This is reported from their home in Detroit but it happened in San Diego. They are 95 and 85 years old.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...round-lose-300

"...Petti says a security officer asked him to remove Kleenex and $300 in folded bills that he had in his pocket and send it through the detector. "I hesitated and said: 'You really want me to put my bills in there?' " Petti said. The officer said yes, so Petti put the cash into a fifth bin. Then he and Woodward proceeded through the metal detector.

After both set off alarms, they were patted down. Then, a security officer did a litmus test on Petti's clothing, which tested positive for nitrates. Petti explained that he carries nitroglycerin pills for his heart. Nonetheless, Petti was taken to a private room for yet another pat-down by a different officer while the same security officer emptied their carry-on bags and rifled through every item.

"When I was patted down, I've never before been touched in every part of my body before," Woodward said..."

This theft by TSA clerks is never ending. I have never see articles like this on Airport Security theft in any other country around the world. This is an absolute disgrace to the USA.

Given that Mr. Petti specifically asked about the security of the money through the machine, it is not credible that they claimed not to know anything about it after-the-fact. It sounds like a professional con-man or thief has given them the run-around. And there are many professional con-men and thieves working for the TSA. Over 600 arrests for thefts from passengers.

Just last month a TSA Officer in Hawaii pleaded guilty to stealing money right out of purses at checkpoints, so it's certainly plausible the TSA took it (and I believe they did.)

Regardless, they have a duty to protect the Public. And if someone tells a TSA office there's a valuable item in the bin, the TSA should have kept an eye on it (and not their sticky fingers). It is their fault whether or not they were actually the ones who stole it.

A) Since they were being patted down AND swabbed anyway there was no need to separate them from their cash during screening. It could have stayed in their hands or their pockets, or at the very least, on a table in the private room during the un-necessary and abusive resolution pat-down.

B) Any TSO knows that theft occurs at the c/p, whether it's perpetrated by other TSOs or other travelers; the TSO who ordered the man to put his $300 in cash into a bin by itself and leave it there is either complicit in the theft or so monumentally stupid that he should be relieved of duty and never work for TSA again.

C) The TSO who retrieved the couple's belongings from the belt to rifle through them during the screening process either stole their money, or left it negligently on the belt, where it was stolen by someone else (either another TSO or another traveler).

Hence, TSA is entirely to blame for this, no matter who actually stole the money, due to their rank incompetence, criminal negligence, and/or monumental stupidity.

TSA owes these folks $300. Let the TSA investigate to find out who stole the money, but in the end, it's TSA who owes these folks.

Compensating them for their lost dignity and criminally infringed-upon civil rights, of course, is another matter.

Amazing story!

The TSA Officer who told them explicitly to put the $300 in the bin owes these folks $300.

Saying "the TSA" owes them is merely saying that the people who pay Federal Income Tax owe them the money.

They may have scammed the wrong old guy this time:

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...#ixzz1sPLu9MJO

Funny how the video of the 'Rolex' thief that TSA released was so clear.


If the video is indeed so 'blurry' and inconclusive, why doesn't TSA release it to the public anyway? Perhaps the public would then raise an outcry and demand that SAN be given the necessary funds to upgrade their equipment.

Wouldn't be so sure. This is the same airport whose bossman threatened John Tyner with an $11k fine even when Pistole was saying it wouldn't happen. The local police clearly take orders from TSA.

It's that TSA distortion field. The camera images are only clear when they exonerate the TSA.

Petti theft is their specialty.

This is when one needs to call for a supervisor. Even when I've gone through the MMW I've kept my cash, albeit in my hand. I've always announced I'm doing such (well, both times, lol) and it's never been an issue.

Despicable and disgraceful. This is why people must put their wallet inside a briefcase or similar and LOCK the briefcase when going through security. Use a non-TSA lock if possible, a non-TSA combination lock is best because only the owner of the briefcase can open it and then closely watch the TSO if it gets searched. I can hardly believe travelers have to resort to these tactics to keep government agents from blatantly stealing money, jewelry, and other valuables.

As long as the majority thinks the TSA is actually doing something useful, it's only going to get worse before it gets better.

(In other news, "Please Remove Your Shoes" is now available on Netflix streaming.)

I'm not so sure the majority is thinking this anymore. Judging from the numerous comments in the Detroit News running roughly 95% against the TSA, I'd say the TSA is reaching out and touching the hearts and minds of many, and as with the touching of junk, not endearing themselves to any but their own.

I read the Detroit News regularly and I completely missed this article as it was buried, and it is still getting comments.

One of the comments came up with a new meaning of the letters TSA.

TSA=Take Some Article.

When I had my several experiences with the the blueshirts, I called my congressman, senator and the airlines and got nowhere. It was necessary for "aviation safety." Then came shoe circus, and water wonders, and kippie bags, and I found flyertalk TS/S. I found there were many that did not like what the TSA was doing, and were vocal about it. I stopped flying commercially, after I was standing in line at DTW and watched a man get the "royal" treatment. The man standing in front of me turned to me as we were waiting our turn and said to me, "I lost men on the beaches to protect us from this."

I think we have made much progress, as I saw few comments that in any way supported anything the TSA is doing in the article. And this after Lord John Pistole, and Her Highness, Lady Janet promised to change the process for the young and the elderly. The comments sound like they could have come straight off of this board, and that's progress. 3 years ago, comments would be 75% the other way.