awaflyboy

Someone wondered what would happen when they searched a child...

http://www.newser.com/story/105351/t...-year-old.html


Caveat - finally was able to find a site that had the video still working; looks like old footage as the TSA are in the old white uniforms and not in the current blue ones.

bunnyt

I did the opt out at DTW Friday. Here's a question for ya: I sometimes travel with a small dog. Up until now, I carry the dog through the metal detector. If I opt out of the NOS, what will they do with my dog? They made me take even my boarding pass out of my pocket before going for the pat down (and put it in its own bin to go through the screener - how ridiculous)- can't imagine they will let me hold a dog... BUT, I am NOT letting my dog out of my sight or letting her be handled by anyone else but me. She can stay in her carrier, but how are they going to 'inspect' it? Anyone?

PTravel

I'm pretty sure your dog contains more than 100ml of liquid. It probably won't be allowed.

Okay, sorry for the bad joke.

Please let us know what you find out.

exbayern

Upthread I posted about how a woman with a small dog was very disappointed that she was redirected from the AIT to the WTMD. Having a dog in arm apparently does exempt one from AIT and results in WTMD (she didn't have a pat down that I saw), but she wanted to use the 'fun machine' like so many others I have encountered in US airports.

DoingHomework

I grew up in the 70s/80s. I was indoctrinated with stories of all the evil things the Soviets did. I read 1984 in school. It is truly sickening to watch some of the things I heard about become common in this country! We are marching toward a police state and very few seem to care.

rjw242

Went through security at LAX T4 just now, NOS in operation and I was all ready to opt-out, but got pointed to the WTMDs. X-ray picked up something suspicious in my bag, it was subjected to a VERY thorough search in four of the six pockets, then the TSO seemed to get bored and didn't bother searching the last couple. Shame, I was awaiting his reaction to my emergency condom stash in pocket #6

markgerst

CMH or DAY

Can someone confirm this happened?

Apparently in either CMH or DAY this weekend, a career Navy guy had his testicles squeezed. He reacted by squeezing the testicles of the TSA agent back. The TSA agent tried to taser him and this Navy guy took him out. The TSA Agent had facial injuries and the Navy guy was promptly arrested.

The Navy is supporting their guy. Could this be a tipping point in having the whole TSA system challenged in the courts?

chollie

I don't believe TSO's are carrying tasers...yet.

markgerst

The Soviet system was better than the TSA. They spent more time finding people and trained their people to find people. I had fewer problems going through Hungarian airports as a kid in the 70s than I find the current system in the US. It is just inefficient.

I bet the % of GDP growth we are seeking could be had, if they would reorganize the TSA and its mission.

jrpaguia

Cool story but probably untrue/urban myth....

Unless the Navy guy was with the Village People, I don't think the natural initial reaction would be to squeeze back.

tev9999

I claim dog rental services at DTW. Now I just need to train my dogs to go through the WTMD with strangers, then escort themselves back to the puppy rental kiosk landside. Its about time those lazy mutts got a job.

pwrdwnsys_*immed

http://gizmodo.com/5690749/these-are...yline=true&s=i

At the heart of the controversy over "body scanners" is a promise: The images of our naked bodies will never be public. U.S. Marshals in a Florida Federal courthouse saved 35,000 images on their scanner. These are those images.

themadman

Went through IND today, Terminal A, mix of WTMD and MMW machine when empty, my turn came, and lucky me, the MMW was empty. TSA points me to machine, I say no I'm going throguh this one (pointing to WTMD), they ask if I am opting out, and I say yes I am opting out.

What happens next is where it gets interesting with the current events at SAN.

Three TSAers come up to me and ask again if I am opting out. I say yes, Then they state that they must have my confirmation that I understand that I will be patted down fully, and that the patdown will touch sensitive areas, including my crotch area, before I can continue on through the WTMD, and that if I was not comfortable with this that I may leave now.

They were very concerned about having my consent before allowing me to continue on, and also seemed willing to let me walk at that point.

Since I was on business, I didn't opt to walk but went for the patdown.

My bags then proceeded through the x-ray (1 carry on, two bins of shoes, laptop, kippie bag, and stuff, one laptop bag), both bags were cable tied shut before I got the the checkpoint.

I was told to proceed through the WTMD and wait on the other side for the penalty box, and someone to assist me.

The next step was surprising as well, when I balked at moving to the penalty box with my stuff on the belt, three more TSAers were assigned to carry my stuff to the penalty box. One of them started to think that they needed to "inspect" my bags as well, but gave up after they noticed the cable ties, pointing them out to the others, and asked the x-ray tech if the bags had cleared; he said yes, and they followed me to the penalty box.

Standard aggressive patdown, forced to remove belt, got slapped in the crotch four times (two from the back and two from the front), back of hand on buttocks, TSA hand was passed inside my pants waist. The male TSA agent did announce each thing he was going to do before proceeding, and waited for my acknowledgment to his words.

Had to remove ID and boarding pass from pocket, I was allowed to place them in bin with other belongings.

While it is still harassment, unconstitutional, and un-Americian; the TSAers at IND have at least been professional (to the extent that they can doing the illegal things they are doing) during my experience with them. I've never thought in my three optouts in IND that they were trying to teach me a lesson, and they all seemed to be played by the book (even though the book is written by inept management, and a googleing lawyer).


The takeaway in this is the verified consent before the search starts, that I wished to opt out, I understood what I was in for, and that I not proceed past the "line on the floor" until that consent had been given and witnessed by someone else.



P.S. On a lighter note: The wallpaper on the windows computer in the TSA cube office, is now a plain blue screen, and not the cavity search wallpaper. I can confirm that the wallpaper was the "My first cavity Search" one back in May. I didn't get a picture, but I did point it out to my wife at the time.
In the IND setup, that computer is not facing a direction that is normally seen by the public. We have two terminals and two checkpoints, and the only way for the public to see that computer is by using the crossover between the two terminals, which is obscured, and is rarely used (IND has no hub traffic). The only time the public really goes that direction is when it's past midnight, they close the terminal B checkpoint, and put up a sign that points to the crossover, directing exiting foot traffic to terminal A. The entrance to the crossover from Terminal B is directly behind the glass cube, which is where the photo of the computer was taken from.

PTravel

Very interesting report, thanks.

I think, when I am asked if I consent to the search, as well as when I'm asked about each violation as they occur, I will say: "I need to fly today, so I will not stop you from conducting the search. However, I believe what you've described is a violation of the Fourth Amendment, and I reserve all my rights with respect to any violation."

I wonder what they'll make of that. It's not a threat. It's also not consent.

themadman

Now I've got something to memorize tomorrow, I'm passing through LGA, IND, SDF, and MCO in the next two weeks...

Thanks for the quote, and the homework...