Whole Body Scanners Opt Out Stories [merged]
Sep 20, 2010, 6:19 am
#211
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<snip>
I asked for the deputy sheriff who was watching the checkpoint to help me out. He was no help at all. Just, "Do what they say or I'll escort you out and you won't fly today." I asked him to hold my money while they x-rayed the wallet. He refused, rather rudely. We had a Mexican standoff.
<snip>
Afterward, I asked the deputy sheriff on what basis he had threatened to escort me out of the terminal. He said that he hadn't threatened me, which is debatable, but his bottom line was that I was taking too much time. He said that if everyone took the 20 minutes that I took, the lines would be "out the door." I asked if that was my fault, or TSA's. He didn't really answer but made it pretty clear that he was just trying to get me out of there as quickly as possible. He also apologized "if [he] came on too strong."
What a fiasco. FLL is truly a hateful airport. Even when people are trying to be nice, they aren't.
Bruce
I asked for the deputy sheriff who was watching the checkpoint to help me out. He was no help at all. Just, "Do what they say or I'll escort you out and you won't fly today." I asked him to hold my money while they x-rayed the wallet. He refused, rather rudely. We had a Mexican standoff.
<snip>
Afterward, I asked the deputy sheriff on what basis he had threatened to escort me out of the terminal. He said that he hadn't threatened me, which is debatable, but his bottom line was that I was taking too much time. He said that if everyone took the 20 minutes that I took, the lines would be "out the door." I asked if that was my fault, or TSA's. He didn't really answer but made it pretty clear that he was just trying to get me out of there as quickly as possible. He also apologized "if [he] came on too strong."
What a fiasco. FLL is truly a hateful airport. Even when people are trying to be nice, they aren't.
Bruce
Sep 20, 2010, 8:20 am
#212
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This is interesting because my opt-out was around 130P on Friday from the T1 C gates. I wonder if my opt-out set someone off there, so when bdschobel requested his, they decided to make a scene.
I may not be back at T1 for awhile because my next flight is on Useless Scareways which operates from T3, so I won't have another data point. Too little/too late now, but I always pack my wallet in my carry-on and place it in an almost-impossible location inside the bag - I think everyone should be doing this, not just to stop the TSA from wallet searches (unless they find it), but to reduce the chance of a lifted wallet during screening which can be a screener or a fellow passenger.
BSO could have thrown bdschobel out of the terminal, even without legal grounds to do so because they are uniformly a bunch of thuggish a-holes, but had this occurred without an arrest, I would have gone right back upstairs, talked to the CO GSC and asked that both of us get on the phone to the Airport Director's office to intercede.
Think of Broward Sheriff deputies as hair-trigger schizophrenics - one moment they can be cordial, while the next moment one wrong answer or facial expression and your face is on the ground with a boot on your head and maybe some Taser shocks coming your way. Of course you just sue the crap out of them after the fact, but they don't care - they're use to it. I'm glad I don't live in Broward County so my tax dollars can go out the door to pay off their many settlements and judgements.
Sep 20, 2010, 10:28 am
#213
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: RDU
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I had a similar but somewhat worse experience at FLL Terminal 1 (C gates) yesterday around 3 pm.
I was "selected" for the NoS and opted out. After passing through the metal detector, a fairly nice smurf carried my stuff to a chair and asked if I had anything in my pockets. I had my wallet and was forced to put it in a bin, but it remained with me at all times. More on that later.
Then he asked if I wanted a private screening. I did and was taken, along with two additional smurfs, to a private room. They did a reasonable pat-down, then focused on my wallet.
First, they tried to take the bin containing my wallet to the x-ray machine. No way. I had to see it at all times. I said they could take it if I removed the money first ($405, I counted later). They said that I couldn't touch the wallet. "Policy." I said, then you reach in, remove the money and hand it to me. No, couldn't do that, either. I asked for the deputy sheriff who was watching the checkpoint to help me out. He was no help at all. Just, "Do what they say or I'll escort you out and you won't fly today." I asked him to hold my money while they x-rayed the wallet. He refused, rather rudely. We had a Mexican standoff.
Finally, the three-striper blinked. He said that they would forgo the x-ray but would examine the wallet and its contents in front of me. OK, that's fine. So one of the smurfs -- not the very agreeable supervisor -- painstakingly removed every bill and credit card, looked at each one, pulled open all the little pockets in the wallet, stuck his fat fingers in them, then turned over the money and looked at it again! After about 10 minutes of this ridiculous wallet exam -- and I asked the supervisor if he agreed that it was ridiculous, and he kind of shrugged -- I was told that I could go.
Afterward, I asked the deputy sheriff on what basis he had threatened to escort me out of the terminal. He said that he hadn't threatened me, which is debatable, but his bottom line was that I was taking too much time. He said that if everyone took the 20 minutes that I took, the lines would be "out the door." I asked if that was my fault, or TSA's. He didn't really answer but made it pretty clear that he was just trying to get me out of there as quickly as possible. He also apologized "if [he] came on too strong."
What a fiasco. FLL is truly a hateful airport. Even when people are trying to be nice, they aren't.
Bruce
I was "selected" for the NoS and opted out. After passing through the metal detector, a fairly nice smurf carried my stuff to a chair and asked if I had anything in my pockets. I had my wallet and was forced to put it in a bin, but it remained with me at all times. More on that later.
Then he asked if I wanted a private screening. I did and was taken, along with two additional smurfs, to a private room. They did a reasonable pat-down, then focused on my wallet.
First, they tried to take the bin containing my wallet to the x-ray machine. No way. I had to see it at all times. I said they could take it if I removed the money first ($405, I counted later). They said that I couldn't touch the wallet. "Policy." I said, then you reach in, remove the money and hand it to me. No, couldn't do that, either. I asked for the deputy sheriff who was watching the checkpoint to help me out. He was no help at all. Just, "Do what they say or I'll escort you out and you won't fly today." I asked him to hold my money while they x-rayed the wallet. He refused, rather rudely. We had a Mexican standoff.
Finally, the three-striper blinked. He said that they would forgo the x-ray but would examine the wallet and its contents in front of me. OK, that's fine. So one of the smurfs -- not the very agreeable supervisor -- painstakingly removed every bill and credit card, looked at each one, pulled open all the little pockets in the wallet, stuck his fat fingers in them, then turned over the money and looked at it again! After about 10 minutes of this ridiculous wallet exam -- and I asked the supervisor if he agreed that it was ridiculous, and he kind of shrugged -- I was told that I could go.
Afterward, I asked the deputy sheriff on what basis he had threatened to escort me out of the terminal. He said that he hadn't threatened me, which is debatable, but his bottom line was that I was taking too much time. He said that if everyone took the 20 minutes that I took, the lines would be "out the door." I asked if that was my fault, or TSA's. He didn't really answer but made it pretty clear that he was just trying to get me out of there as quickly as possible. He also apologized "if [he] came on too strong."
What a fiasco. FLL is truly a hateful airport. Even when people are trying to be nice, they aren't.
Bruce
The silence of this nation is slowly yet surely eroding our freedoms. If you don't speak up, then we'll all suffer.
If we can get enough people to start loudy asserting their rights to not be hassled, maybe the message will get through, but I doubt it. I remember reading somewhere that if you compared the federal government to a dog, if you kicked it in the tail, its brain wouldn't feel the sensation for 18 months.
Yes, that's what we're up against.
As for the Sheriff, I hope you look up their Internal Affairs department and loudly and publicly complain.
This has to stop. We're America, land of the free, home of the brave. Yet our freedoms are being summarily taken away from us every day by agencies like the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration.
When does it end? When we're no better than Cuba and the former USSR?
Sep 20, 2010, 11:33 am
#214
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 14
ORD on 9/16
I get to ORD for my return flight on Thursday afternoon and realized why the line was moving particularly slowly today compared to the previous weeks. Turns out they were running the Strip machines. But, here is the best part. They weren't even bothering with sending people through the WTMD at all! Just straight into the strip search machine and off you go.
I opted out and at that point they sent a few people through the WTMD until they could find somebody who was "certified" to give me one of those special opt-out pat downs. The patdown itself wasn't overly intrusive in my opinion and was just a big time consumer.
I did, however, get the chance to correct one lady who thought the new machines were "awesome". Once I pointed out there were x-rays being pumped into her body in the same of fake security she was quite troubled.
I opted out and at that point they sent a few people through the WTMD until they could find somebody who was "certified" to give me one of those special opt-out pat downs. The patdown itself wasn't overly intrusive in my opinion and was just a big time consumer.
I did, however, get the chance to correct one lady who thought the new machines were "awesome". Once I pointed out there were x-rays being pumped into her body in the same of fake security she was quite troubled.
Sep 20, 2010, 2:39 pm
#215
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Southwest Florida
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[QUOTE=bocastephen;14719908]Yes, here I am...
I may not be back at T1 for awhile because my next flight is on Useless Scareways which operates from T3, so I won't have another data point. Too little/too late now, but I always pack my wallet in my carry-on and place it in an almost-impossible location inside the bag - I think everyone should be doing this, not just to stop the TSA from wallet searches (unless they find it), but to reduce the chance of a lifted wallet during screening which can be a screener or a fellow passenger.
I do the same thing with my wallet, besides my carry on suitcase, I travel with a 5 inch wide hard shell attache case which as a built in combination lock, so even before I enter the terminal, I put my wallet in my attaché case and then lock it. Even with my MP3 player and noise canceling headsets among other things in there, it never has been opened up for inspection because of something suspicious showing on the x-ray.
Airline terminals are easy pickings for a pickpocket, especially on peak travel days where there are lines for everything.
To me, if a screener intensely inspected any of my credit cards, I would have cause for alarm, I would verbally accuse the screener that they were trying to memorize my name, credit card number, expiration date and security code because with this information, anyone can have a field day shopping on the internet.
Mr. Elliott
I may not be back at T1 for awhile because my next flight is on Useless Scareways which operates from T3, so I won't have another data point. Too little/too late now, but I always pack my wallet in my carry-on and place it in an almost-impossible location inside the bag - I think everyone should be doing this, not just to stop the TSA from wallet searches (unless they find it), but to reduce the chance of a lifted wallet during screening which can be a screener or a fellow passenger.
I do the same thing with my wallet, besides my carry on suitcase, I travel with a 5 inch wide hard shell attache case which as a built in combination lock, so even before I enter the terminal, I put my wallet in my attaché case and then lock it. Even with my MP3 player and noise canceling headsets among other things in there, it never has been opened up for inspection because of something suspicious showing on the x-ray.
Airline terminals are easy pickings for a pickpocket, especially on peak travel days where there are lines for everything.
To me, if a screener intensely inspected any of my credit cards, I would have cause for alarm, I would verbally accuse the screener that they were trying to memorize my name, credit card number, expiration date and security code because with this information, anyone can have a field day shopping on the internet.
Mr. Elliott
Sep 20, 2010, 2:44 pm
#216
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This last weekend (Friday). They just installed these at PIT (weren't there last week when I flew). They were making everybody go through them (take off watches, belts!). . I opted not to. Needless to say the supervisor was NOT pleased with me and said "you realize you'll get a full pat down and we can search everything to ensure you're following the flowchart and all of our procedures." When I asked what the radiation level was and what they did with the pictures she said "all of the information you need to know is on tsa.gov."
It just saddens me how our country has gotten to this point and NOBODY does anything about it.
It just saddens me how our country has gotten to this point and NOBODY does anything about it.
Sep 20, 2010, 2:45 pm
#217
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Don't forget to file a complaint if your "experience" exceeds 10 minutes for any reason whatsoever. This should be in addition to the complaint you file for a groping with no probable cause.
TSA Complaint Line: 1-866-289-9673
Be sure to name any TSA employee who delays you or gropes you.
TSA Complaint Line: 1-866-289-9673
Be sure to name any TSA employee who delays you or gropes you.
Sep 20, 2010, 6:15 pm
#218
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This last weekend (Friday). They just installed these at PIT (weren't there last week when I flew). They were making everybody go through them (take off watches, belts!). . I opted not to. Needless to say the supervisor was NOT pleased with me and said "you realize you'll get a full pat down and we can search everything to ensure you're following the flowchart and all of our procedures." When I asked what the radiation level was and what they did with the pictures she said "all of the information you need to know is on tsa.gov."
It just saddens me how our country has gotten to this point and NOBODY does anything about it.
It just saddens me how our country has gotten to this point and NOBODY does anything about it.
Sep 20, 2010, 7:50 pm
#219
Join Date: Mar 2000
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I disagree. I mean, what if he had one of those new-fangled credit-card-sized newclear weapons in his wallet? Huh? Huh? Well?
Sep 20, 2010, 10:17 pm
#221
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Sep 20, 2010, 10:17 pm
#222
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Sep 20, 2010, 10:18 pm
#223
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Sep 20, 2010, 10:46 pm
#224
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Sep 20, 2010, 10:50 pm
#225
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1. I was unaware that there were people who felt this way. I just try to get through security and get to the gate, nothing more, nothing less. No problem with "Nude-O-Scopes".
2. In all honesty-Is there a place in this forum for someone with an opinion who has always had issues with authority (police, high school administrators, 35 years of managers, parents, TSA, Immagration, police, etc,) but is not as "passionate"? If not, that's OK too.