Originally Posted by
scott523
Yes it does if you carefully read my previous post. I am talking about if there is reasonable doubt concerning the passport (or any photo ID for that matter) such as the photo or condition, a secondary form of ID may be requested for verification.
A passport, by law, is prima facie proof of citizenship unless there is a reasonably articulable basis for believing it was fraudulently obtained or is being presented by someone other than the passport holder. That's the law. Hardly anyone has a passport in such distressed condition that it would meet either of the two criteria. I don't care if it takes a TDC longer to verify, nor do I care whether the TDC is "suspicious" or whatever. TDCs are not LEOs -- they are clerks who must follow TSA's rules. If a TDC demands a secondary form of identification, I will immediately call for their supervisor, the FSD, the GSC and a real LEO. Given TSA's propensity for recording personal information
in violation of applicable federal law, I will not give my home address information, or any other personal information, to any TSO.
My point is it could have been any reason why the TSO requested the OP's drivers license.
The usual reason is either poor TDC training, or TSO arrogance.
It could have been the photo of the passport, the condition of the passport, or heck, maybe it was the TSO's document of preference (which is just baseless).
Anyway you look at it, it is a government clerk exceeding his authority.
If you or anyone think that I believe passports are invalid IDs or that the speed of checking a certain document determines our preference, think again. As for the address on the drivers issue, I really could care less about where you live as I have hundreds of people waiting at TDC to be checked.
What you care about is irrelevant. First of all, not a week goes by when a TSO isn't arrested for theft. Second, TSA routinely demands address information for so-called incident reports, and I will never provide this information. Third, as a lawyer, I have taken an oath to uphold the Constitution, and I will not submit to clear Fourth Amendment violations by any state actor.
If you think it is something to be concerned about, be my guest and give me a passport, just don't expect me to let you go if you give me a washed passport, a photo that looks outdated beyond recognition, or even a drivers license that a passenger decided to cut to better fit his wallet.
If you pull the, "photo looks out of date," nonsense with me, you'd better be darn sure that a court of law will agree with you (and not some supervisory clerk, aka LTSO).
This is not directed to you personally -- most TSOs I encounter are decent people trying to a job (which, with respect to many procedures, I consider unconstitutional and therefore illegal). However, far too many TSOs that I've encountered seem to think that their position gives them some kind of power of passengers, and are arrogant, abusive and go far outside of the procedures that control them. Those TSOs are never happy when they encounter me.