapons, explosives, and incediaries? Is that knowledgable person a TSA employee?
For instance, there's a drink called a "hand grenade" and comes with a tiny bright green plastic grenade. Would the TSA confiscate it?
So everything was found by the baggage scanner except for the small plastic dagger. Nobody is going to take over a plane with such a blade. (How would they get into the cockpit? How would they evade the other passengers, who learned from 9-11 that they have to fight back?) So why do we get irradiated and photographed naked at the checkpoint?
Why do we need full body scanners again? That non-metalic dagger is not going to take down an airplane. In fact, I can make a better weapon with a bottle of duty-free booze.
I find the blog interesting and fascinating. I am surprised of the negativity by many responders. I travel quite a bit and have found the TSA folks quite pleasant and helpful. I still don't like taking my shoes off but that's ok with me. Obviously the naysayers don't work at a place where metal detectors and explosive sensors every day!
@Grant Garber "...Obviously the naysayers don't work at a place where metal detectors and explosive sensors every day!"
You assume incorrectly. I work in a place where everyone, including me, has to pass through Metal Detectors every day to get to work. Purses, briefcases, even hats, go through an x-ray machine just like at the airport.
If the WTMD alarms you are asked to step to the side and a very nice security officer asks you if you have anything metal on your person while he waves the 'magic wand' over you.
Here is the major difference between the security at my work place and the TSA:
My workplace security is provided by a private company and they have to work to keep the contract. They are professionals, they are polite, they treat everyone as if they are a person and not a criminal.
When you alarm the WTMD, security asks you to step aside so as to not impede the line. The 'side' they ask you step to is at the end of the x-ray machine so your items, if any, are right in front of you.
When you are asked to step aside, there is a security officer there to double-check you in about 30 seconds, or however long it takes to walk from the side of the scanner machine to the end of the scanner machine.
The security officer using the hand-held wand is polite and assumes you have simply missed removing something metallic. This is most unlike the TSA that assumes you are a terrorist and must be sequestered in the clear-box and be kept from your belongings and any fellow travelers for as long as possible.
Did I mention that the security staff at my place of work are generally pleasant and treat everyone with respect and courtesy? And that each of them wears a very easy to read name badge? And each of them carry a business card with their name AND badge number as well as contact information for their company?
TSA, you could learn a thing or two from your private sector counterparts.
Grant Garber said...
I find the blog interesting and fascinating. I am surprised of the negativity by many responders. I travel quite a bit and have found the TSA folks quite pleasant and helpful. I still don't like taking my shoes off but that's ok with me. Obviously the naysayers don't work at a place where metal detectors and explosive sensors every day!
Grant - I am very glad you haven't encountered poor performing TSA employees. For me, I've seen everything from surly and bored to polite and helpful. Many people have had bad to egregious encounters with TSA employees and share their experiences here and other web locations. Others share their good encounters.
None of this has anything to do with where people work. I'm sure if you took a poll, you'd find people who are critical of the TSA who work in lightly to highly secured businesses.
Criticism of the TSA does not mean we are not aware of security protocols or the needs for some level of security at various locations.
I hope your travels continue to be without troubles, but please don't dismiss those who have bad experiences or view TSA policies and procedures as unconstitutional and intrusive.
Bob,
Why was TSA wanting to probe ANOTHER young girl in a wheelchair? A three-year-old for crying out loud!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oPloe08a3Q&feature=youtu.be
TSA already conceded that kids under 12 aren't the threatening, scary mass bombers/terrorists you insisted they were for years since they can keep their shoes and jackets on.
If the screeners "had" to inspect the wheelchair, fine, but don't let screeners grope children and make them cry, all the while telling the parent it's "illegal" to videotape the events.
What is going on in this video that was posted earlier:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oPloe08a3Q&feature=youtu.be
Why was this person told that videotaping is illegal? Is it now illegal or is this another TSA employee that doesn't know the TSA's policies? It undermines my confidence in the TSA that so many employees can't follow a simple policy. It makes me think that the TSA tells their screeners to harass and intimidate passengers who try to film, but then says publically on their website that filming is permitted.
Hey Grant,
It's nice that you haven't had a negative experience with the TSA. That used to be the case for me until the TSA installed the body scanners. I wear an insulin pump which cannot go through the scanners per the manufacturer. Everytime I fly, I get a full body, "enhanced" patdown that is very invasive and more suited to going to prison than getting on a plane. The police would have to have serious probable cause to pat me down the way the TSA does. Apparently my crime is wearing an insulin pump and trying to board a plane.
The sad thing is that these scanners are expensive and they do a worse job than the metal detectors that were used for decades. Look at this blog. They occasionally find a plastic knife or toothpaste with the scanner. Seems like a huge waste of money, especially since they are replacing scanners less than 2 years old due to "privacy" issues. Northern Ireland scrapped using them in prisons because they missed 43% of test items.
Bob, once again a video has been posted showing a wheelchair bound young girl being terrorized by TSA.
Why were TSA screeners telling the mother that it was illegal to video the encounter?
Seems TSA should be able to train TSA clerks given the two or more years TSA has had to take action on this.
Are TSA clerks held to account for their poor training or dishonesty?
Bob, your employer's web site says, "Scissors smaller than 4 inches, small needles carried for special medical needs, and other sharp objects that do not contain a blade may be placed in carry-on baggage."
That "dagger's" "blade" is shorter than four inches, and looks no more dangerous than a pair of scissors.
So why was it confiscated?
Bob, are you ever going to reply to the questions about why TSOs continue to tell passengers that photography is prohibited?
Part of being a social media representative of an organization is responding to customers' questions and concerns. Check out the Facebook pages of any reputable company.
Bob, you are a full-time TSA employee. What are you doing outside of the two hours it takes to assemble the weekly TSA police log?
Your failure to answer readers' very serious questions speaks volumes both about your employer and about you as an individual. Have you no integrity?
[Screenshot taken. Failure to post this comment will have repercussions.]
Why does TSA allow its employees to abuse children? TSA abuse of children happens again and again yet TSA management has done nothing to put a stop to the abuse. Why does TSA condone child abuse by its employees.
"Bob, once again a video has been posted showing a wheelchair bound young girl being terrorized by TSA."
Children cry all the time. If this was a real problem people with children wouldn't fly. It's as simple as that.
The fact that the airports are packed indicate approval of TSA's policies and procedures. If anyone dislikes the policies and procedures, they can quit flying.
I remember the headlines from Sept 11: "19 terrorists, all suffering from Spina bifida and bound to wheelchairs, kidnapped airplanes and..."
From now on, I'm gonna use the phrase (and not in a good sense): Man, are you TSAing me?"
Once again, I'll remind most of you that your comments aren't helping anything. The better question to ask is what was the passenger doing with a plastic knife around their neck in the first place? I'm hoping you would rethink the tactic of rushing the hijacker if they had that plastic knife pressed against vital areas of another passenger or flight attendant. Think it through before you type please, and please know where your firearms are located. I know where mine are at all times. If you want to make a difference, write your Senators and Representative, and not necessarily on just this issue. I would think the 2nd amendment would rise to the top for most of you.
Bob, we won't bother you this morning as we know you are ferociously busy preparing your post about the girl in Saint Louis.
But we know the post's content already: protocol was followed, TSA apologizes if the family felt they were not screened with dignity, yada, yada, yada.
The greatest anti-TSA line ever, "I don't want to go to Disney World" uttered by a crying child before TSA screeners assualt her body.
Good job TSA!
I noticed that marijuana is a prohibited item. You say the you aren't looking for marijuana, but if it is prohibited, wouldn't that mean you are looking for it?
You also say that the pot will be refered to law enforcement. What if the cop says that it is legal to possess in that city? Is the TSA going to confiscate the pot? What happens if a cancer patient who has a prescription for medical marijuana is flying for treatment? It seems like a bad idea for the TSA to confiscate prescribed drugs, especially since they pose no threat to the plane.
When was medical marijuana added to the TSA prohibited items list?
What safety concern does this present?
Under what authority did TSA take this action?
Educate your employees for crying out loud. Videotaping TSA procedures is NOT illegal!
http://tsanewsblog.com/9395/news/tsa-assauts-traumatizes-three-year-old-girl-in-wheelchair/
The intent of hiding the knife with fishing string, it being plastic and not detectable with the metal detector, is a concern. Probably should be to you, especially if you are the unlucky one that get stabbed in the neck or your throat slashed by the fool concealing it. Remember, medical help would be hours away while in flight. By that time you or your child/ loved one can bleed to death. Remember intent, people know the laws, but why are they breaking them. That's concerning.
Still nothing from TSA on how to properly terrorize little girls.
The story is not going away TSA!
Seems TSA screeners prefer picking on young wheelchair bound girls. Guess it keeps the screeners from getting their butts kicked.
Any comments of the security breaches at DFW that TSA allows and has not taking action against?
TSA abueses The handicapped but allows easy access for unscreened airport workers.
ABOUT THIS BLOG: This blog is sponsored by the Transportation Security Administration to facilitate an ongoing dialogue on innovations in security, technology and the checkpoint screening process.
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No it's not. There's no dialog here.
At best, it's a weekly police log is items that are not threats to aviation and which would have been found using 1990s checkpoints.
At its worst, it's pure taxpayer-funded propaganda.
If this were a dialog, you'd tell us whether the STL TSO who told the mother that filming is illegal will be terminated for lying to a passenger.
What are you doing, Bob, that you're so busy that it's been two days since new comments were added?
A 3 year old in a wheelchair? Really?
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/girl-wheelchair-detained-tsa-caught-tape-18555238?tab=9482931§ion=4765066
Welcome to the land of the free - where travelers can't hold agents accountable. This is despicable.
I am wondering why all the people, the ones up in arms about the plastic dagger, aren't wondering or focused more about why the guy had it hanging around his neck, dangling from fishing line. Curious. Hmm. No ill intent there.(That's just plain creepy.) As a military veteran and a former law enforcement officer, I can't say how many times I have been searched, sniffed, and examined at the check points. Funny, I'm on the same side, but sometimes I travel with my old duty bag, so it probably smells like a weapon, however, I never complain. In fact, I am glad to give up my freedoms for the security of all. TY TSA. Keep up the good work.
Anonymous said...
"...The fact that the airports are packed indicate approval of TSA's policies and procedures. If anyone dislikes the policies and procedures, they can quit flying.
February 19, 2013 at 4:16 PM"
You are incorrect, Anonymous. Many people continue to fly despite TSA's intrusive policies and procedures. We law-abiding citizens have the right to fly, as held by the courts, and will continue to exercise our rights, whether you like it or not.
If Americans really start believing in carrying arms again---yes, even on planes; then we don't really need taxpayer funded security.
We are the security. We can't babyproof everything. Life is risk. Let's all carry guns to dispense with the frisking and radiation.
Anonymous said...
"In fact, I am glad to give up my freedoms for the security of all."
First, just because YOU are willing to give up your rights, that does not give YOU the right to force me to give up MINE.
Second, if you were, in fact, a LEO as claimed, you would (or should) realize that what the TSA does is not actual security.
Anonymous said...
"I am wondering why all the people, the ones up in arms about the plastic dagger, aren't wondering or focused more about why the guy had it hanging around his neck, dangling from fishing line. Curious. Hmm. No ill intent there."
Ill intent or no, a 4" plastic blade is not a threat to aviation, so why he was wearing it around his neck is irrelevant.
If he *did* have ill intent, he was not very smart about it, as there are a ton of holes in security. This comment will probably never get posted, as it will highlight a few of them ;)
First, he should have made the checkpoint the target instead of the plane. A plastic dagger is probably not going to be very effective there, but with hardened cockpit doors and passenger awareness, it would have been just as effective as it would have on the actual plane.
Second, he could have placed the blade in the scanner's blind spot instead of dangling it around his neck. See previous point as to why, even if successful, this would not matter.
Third, he could have taken a pair of scissors instead and, once past security with his allowed item, separated the blades, giving him TWO weapons instead of one. See point one as to why the TSA apparently is not concerned with this risk.
Fourth, he could have went through security with no blades on him at all and had a nice steak dinner at a restaurant inside the "secure" area, pocketing the knife before leaving. See previous point and point one as to why this is not a viable risk.
Finally (for this exercise anyhow), he could have flow first class and been handed a knife with his meal. See previous points as to why this is not a viable threat to aviation.
Will the TSA post this comment? Who knows? I doubt it, as they expose five "weaknesses" in TSA's security.
With the ability to "print" parts for a weapon maybe it was a TEST.
Anonymous said...
With the ability to "print" parts for a weapon maybe it was a TEST.
February 25, 2013 at 6:47 AM
Occam's Razor. Most likely just a jerk who wanted to take a little knife with him on vacation.
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