Originally Posted by
knotyeagle
Sounds good, which means of course that the screener was immediately corrected by the supervisor before it got out of hand, didn't it? I mean the container is opened, negotiable units (currency and checks) which could perhaps threaten the Obama stimulus package but not the flight to DCA were discovered. I'm curious why your brethren TSA screener elected to detain the passenger.
And how much of threat is a house phone number that it needs to be divulged? Your brethren lead screener Dominic Grieto at Austin (AUS) was insistent last October 18th that he could not "release me" until I told him my house phone number for an incident report that he wanted to write? He was wrong and I enjoyed him trying.
Based upon procedure, what you describe is what should happen with a container that has organic that turns out to be nothing but money and a TSO is doing something they should not be doing (refusing to clear the item). I have no clue (again, I am not informed on but one side of the situation) what prompted the questioning and everything that went on after the item was cleared for WEI.
We do not have detention capabilities (with the odd exception for safety issues - such as preventing you from going somewhere because something may cause you harm, or if there is a serious threat to the checkpoint area forcing the crowd to evacuate - although those are not detention technically), we only screen and secure. I don't know what the incident report was for, but if there was a problem with getting the needed info, then the LTSO should have contacted an STSO and let them make a determination if this is something that is important enough to require LEO intervention or just send you on your way with the information they already had.