More stupidity at TSA

[Genki_rockets]

TSA apologizes for forcing 4-year-old to remove leg braces at airport screening

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/02/tsa-apologizes-for-forcing-4-year-old-to-remove-leg-braces-at-airport-screening/1

Before heading to China & Japan last month, I had to stop in Denver for few days.  At DIA, I was escorted to a private room and TSA conducted all kinds of scans & X-rays for half an hour.  I had to take my pants off and was subjected to a really invasive pat down as well.

My brother who had not traveled with me before was just shocked at how much scrutny I was going through and I had to calm him down as he was getting really angry at TSA people.

While I was going through the airports in China, Korea & in Japan, I was treated with utter most respect by their security people and they were very apologetic that they had to do a brief pat down.

I was glad common sense does prevail in other countries.

[Dick Stevens]

Genki:

What a shocking story:  As a Philadelphian who has flown in and out of PHL several times, I was fortunate to have been treated by the TSA folks with the greatest respect and dignity.  Since I arrived in my wheelchair, I was always escorted thru the special h/c route.  Also, I received the same quality treatment by TSA at MSP, STL, and ATL (3 trips).

What can I say?  If he was going thru the normal route with able-bodied parents, and if the braces were covered by long pants, possibly the agents were unaware that the boy had special needs.  However, there is no excuse.  As soon as he or parents pointed out the braces, the treatment should have changed. 

I know as I travelled, the TSA was specifically NOT allowed to ask a person to remove a prosthesis.  I would think it should apply to leg braces as well.  Surely, swabbing the shoes and/or braces, and a descreet pat-down or wanding should have been in order.

Possible problem:  If they insist that all able-bodied people go thru the normal route, and if the 4-year-old child can't be expected to go separately thru the handicapped route by himself......  In such a case, at least one parent should be allowed to accompany the child all the way thru.

[Genki_rockets]

Dick,

it's not the airport.  it's who's working on that particular shift on that particular day.

obviously, there are TSA employees who are worried that a 4 yr. old boy of a Philadelphi cop is an enlisted suicide bomber and I must be carrying a bomb hidden inside my prosthetic leg.

LOL  what can I say?  They are idiots.

[Dick Stevens]

Genki:

True:  With the number of employees that TSA must have, you're bound to get an idiot once in awhile.  Then it's time to ask for a supervisor on the spot.  I guess I've been fortunate so far.

The fact that the boy is son of a cop shouldn't be a factor.  Unless the father is in uniform, the TSA person probably wouldn't be aware of the father's occupation. 

[Genki_rockets]

Dick, the last thing you want to do at check point is ask for a supervisor. Trust me.  I've gone through that route before.  Just take the abuse and move on.  As for the Philadelphia officer, he showed his badge and told the TSA who he was.  Apparently, things only got worse after that.

I was having a friendly chat with a CEO of major Canadian prosthetic manufacturer (hearing aid) in China & he was telling me how he used to get abused everytime he was going through a US Custom.  He told me he was held at the airport for three hours once because the US Custom would not allow him to bring in a nail sized IC chip. 

I won't name his company but this Canadian company has manufacturing partners in China, Japan, & in Germany.  This company is a bona fide world leader of digital hearing aid technology.  Guess what?  He won't do business in the US.  The Dept. of Homeland Security is not only alienating the US, but it's hurting the US economy as well.  And people are wondering why the rest of the world hates us.  Geez.
 

[Dick Stevens]

Genki:

I'm afraid there's some truth to what you say - that US officials (Customs, TSA, etc.) have a way of treating others in a high-handed way.  How often do people who have a need for a sense of power seek jobs that give them a uniform and a badge, and sometimes a gun?

Oh, I can see it now.  When that cop showed his badge, expecting to get special treatment because of it.  A Philadelphia cop is used to getting deferential treatment in the city.  But now, he's on TSA's turf.

Theoretically, the TSA agents are supposed to treat EVERY passenger with the same respect and dignity - and thoroughness.  It shouldn't matter whether you're a cop - or a priest - or a celebrity - or a politician.  So, if that cop expected to get special treatment becuase he was a cop, then he was out of order.

What he DID have was a special-needs situation - a little child who was handicapped.  It was the KID who deserved special care - not the cop and his badge.

As I see it, the cop and the rest of his family needed to go thru the usual route, while the one child need to go thru the handicapped route.  Because of his young age, he needed someone to accompany him.  That could be one family member - or it might be a TSA agent dedicated to guiding the child thru the h/c area.

Well now, if you and I were the TSA agents, how would we have handled the unusual situation?

[stinker373]

I strongly don't agree with what was done.  They should have never asked that boy to remove his braces and WALK WITHOUT them.  They ran the rixk of injury to taht little boy and could have damaged his legs permentally.  Next they will be oardering para's and quad's to walk through, oh did I forget us amputees lol walking through with  out our limbs geeeeeeeeeeesh.  If they wanted to swab his braces for drugs and explosives did they do that to all other passengers wearing belts, shoes.  What next a swabing of the rectom or vagina???Lots of place there to store stuff lolol.  That makes me sick.

[Dick Stevens]

As I understand it, the swabbing of shoes, braces, prostheses, etc. is an alternative to the normal route of walking thru the detectors and taking off shoes to send thru xray.

I agree the child should NOT have been asked to remove the braces, just as amputees should not be asked to remove prostheses.

Sometimes they ask me if I can remove my shoes.  When I say it is exrtremely difficult to do so, they never insist.  Rather, they swab the shoes and one or two spots on the prostheses.  Sometimes also swab the wheelchair.  Crutches and pocket contents are sent thru the xray.  Usually they do a pat-down or wand me.

They have been very descreet and polite, and I I have no complaints with how TSA staff have treated me in the special handicapped lane. 

[annieg]

I'm flying to Europe out of Logan in Boston in about 10 days.  They just got those new machines that show everything.  Do you think I'll get to try one of them or will I get the usual pat down and drug/explosive test? annieg

[pegleg jack]

ANNIEG, this is just my opinion, but i for one don't what someone and i don't care who it is ogling my body through one  of those machines, to  me it is an invasion of my privitizy, there are other ways to do this and not give some idiot a chance to sit there and get his rocks off looking at nude people trying to fly some where,

[Dick Stevens]

Jack:

Some of you attractive young folks might have something to worry about.  As for me, I sincerely doubt any TSA inspector will "get his rocks off" peering at my aged, overweight, wrinkled, amputated body.

Yeah, it's mighty invasive .... and ..... it's still not foolproof!    There's still plenty of ways for a determined terrorist to get explosives onto a plane. 

I still fly with the confidence that (1) there are very, very few terrorists, and (2) that odds are they aren't on my flight.

[pegleg jack]

Dick, i am neither young or atractive, am over wieght and ugly, got a pot gut that wont quit. But i still dont like that type of scaning machine, and they dont need to be sitting there and looking at peoples naked bodies no how. like i said before that is my opioion of those machines.

P.S. am 67 and counting the days to 68

[Dick Stevens]

Come and catch me, Jack.  I just passed the 72 mark a few days ago.

I agree these new machines _ I haven't met one yet - don't make me comfortable.  How about more explosive-sniffing dogs?

Some joker on line had a cool suggestion:  Invent a machine that people walk thru, that causes any explosive a person is comcealing to explode.

Remember the good ol' days when you could walk onto a plane without strip-searches, xrays, pat-downs, and sniffing dogs?

[herb]

Hi Dick - the sad thing is that despite all these searches and detection equipment, we most likely still not as safe as we were in the "good old days" I remember a few  times arriving at the airport 2 minutes before departure and running on to the plane as they were closing the door. Now you have to be at the airport 1.5 hours early. Herb

[Dick Stevens]

Herb:

Ah yes, the good ol' days.

Ironically, even with all the TSA screening and peeping at us, there's still many ways for a would-be terrorist to sneak stuff onto a plane.  Even I, who has absolutely NO expertise in such matters, can think of several ways (I won't explain here.)

I travel with the confidence that the vast majority of people on the plane with me want to get to the destination in one piece!

Dick Stevens in PA