TSA's new security strategy

[wink]

Evidently Junior thought it would be funny to stash "a bullet" (her word) in Sis's backpack for TSA to find. It worked. To use his words, TSA "Totally flipped out".

It was, in fact, just a bullet. Not a round. Not live ammo. No explosives whatsoever. Just a small pointy piece of metal. That's it.

Can't there be just a little sense and proportion applied to this process?

Then there was the trip to the Green Bay airport I took the first part of July. My 19 year old nephew was caught with a nine inch knife under the bottom floor piece of his shoulder bag. His father, not with us, makes edged weapons for those Renaissance Fairs. It was his bag. It had just gotten lost under the plastic floor. The TSA folks laughed it off and simply impounded it for disposal. Oh ya, he originated in Phoenix and it got past them. Nine inches of cold steel!!

 

[PropStop]

I accidentally left my leatherman in my backpack (the one I flew with on the war pig) when I traveled on a commercial flight originating at SEA. I didn't even notice it in the bottom of a pouch. They saw it and, much to my surprise, did not make a big deal about it. They pulled it out, told me what I needed to do to mail it back to my house, and sent me on my way. I expected them to go to SpoolCon Delta but they didn't. They were VERY professional and polite. I picked up a comment card, got all their names, and sent it in.

This has been the ONLY positive experience I have had. It was MY screw up, no doubt. Obviously I had no intent to do any harm, I could have flown a plane into downtown Seattle any time I did a DFW, and they recognized that.

Of course there was no end of ribbing from my traveling companions.

 

[A4sForever]

....All too quickly I'm reminded why I "left" the forum for so long.

Why?? There may be valid reasons to "leave" this forum, but getting into a pissing contest re: "the merits of the TSA" ain't one of 'em.

We NEED input from people like yourself on this forum.

Com'on back -- CHARLIE ON ARRIVAL.

 

[nittany03]

Had an interesting experience with TSA. Took three guns with me on vacation; two rifles, one handgun. No problems in SeaTac. Declared them, showed them to TSA, signed a form certifying they were unloaded. Relocked the case. Done.

Flew back through Newburgh, NY. Given this is like the fifth time I'd checked firearms on a plane, I was expecting to breeze through and get to my gate. TSA employee says to follow her and takes me back into an "authorized personnel only" area into a room that no kidding looks like the room Neo got interrogated in at the beginning of the Matrix.

Opened the case and the TSA person wanted to visually check that the weapons were unloaded. Either she was worried I'd fired a squib or knew jack about guns, because instead of just seeing if there was a round chambered, she was holding the rifles up to a light and trying to look DOWN THE BARREL THROUGH THE ACTION. Yep. You got me. That's where I hide my extra bullets. Halfway down the barrel.

Puts the rifles down and says into her walkie-talkie that she needs the State Police to come over. WTF is going on? I'm completely legal! SERE techniques spring to mind unbidden and get mentally shoved back out of the way. I say "excuse me?" Get told "We need the police to come over for the handguns. We don't do handguns." Shit. TSA at every other airport did. Mind telling me BEFORE you call the cops that you're just calling them to do your job for you? :icon_rage:icon_rage

So here I am in an unmarked dingy room with the TSA and a 6 foot 4 inch state trooper who could play nose tackle. VERY disconcerting even if I'm not in hot water.

Cop checks the pistol is clear and then asks to see my pistol permit. Umm . . . I'm not a NY resident. I don't HAVE a pistol permit. So what's the law in Washington? Seven-day wait and the sale recorded at the Sheriff's office. Where has the weapon been since you've been in NY? In a locked box in the back seat with no ammo. I was staying in PA. I'm going to WA (which means I'm legal under the Federal law which preempts your asinine gun laws so long as I'm just passing through, but I keep that to myself). Cop then goes OK.

Finally get out of there. And the trooper was pretty chill about everything in the end and curious about my Mosin-Nagant. But I am not flying into or out of NY with guns ever again. Sheesh.

 

[plc67]

Like many others I have experienced episodes of TSA buffoonery, but relief may be on the way. I was asking my FO during a recent trip how his job hunt is coming[we are about to massively furlough]. A very sharp individual, 46 years old with 14,000hours and several thousand in transport category jets,I thought someone would be interested. He told me that he has applied to everyone, including TSA. TSA rejected him stating they are looking for individuals with prior law enforcement and/or experience with X Ray machines.
For those who are curious, he's only received positive feed back from a 18,000dollar a year regional.

 

[BACONATOR]

Like many others I have experienced episodes of TSA buffoonery, but relief may be on the way. I was asking my FO during a recent trip how his job hunt is coming[we are about to massively furlough]. A very sharp individual, 46 years old with 14,000hours and several thousand in transport category jets,I thought someone would be interested. He told me that he has applied to everyone, including TSA. TSA rejected him stating they are looking for individuals with prior law enforcement and/or experience with X Ray machines.
For those who are curious, he's only received positive feed back from a 18,000dollar a year regional.

Well this seems like a prime example of why we're failing.

 

[wink]

Had an interesting experience with TSA. Took three guns with me on vacation; two rifles, one handgun. ..
.
Opened the case and the TSA person wanted to visually check that the weapons were unloaded.

Had a couple buddies fly from Phoenix to Billings for a hunt. No problem leaving Phoenix. Flying back from Billings the TSA asked one of them to verify the guns were unloaded. He says, "sure". They insist on a visual because as she said, "we get lots of hunters in here that manage to forget to clear their rifles in the excitement after dropping a big one." He informs her one of the cased guns is for his friend who was getting them coffee. She said his presence was not necessary. So he clears his and then picks up the other. Yanks the bolt back and PING, out flies a live round. Needless to say, EVERYONE, from my buddy to the TSA and airline had a few words for that guy. If you knew him though it wouldn't sound unbelievable at all.

 

[LazersGoPEWPEW]

I think I'll bring some doughnuts to the TSA people tomorrow. :-D

 

[Bevo16]

I think I'll bring some doughnuts to the TSA people tomorrow. :-D

You are going to have to get up early to beat them to the store. Most of the TSA folks I see look like they have stock in Dunkin.

 

[wink]

You are going to have to get up early to beat them to the store. Most of the TSA folks I see look like they have stock in Dunkin.

 

[BEEF54]

I am going to go way out on a limb here and try to bring the TSA bashing into perspective. Since I fly more then all of you, except the other active airline guys here, I feel qualified. Generally, I find the employees at check points reasonable. Many are not very personable. But then how would you act when person after person you deal with acts like an idiot (not you propstop). I guarantee you many of the passengers are absolutely clueless, like there is not threat to security, or their mothers didn't teach them common courtesy. In fact, I don't think it unusual to see passengers at the check points being far more idiotic and impolite then the TSA screeners. And speaking of idiotic, these guys are just enforcing stupid rules they are ordered to enforce. (Like that never happens in the Navy) They don't make the rules and they have no choice. TSA screeners are given zero authority to use their own common sense or judgment. It is a hard job. It isn't much different then being a corrections officer. Some one out there is going to try to take advantage of any perceived weakness. You have to be a bit of the hard ass all the time. If you get too friendly and casual one minute you may miss a detail or be conned the next minute. The effectiveness of TSA policies is absolutely debatable. But I find most of the TSA folks are just trying to do their jobs in a tough situation. Give me a break, do you want to be the guy that lets the next Richard Reid through security? I know you don't want to be the next guy to splash a plane, so you take your job seriously. Why can't they? As to where do they get these guys? Lots are ex military. So if they are idiots they are your spawn. Recently, the only guy I have had even a little difficulty with is a former Marine in LAX. Lately, in my experience, I have not found TSA personnel to be any better or worse then the folks at DMV or the Post Office, and they have tougher jobs.
BTW you are required to take your shoes off!

as a current airline pilot i would have to agree with you for the most part. Although i did find it funny the other day when we caught a TSA guy smoking a pipe not 5 feet from the no smoking sign on the ramp. Also gotta love it how i cant have a small pocket knife but i have an AXE right behind my seat. lol and yes you can take a perfectly rational well adjusted person bring them within 20 miles of an airport and there IQ drops in half. I still have no sympathy for the people yelling at the TSA because of the wait to get through security and they have an international flight in 20 minutes (heard it again today in SFO), or the people that still cant figure out the liquids rule, or that they have to take the laptop out of the bag.

 

[LazersGoPEWPEW]

as a current airline pilot i would have to agree with you for the most part. Although i did find it funny the other day when we caught a TSA guy smoking a pipe not 5 feet from the no smoking sign on the ramp. Also gotta love it how i cant have a small pocket knife but i have an AXE right behind my seat. lol and yes you can take a perfectly rational well adjusted person bring them within 20 miles of an airport and there IQ drops in half. I still have no sympathy for the people yelling at the TSA because of the wait to get through security and they have an international flight in 20 minutes (heard it again today in SFO), or the people that still cant figure out the liquids rule, or that they have to take the laptop out of the bag.

That just changed for people willing to get into the new type of bags. I'm not sure if it's retroactive. The language seems a little unclear.

http://www.tsa.gov/press/happenings/simplifying_laptop_bag_procedures.shtm

 

[Gatordev]

...or the people that still cant figure out the liquids rule,...

I might complain about it less if someone could explain how it's keeping us safe.

 

[C420sailor]

I was flying out of ISP (Long Island Islip MacArthur) once and had an interesting run-in with TSA. I sent my jacket through the x-ray machine and I noticed that they kept running it back and forth with puzzled looks on their faces. They finally sent it through and asked me if they could check the pockets. I agreed, and they started pulling items out of my pockets---wallet, loose change, a few dollar bills, and a screwdriver. A screwdriver with a 6" long, 1/8" wide metal shaft. They asked me what it was, and why I had it. Just then I remembered that I was tuning my bike's carburetors earlier in the day and must have slipped it in my pocket before test riding it. I explained this to them. They grilled me for about 10 minutes about it, and explained how it could be used as a shiv because of it's long length and thin, narrow end. I apologized and told them that I could just give it to my dad, who had dropped me off at the airport.

Then they gave it back to me.

Are they for real? I basically got a free lesson on how to take out half an airplane with a carb adjustment tool, and then they let me take it on the plane. Unreal.

My mom used to work for US Airways and she would sneak all sorts of stuff through the checkpoints. Scissors, crochet needles, silverware. One time she managed to get a steak knife through. A STEAK KNIFE!

 

[BEEF54]

I might complain about it less if someone could explain how it's keeping us safe.

here ya go gatordev ask and ye shall recieve

http://consumerist.com/consumer/vid...-team-in-the-fight-against-liquids-259036.php