Originally Posted by
TSORon
The second part of the video, which folks here seem to be ignoring, is the part where the parent returned to the checkpoint and began what appears to be disruptive behavior. Obviously she seems upset. The STSO can clearly be seen instructing her to leave the checkpoint at least twice, which the woman obviously refused. The STSO then prevailed upon the LEO’s to intervene but they had no more success getting the distraught woman off the checkpoint than the STSO did, which is when they placed her under arrest.
Ron, Please refer to some of my questions above in addition to comments below.
Technically (and I believe I understand what you meant), the mother did not leave the checkpoint, so she never returned to it. (Or is this the semantics argument about check point versus screening area, etc.?)
The first time I see her return to the general area where the pat-down occurred, she was talking to the LEO. Whether he intercepted her or not is a good question, but to me, it appears he said something to her and she went over to find out what.
The times she attempted to leave the checkpoint, she was stopped by the STSO and called back to the area just outside the pat-down area.
Of course I can believe she was upset, she just had an encounter with a LEO using what appeared to be overly agressive intimidation tactics when they were not needed, an STSO 'pat-down' of her daughter just to fly on an airplane, her first amendment rights violated by the LEO multiple times, etc. I can (and hope that you could) empathize with her.
I'm curious as to what grounds an STSO can use to tell someone to leave the airport. (I can give a little more leeway on the screening area itself, but it would tend to be very specific situations - i.e. loitering.)
When the mother was attempting to leave the checkpoint, she was stopped by the STSO multiple times, and (for unknown reasons) apparently was told she had to leave "the airport". This placed her in a situation which would require her to leave her daughter alone in the airport. If she had cleared screening (she did have her purse with her in the screening area), then why would she need to leave the airport?
You note the STSO "prevailed upon the LEOs to intervene". Not sure that's an accurate position to take, but let's run with it. Usually when you are told to leave an area and refuse, you are charged with trespassing. I know it's speculative, but what's your opinion on why she was charged with disorderly conduct (and not trespassing) if she was asked to leave?
Originally Posted by
TSORon
But it seemed obvious to me that she was intent on causing problems in the second part of the video, but what exact form those problems took is not clear. Enough for the police to arrest her it seems. She could have simply walked away when her daughter completed screening, but she made a different choice. A bad one obviously.
This is where we will probably have to agree to disagree. The mother attempted to "simply walk away" and leave the checkpoint more than once and was called back by the STSO. Should she have "simply walked away" with her daughter towards the gate? With the STSO calling her back, wouldn't ignoring her lead to her being arrested (charge?) or require a dump of the sterile area? It was after she was called back that the STSO told her to "leave the airport" (with what appears to be the FSD's approval). [Again, unclear on what grounds she was using to tell her to leave.]
Now, if we take a different approach -- If the STSO had let the mother leave the checkpoint with the daughter when they tried after being screened, then little, if anything, would have been heard about this incident. To me, and yes I know it's my opinion and interpretation, that places the escalation to the arrest just about solely on the STSO. (She did have a few accomplices.)