So this PHX-MCO-PHX trip I decided to wear the t-shirt I got from Trollkiller that has “The TSA wants to see me naked” on it as well as images from a body scan machine.

On Feb 25 I sent thru the B side security and all but one screener thought it was funny and called others over to see the shirt, and they also got a chuckle from it.

I saw the WTMD on the left was open and I went to that line.

I was traveling with my wife and 3 kids (15, 13, and 11 years old). I send the wife thru and then guide the kids thru one at a time and then I get waved thru. No alarms, getting our stuff packed back together at the end of the line I did have one screener make the comment that no TSA employee wants to see me naked. My response was “ tell that to Rolando Negrin in Miami, he found that wasn’t the case, and he was working for the TSA”.

I don’t think the guy got the reference, he just shrugged it off.

The bottom line was that the PHX screeners got the joke and laughed smiled about it.

Then comes the extreme opposite of the spectrum. On March 6, 2011 at approximately 1630 hours I went thru the “B” side security (gates 1 to 60). As I was waiting in line, a person standing by me asked to take a photo of the t-shirt. I told him to go right ahead. The TDC looks at our passport cards and allows us to go forward to the WTMD. When I got to the WTMD, my wife went thru, no alarm. We had about 5 bins filled with our shoes, laptops, etc as well as 4 carry on bags. I send her ahead so that there is somebody to watch the items going thru the x-ray while I get the kids thru the WTMD. All 3 kids get thru and I can see the screener (I could not get his name, but I did get his supervisors name as the later confrontation took place) is looking at me each time I send the next kid thru. He knew they were my kids as each one listened to what I told them to do as they approached the WTMD.

As I step through the WTMD I noticed there was no alarm and I looked at the lights and saw all green.

The screener instantly mutters ‘selected for screening’ and directs me into the penalty box and then walks away.

When he came back he slowly pulled out a pair of blue nitrile gloves from his pocket and puts them on.

He opened the door and I looked at the belt to see if my bags and bins were there, and I was asked if that was my family. I replied in the affirmative.

I was directed to put my feet on the ‘peanuts’ drawn on the mats and the screener started to explain the pat down process, to which I replied I understood what he was doing as I do them in my profession.

The screener started displaying an aggressive body posture and his tone of voice increased to the point where I thought he was going to start yelling. I asked him why he was getting aggressive when I complied with everything he asked even though I had not alarmed the WTMD.

The screener then raised his voice and spoke rapidly telling me he was not being aggressive. I then requested that when he had finished what he was doing, I would like a comment card.

He got flustered at that point and I could see that he was now annoyed as he walked away.

He finally came back with a 3 striper who asked me if my bags were on the belt and I replied that they were, but now completely out of my sight.

He asked the screener if he explained the procedure to me and he said that he started but did not finish, so we went through it again.

I noticed that the screener was running his hand down my shirt, pushing it against my body pretty forcefully rather than simply checking to see if anything was there. I was pushed backward off balance more than one.

When he was running his hand around my waistband, he was pulling down in what appeared to be an attempt to slide my pants off my hips to the floor rather than determining if there was anything around the waistband. There was no need to apply downward pressure.

I had to remove my nylon belt (with nylon buckle) and surrender my passport card and boarding pass to run through the x-ray machine.

The screener came back to me and I realized the supervisor had walked away. He started trying to lecture me on my ‘choices’ and that I should not wear a shirt with statements like that on it. I asked him if he was saying that the only reason he selected me for the pat down was because of my shirt and he would not answer. This screener then started telling me that nobody wants to see anybody naked, to which I replied that it did not seem to be the case with Rolando Negrin at the TSA station in Florida. The screener finally said at this point that he never saw my shirt until right when I mentioned it. If that were the truth, how could he possibly have missed it when I was standing right on front of him sending my kids through the WTMD? Why would he have made statements about his disapproval of the writing on the shirt if he didn’t see it until right then?

The screener then started lecturing me on the numbers of bad police officers out there and at one point made a reference to me and drug dealers (I assume he was referring to my profession). This continued with him rapidly speaking to the point I could see that he was slightly spitting when he talked. I replied to hi that one simply had to read the news to see the large numbers of TSA employees arrested lately.

The screener walked very slowly and pulled a comment card out of the stand where they were displayed and handed it to me.

When the screener finally walked away, I waited until he returned with the bowl that had my items in them. He just turned and walked away. He never informed me that I could leave my position standing on the peanuts, nor that I could now reach over the table and obtain my items.

My wife finally caught the attention of someone and asked if I could get my things so we could make our flight.

My specific complaint is that:

1.) The screener targeted me for an enhanced screening simply because he was offended with the writing on my shirt that was both humorous to everyone else as well as protected by my right to free speech?

2.) The screener intentionally delayed everything we were doing in an attempt to make me miss my flight.

3.) The screener used excessive force when doing the enhanced patdown. There was no reason to push me off balance more than once, nor any reason to pull my pants down.

4.) With no alarm on the WTMD, as well as the fact I was traveling with my family (including young kids) who obviously just came from a Disney vacation, and I presented USA identification issued by the federal government, the selected enhanced screening was purely retaliatory for something this screener found offensive.

5.) The screener had no reason to try to belittle myself or my profession.

6.) The screener needs to attend a class on how to professionally deal with the public instead of talking down to them to enhance his status.