Originally Posted by
petaluma1
Although I can't find it now, there was a report yesterday of a passenger fainting at a checkpoint and TSA screeners basically doing nothing about it other than to harass other travelers.
Possibly part of their training. Neither you nor I have seen or heard the terrifying SSI stuff they are taught at the 'academy'.
I suspect their training tells them what ordinary folks like you or I would never think of. We probably would have just thought someone was fainting, how about help out. A TSO on the frontlines of terror is well aware that this person could be a terrorist faking fainting to distract the checkpoint folks from someone else doing something nasty. The smart thing to do, if you are on the frontlines of the war on terror, is to stay put and let someone else take care of it.
Meanwhile, out of an abundance of caution, maintain strict order at the checkpoint, because other pax might be confused, concerned, frightened - but TSOs have to assume any or all of them could be involved in a plot with the alleged fainter (or dying person). To better maintain mission focus, ignore the fainter entirely, other than an occasional glance to make sure s/he isn't moving.