Originally Posted by pmocek

West, you didn't answer a single question I asked. Responding to your latest post:



We're not comparing those two things. We're comparing 1) "actively searching" for weapons, explosives, and incendiaries while passively searching for drugs and other possible indicators of wrongdoing, and while ignoring most other possible indicators of wrongdoing, and 2) actively searching for weapons, explosives, incendiaries, drugs, and other possible indicators of wrongdoing, while ignoring most other possible indicators of wrongdoing. I think they're the same. Could you tell me how they differ?

TSOs actively search all bags for possible threats. When manning the xray, if you have an image that indicates a possible threat, then it is referred for additional screening. The TSO takes said bag, searches the bag for the
item(s) that are designated as a possible threat. That is the objective of the search, the threat item(s). When the TSO goes into the bag, if something like illegal drugs is found, it is reported to the STSO. This is not actively searching for drugs, it is reporting something that is found incidental to the reason for the search. You keep implying (and in some cases outright stating) that TSOs go into the bag with the express purpose of finding illegal drugs, and that is wrong.

How so? Are you saying that possession of marijuana (or heroin; not sure what you meant by "dope") is a bigger deal than theft? One has a victim. The other does not. One has been considered wrong since before we had any concept of laws, the other has been used by people to make them feel better for thousands of years, then has been illegal for the past 40.

No, as I stated to JKHuggins earlier, the case of dope (a personal catchall term for any illicit drugs), kiddie porn or some of the other things that have to be reported can be resolved at the location with the addition of LEO. Theft or the possibility of theft requires resources I simply can not draw on at the checkpoint, the same with the copyrighted materials, I do not have the resources to deal with that type of possible illegality on the spot. If there is a bag of dope found while trying to clear the bag of threats, it is referred to the STSO. If I find a stack of pictures of you taking an item from a closed store, I have no recourse to resolve it (and quite frankly if I were to refer this to an LEO, they would probably laugh me out of the checkpoint), furthermore the agency does not advise me to report that.

It doesn't matter what you say you're looking for. As you and Ron have told us, if you see something that looks like an indication of certain crimes you report it, and if you see something that looks like an indication of other crimes, you ignore it.

I guess you could distill that down to this statement, but as many people here like to point out, we are not law enforcement, therefore we have certain things that are to be reported, the others are not. This is a simple matter of cooperation with the DEA and local LEOs, not "use a TSO as an investigator day". The items we refer on, are resolvable at the checkpoint, some of the ones listed here are not.

Would you please, PLEASE, tell me what difference it makes if you're "looking for possible threats" or looking for potatoes, when you're going to take the same action if you find weapons, explosives, incendiaries, drugs, or a number of other things?

I will point out to you that I am a frontliner, and my job consists of clearing threat items, and reporting suspected illegal items to the STSO/LEOs. The actions I take are clearly defined for me and I follow that, the actions after my part are different, but for my responsibilities, the response is the same regardless of whther an illegal item, or a threat item are found.

It seems that your concern is also to keep drugs off planes. If you see something that looks like indication of possession of illegal drugs, you call a supervisor, right? If you see something that looks like indication of possession of stolen cameras, you move on, right?

My concern is just what I said earlier, keeping people and items that would harm the plane or the people on them off of the planes. If something is discovered incidental to doing that, then I report it as I am told. Again, I am not law enforcement, I follow the TSOs SOP and what it indicates is what we do.

Do you feel it's acceptable for you to use your search for WEI as a chance to find drugs, credit card fraud, immigrations violations, and other indications of wrongdoing that have ABSOLUTELY no affect on airline security?