Wallet Grab in Austin: "It's Procedure."
 

I was the only passenger at the checkpoint this week at about 430am.

The young ID-checker at the podium is friendly enough and we chat about how I've never seen this checkpoint so quiet. Then, out of nowhere, we have to play the name game. He eyes my license and tells me to recite my name. I am so caught off guard by this that I actually do it.

I move on to the checkpoint. MMW scanner. Been up working all night, too tired to opt out. I hold my wallet in my hand, stand in the blender with arms up, and exit.

A burly white male TSO announces: "I have to inspect your wallet."

Me: "Why?"

TSO #1: "I have to inspect your wallet.'

Me: "I need to know why."

TSO #2, aggressive African-American female: "Procedure."

Me, mildly: "That's not really an answer."

TSO #1: "You don't think that's an answer, huh? You brought your wallet through the scanner, I have to look inside it."

Me: "What will you be looking for?"

TSO #2, voice rising: "It's procedure!"

I hand my wallet over. TSO #1 opens and shuts it in about one second, barely glancing inside, and hands it back.

TSO #1: "Now I'm going to pat down your leg."

In a twinkling, before I have time to argue, he drops to one knee, cups my left leg with both hands, and runs them up past my knee toward my crotch -- bumping it hard. He gets up just as quickly.

TSO #1 "There. That's procedure, too."

And they both walk away.

I'm sure America is safer because of stuff like this. I just can't figure out how, exactly.

It's "procedure" to only grope one leg and throw in a free Jimmy Tap?

Did the scanner detect an anomaly on your leg? Even if it did, I can't imagine the entire leg had anomalies on it requiring that much attention. I'm sure you were just guilty of questioning their authority. I know I have been for daring to opt out of the scanner.

It may procedure.

Everything that passes into the sterile area must be screened. Since the scanners do not screen the wallet, to be screened it must either be hand inspected or run through the x-ray. When you have it in your pocket through the WTMD, it gets screened.

IMO, this actually makes sense.

You do not know how much pain it caused for me to type a defense of a TSA procedure. Ugh. I feel like I need a shower.

Unfortunately, the attitude and the gratuitous karate chop are also 'procedure'.

They must be, otherwise they wouldn't happen so frequently, right in front of the cameras and the eagle eyes of the roving LTSOs and STSO's.

Is wearing a cup forbidden? I got two "love taps" on my last two times through the TSA because I opted out. I'd almost like to antagonize them to see if they'd knock their hands on it instead of my junk.
When they ask if I have any sensitive or tender areas I mention that my genitals are and not to press hard. Only once did an TSO react that I was a hassle. The others knew why I said it.

AUS is one of the absolute worst airports in the country in terms of TSA personnel--the stories are all over FT of AUS screeners doing basically what they did to you. Arbitrary rule-changing, retaliatory screening, and intentional karate chops. A colleague/close friend of mine had to fly out of AUS once after a meeting. He received blatant retaliatory screening for opting out, and when he asked for a supervisor after the patdown, a two-striper came over and told him before my colleague could say a word that he didn't have to fly today if he didn't want to, and the exit was right over there if he intended to "cause a scene".

That colleague of mine still visits Austin twice a month, but he flies into San Antonio and drives the rest of the way now. Might want to consider doing the same.

And it's exactly why some of us (when I was still flying, anyway) would put EVERYTHING into the carry-on bag and lock it before putting it on the belt to be X-rayed.

It's not forbidden, but I'll pass along a word of warning: I had to wear a cup once after a recent injury, and I opted out of the MMW as a result, even telling them that I was wearing a medical device under the instruction of my doctor. The TSO doing the pat-down told me that he couldn't clear me as long as that "blockage" was preventing him from "doing a thorough screening", regardless of whether it was a medical device or not. Three-striper gave me the same answer and said that I'd have to go to the restroom and remove it, then come back through the checkpoint.

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtrav...rial_1370.shtm

Another lie from the TSA.

Wow, driving both ways to avoid the TSA ?
Myself, I don't notice AUS being better/worse than others.

Last week they did ask me to pronounce my name.
I don't find it something worth debating.
And I do put my wallet in my roll-aboard for screening.

AUS screeners did refuse to honor my Global Entry card.
I talked with the supervisor, who politely agreed GE was valid ID,
and he would go over it with screeners.
Returning from PDX, supposedly one of the "better" TSA ops,
the same thing happened with GE card.

I didn't say it was legit, just that a three-striper told me that if I wanted to fly, I would have to go back through without the cup. Being that I was short on time, I didn't feel like arguing the point and demanding LEOs and the FSD, so I went and removed the cup then carried it around and placed it, by itself, in a bin for X-ray. I also told the screener (same guy) after opting out again that my groin was extremely sensitive after a recent injury (as he knew), and that unless he wanted me doubled over on the floor screaming, he would stay well clear of the area. He tested me by rubbing way up the leg, so I tested right back by flinching strongly and yelping loudly enough to draw some attention. The rest of the screening went very smoothly. :D

Chalk that up to another nonsense TSA procedure.

Recently, I saw a TSO patting the top of peoples' heads after going through the nudie scanner. These men basically had buzz cuts (not to mention the TSO did not change gloves each time, thus "contaminating" every run he gave a head pat to). Made no sense, per usual. You could see their scalps. There was no way they could hide anything unless they had fake heads.

Actually, most TSA procedure makes sense other than being security theater.

The problem is that there is an awful lot of abuse that's not actually part of procedure and nothing happens to the people who play two-bit bully.

I always zip mine into my bag.

Mike