Hand swabbing at ABQ
 

Security theatre was in full force at ABQ today.

There was a two-striper clerk swabbing hands after the ID/BP checkpoint. I have never seen this before.

Here's how my encounter went.

Two-striper: "Sir, please set your stuff on the table so I can swab your hands."

Michael El: "Oh geez"

Two-striper: "How's your day going sir?"

Michael El: "It was okay until now." (Eyes rolling)

Two-striper: As he's swabbing my palms. "Sir, we just want to keep you safe."

Michael El: "I'm sure the Germans thought the same thing when they conspired to kill six-million Jews."

Two-striper: Taking a deep breath and gritting his teeth. "You're clear have a safe flight."

Just be careful about handwashing in the ABQ restrooms. When you use their soap, your hands will test positive for explosives. This happened to me last year and I was taken to the private room, all my stuff was pawed through, and they kept testing my hands over and over until I told them I had just washed my hands in the airport. The 2 TSOs gave each other a "look" (as in - this happens all the time) and sent me on my way.

This is not uncommon in ABQ. The ID station almost always has a large detachment of the thousands standing around, but has recently added the random say you name game and swabbing to the mix.

ABQ has had mandatory NOS in place for months. Mandatory meaning it is the primary screening system and only option besides groping [except for little kids, military, etc.].

ABQ routinely has ABQ police and CBP officers standing behind the ID checkers. I've never seen them do anything. The worst I've ever counted was 19 (incl. TSA stupervisors) standing behind three ID checkers, but at least they are there to keep us safe. :rolleyes:

There must be high levels of glycerin in the soap. I'll remember to wash up after security.

I'm only in ABQ every nine weeks or so and this is the first time I've witnessed crap like this.:rolleyes: This was also the first day I've seen the mandatory NoS.

I have always opted out of the hand swaps. I don't know what's on those test strips, so therefor, they will not come in contact with my body.

The hand swabbing station, right behind the ID checkers has been there for awhile, but the first time I saw anyone doing hand swabbing was my last flight out on 2/13. Swabber was actually going down the line BEFORE the ID checker swabbing hands.

Considering the chaos that was reigning that morning, w/only 2 lanes open & NoS' in action (lines into the NoS were upwards of 6-8 each, the swabber & the roving gate check crew would have been much better off doing something useful like opening up another lane.

But, then again, this is the TSA & they've never done anything useful during the course of their entire existence :td:

Using a new swab for each person and running it back to the machine, or using the same swab on multiple people assuming they will all be negative, and that nothing gets transferred from pax to pax on the magic antiseptic swab?

I'm sure its much much cleaner than the airplane seat you might touch and your laptop computer. It's a silly thing to be worried about IMHO. The real concern should not be that they touch you with a test strip, it's really that they have no idea what it actually means when the screen turns red (hint: it doesn't actually mean explosives!), and that they think that the logical way to clear this situation is to grope you some more...

Cross-contamination is far too big of a word for the TSA...:rolleyes:

It's not a matter of cleanliness, it's a matter of I need to know what chemicals are on the swab.

In addition the TSA has no training in anything that is related to hand swabbing or actual testing. :td:
Just another thing that they try to make it look like "safety"

There are no chemicals. It's a simple Nomex or Teflon sheet, depending on the ETD used.

As to why it's made out of a DuPont product? Heat resistance since part of the process involves vaporizing the sample so it can be ionized and analyzed.

I'd bet against Teflon, then, unless they're using a different formulation.

Vaporized Teflon is scary, scary toxic.

How do you do that? Do you just say "opt-out" and keep walking?

Nomex and Teflon sheets are made of chemicals; but given how much consumption of canned goods people have, worry about skin contact with Nomex or Teflon coat products would seem relatively overblown. Just hope those coats don't go poof too. ;)

What is the point of repeatedly testing your hands? That test is suppose to clue them in that you may have explosives and that's it. Do they think your hands are actually the explosives? :(

No, it's just to distract you while another TSO looks through your luggage for stuff to steal.

Mike

Posters #16 & 17 are right. Fortunately, if I can call it that, my adult daughter (and her baby) were with me on that incident. Daughter was able to keep a close eye on my bags as they pawed around in them. It made absolutely no sense whatsoever to keep testing my hands, but they did. They were bumbling around and chatting in the little room (2 female TSOs), while daughter and I were just sitting there very calmly. This is why I always get to the airport 2 hours before flying now. There's no telling what kind of nonsense the TSA will be up to. In that situation, as soon as I mentioned washing my hands in the airport, we were excused. The whole thing was ridiculous.

ABQ also makes it difficult to see your things while waiting for a groper when you opt put. I flew out of there on Feb. 27. I opted out and they asked me to step aside and wait close to the WTMD which was roped off. It took a while for the groper to come so I moved away from the minder and attempted to look at the x-ray belt as my things had gone through. There were large signs blocking my view and a large backup of people waiting for the nude-o-scope. I was yelled at to move away from the x-ray and come back into sight of the minder, and I yelled back I need to see my things and I'm not moving. After 5 minutes a female groper came by. There were now 6 people waiting to be groped. What a cluster f@#k. Glad I only travel through ABQ 2 times a year.

They were doing it again today. I have not seen this practice at any other airports except HNL. What gives?

I was just thinking about hand swabbing. I've had this as a "random" irritation at Dulles and SFO.

Wouldn't residue be much more likely to show up on bags or belongings? Given the porous nature of hands, sweat, etc., residue would be easier to find on the surfaces of a bag, or perhaps even a coat (not an inner layer of clothing, which is what is tested in an "enhanced" pat-down.)

So the question is: why does this make any conceptual sense?

"We're being unpredictable" isn't the answer. I'd like to know a scientific rationale.

It's done regularly at DCA. There's no opt out. No swab, no travel.

This isn't one of those field test kits which contain a reagent on the swab. This is simply a piece of sterile cloth which, after being swabbed, is inserted in the device and processed.

There isn't a scientific rationale, any more than there is a scientific rationale for the SPOT program (actually, there's more of a scientific rationale against that, but I digress).

Some company came to the TSA w/a machine & promised that if the TSA spent countless millions of dollars on it, the machine would find those wascally tewwowists that are apparently hiding behind every bush & shrub. TSA said good enough & wrote a check.

What is the alarm to actual explosives ratio? If you're not at 100% false alarm, you're close to it. So for a track record of 100% false alarm, you're taking people to the private hut to molest them. No assault, no travel.

Huh? It's done right out in the open. Either just before or just after the ID checker.

I was referring to your process after these folks alarm on the ETD swab, which has never yet yielded actual explosives. Are you saying the resolution to this is done out in the open?

Does anything about the TSA make sense?

+1

I've only seen this done at DCA when it's not busy. Apparently terrorists don't like crowds.

Kind of like how, when the MBTA in Boston decides to put on a show for the sheeple w/one of their random bag check set-ups, it's always after 8am-I guess tewwowists aren't early morning people either...:rolleyes:

I suspect the same holds true in ABQ. The TSA here are amongst the worst in the country for standing around and being clueless*. The swabbing looks like make work or a side act to the theater. This is especially true since they have 3-6 people standing around watching the process. They often have ABQ P.D. or CBP folks watching as well. It's amazing how disgusting it can be.

* - As other have mentioned, the cues for the scanner become horribly long. It's outrageous to see a dozen clerks standing around chatting on the other side. They can't even pretend to do a gate check well, rarely doing anything. In one case, a crew of three didn't do anything or speak to a single passenger. The more senior person on the crew hid in a corner and played with his smart phone (before he found a seat for some much needed rest). The other two were hanging out chatting with him, occasionally looking at his phone and laughing. I'll guess YouTube.