SeriouslyLost

It fits the answer to many questions.

SeriouslyLost

Ah, I misunderstood then. I thought you were meaning in general.

Hmm. I've only seen one once and it was between gates at and well away from the screening area. Aside from that I've watched vids of the games and I've never seen one happen inside a screening area. Hardly conclusive, but that's the impression I had.

Wally Bird

That makes even less sense then, if that's in fact possible.

I've never had the pleasure of participating but I thought the point of a Bravo was to shut down the checkpoint. Why on earth freeze everyone at the gate or anywhere else? Rhetorical question - TSA logic at its finest.

Dolts.

jkhuggins

Oh, I can imagine a few plausible reasons (other than the drill, of course).

• Someone has left the checkpoint and a TSO needs to run through the crowd to find them; freezing everyone in place makes it easier to run through the crowd.
• A TSO, in the midst of screening, lost track of a potentially dangerous item and wants everyone to hold position while the TSOs on duty figure out where it is.
• A genuinely dangerous item is discovered, and rather than shouting "OMG IT'S A BOMB RUN FOR YOUR LIVES" and causing a panic (which might set off the device), the TSOs call for everyone to hold position while they determine how to clear the area calmly and quickly.

Of course, none of that is conveyed by shouting in militaristic-style code words and not offering any explanations to the 21st layer of security.

Wally Bird

Destroyed your credibility right there .

cynicAAl

last time I played the Bravo game, I had literally just stepped out of the BKSX machine, while the chapstick in my pocket showed as an anomaly. My spouse was about to enter the machine and our bags were inside of the X Ray tunnel, so no point to going anywhere else. Stood there for about 5 minutes, then got tired of standing so I leaned on their ETD table 5 feet away. TSO told me to go back to where I was standing, I told him "thanks, but I'm more comfortable here". He told me to move again. I told him I'd move back to over by the BKSX machine if he'd bring that chair over there for me to sit on. He then let me sit on the ETD table where I was already sitting.

Once the All Clear was given, they attempted to clear the chapstick anomaly by sending me through the BKSX again. I refused to get a second dose of radiation. A 3 striper was summoned to find out why the big hold up. I showed him the chapstick in my pocket, but the clerk wanted to send me for a re-scan. The 3 striper cleared me and had a talk with the clerk as I walked off.

jkhuggins

I said needs to run ... I didn't say anything about how well they run ...

WilcoRoger

Bravo, maestro, bravo!

T.J. Bender

Easy way around the few times I've encountered one post-checkpoint: pretend my cell phone just rang, take the call, and walk away. I even got to shush a two-striper who tried to get in my face as I walked away, and just replied that I was on an important call and would appreciate his not disturbing me again.

yandosan

Good advice above.
Or just get stuck in "freeze" mode for 45 minutes just to toy with them.
They'll mill around you figuring how to unfreeze you.
Afterwards, claim you were low on anti-freeze.

InkUnderNails

mulieri

The other day, I was near a checkpoint (trying to go to the food court area) when an incident started to occur at the checkpoint. I believe it was a passenger who was walking up to the exit. Anyway, the blue goons all started yelling for everyone to freeze. I declined to play along.

While I attempted to continue away from the checkpoint, I was physically assaulted by one of the glue goons (i.e. he grabbed by shoulder in an attempt to get me to freeze). I turned around and walked the other way, around several other blue goons. Meanwhile, several goons followed me in a slow game of chase.

Eventually a LEO came on the scene and told me I needed to go back through screening (I had already been through screening at another checkpoint). I was trying to explain to the LEO that I was not in the checkpoint, etc., but he threatened me with arrest. I told the LEO that since he was a LEO, I would obviously follow his orders.

I walked back with the LEO to the checkpoint area, which now had about three other LEO's, an army of blue goons, and a suit (TSM). One of the LEO's asked for my ID. I told a pair of the LEO's that a TSO does not have the authority to force me to stop outside of a checkpoint. The LEO's did not disagree, but suggested I should comply with their "request" to stop, as I was in the 'checkpoint area' and he made a sweeping motion to indicate some arbitrary zone. I reiterated that I did not do anything wrong--and was calm the entire time.

About 5-10 minutes after standing there with the pair of LEO, the LEO would took my ID came back with my ID and said something about being given 'bad information'. Apparently, they thought I had breached the checkpoint. Meanwhile, the TSM indicated he would review the video regarding the "assault" I received from the TSO. But of course, I'm not anticipating any finding.

Wally Bird

You mean the TSA workers lied?

Oh, say it ain't so.

Bonnerbl

And if you are hearing-impaired, deaf and don't hear "freeze" what happens?
(slight segue -- at EWR had the TSA ask me to take my hearing aids out of my ears so he could scan them).

InkUnderNails

I don't stop.