Re: Petty crimes. If you are convicted for a small crime and you complete probation the court will often allow you to change your plea from guilty to not guilty and the conviction will be squashed. However the arrest will stay on your record. Local police only have record of the arrest, the court will have the outcome of the case?

I went thru TSA because I was on a list and could not print boarding passes and they always gave me a hard time at the border. One time they put me in a cell for about 4 hours and raked me over the coals. (But they let me in) I have 30-year-old drug convictions (serious) and I am always going to "hotspots" in 3rd world countries. (With my Church to do Christian ministry).

It took about 12-13 months but my name dropped off the list. My status went from "pending" to "closed" and they never notified me. I booked travel and everything was good for a year or two!

However, it seems the level of stink-eye at the border seems to be going up again. I am so used to going to secondary I just naturally head there. I was unable to print bording passes one time but was allowed another time? I dread my name is coming back to the "lista."