Everybody FREEZE!!!!!!!!!

I was reaching for my bag having just passed through the scanner in ATL when suddenly....one of the security agents SCREAMS,"Everybody FREEZE!!! Nobody MOVE!!!"



Oh my GOSH I about had a heart attack! Everyone froze as commanded (I was momentarily taken back to 1969 when we'd play freeze tag on those hot summer nights in the south)

"I said FREEZE!!!! NO ONE MOVE!!!!," again he screams. (someone had moved...probably lowered a mid-air foot as this instruction had come quite out of nowhere and the body truly hadn't had time to weight-shift)

Surprisingly, I had a sudden urge to run. My brain had dumped every available adrenalin chemical into my bloodstream and this intense self-survival mode was trying to force me to remove myself from what was about to be (or seemed to be) a scene of explosion and bloody body parts.

Juuuust as I was sorting out the ramifications of sprinting (a shot in the back perhaps?), the agent said, quite casually...almost too casually as if he were ordering pancakes at IHOP..."Thank you for participating in an emergency drill. You can now carry on."

And where might we find the clean underwear aisle? Has anyone else had the pleasure of TSA's version of freeze-tag?

A drill? For what? A drill is supposed to be followed by a debriefing to let you know what the purpose was for and how things worked out.

My guess is Mr. "Security Agent" has let his uniform and badge go to his head.

Please report what happened to the TSA at https://contact.tsa.dhs.gov/gotfeedb...tFeedback.aspx There is no need to scare passengers like this.

I have not had the pleasure of participating. In addition, if this had been "commanded" by a TSO, and my belongings had already cleared the X-Ray tunnel without being advised of a need for secondary inspection, I would have continued on my merry way with repacking and moving on.

TSA doesn't have the power to detain. I'd just keep on walking.

Seems like the TSA detained a bunch of people without cause or the legal right to do so.

A criminal compliant seems in order to me.

That's not a drill.

Passengers require no training to learn how to stand still, and thus do not require practice.

A drill is an exercise for a complex and critical task. In the hospital, we sometimes have code drills, as a chance to ensure that everyone knows the steps to follow in critical events. It does take some practice, proficiency, and comfort to get all of the lines in the right place, the monitors on, the drugs pushed, etc. In a best-case scenario, the drill ensures that the choreography works.

A drill also means that those involved in the drill would be present should the critical event occur. In this case, participants in the drill were travelers, not necessarily from Atlanta, and only at the airport for a brief (but ugly) moment in their lives.

Yelling "freeze" is a power trip. Regardless of who came up with the idea, this is merely a chance to inconvenience, annoy, and humiliate the traveling public, while giving uniformed "officers" a trial run at their inflated authority.

PLEASE, write down as many details as possible. Tell the TSA, the FSD, and the Atlanta Journal Constitution. You might also wish to tell the Atlanta Airport Police that emergency drills were taking place at their facility--were they aware of this? I think it's always worth asking the question, "What was the goal of the drill?"

right or wrong aside, you could still get fined, couldnt you?

For what?

and the family of the pax who dropped dead of a heart attack as a result of the drill is now contacting their attorney

interfering with a screener?

... ?

Except during breaches. Even if they had cleared the tunnel, they cannot leave the belt, doing so, makes that another breach.

While we can't detain or attempt to physically stop you (nothing about verbally attempting to stop you), it's not recommended, because any breach will be reported to the operations center and the airport police. And they can stop you/detain you.

And if you don't stop for them, you will most likely be arrested for failure to obey a police officer and possibly resisting arrest.

As for the drill thing? ATL isn't my airport, so I don't have anything to say.

Muggers, robbers, and other criminals say "FREEZE! Nobody move!" too. If this drill isn't part of the TSA SSI SOP, maybe it's a drill for when the TSO goes postal.

So I have palsy. Your saying that I am subject to a fine from TSA for interfering with a TSO if I don't freeze?

Lets give it a try!