Pax harassed and screened AFTER flight - video
 

All-

Can you do me a favor and give me a quick summary/tl;dr version of what's happening in this video?


I'm deaf, so I can't hear what's going on in this video. Many thanks!

It appears that a man landed in Denver on a flight from MSP. A TSO tells him to stay behind so he could be screened, since some screening may or may not have been done in Denver. The man asks if he is being detained. The TSO calls somebody and says passenger is being objectionable.

After the call, they go back and forth over whether the passenger will allow himself to be screened. TSO won't answer if he is detaining the passenger, just says he isn't going to debate it and threatens to call the police. Passenger says he is leaving, TSO calls police. Man walks away. Video ends.

Mike

Screened again? What about the initial screening? Furthermore, let's say for the sake of argument, that they did another screening and then found something that was prohibited. What's the point? Clearly the plane flew safely.

As for the TSO calling police. I'm sure that happens quite often. Much like the boy who cried wolf.

As for the whole "am I being detained argument". I'm guessing the TSO didn't not answer because he did not want to say "YES" because he knew that was unlawful. And he didn't dare say "NO" and have his bluff called. So he said nothing.

Interesting training the TSOs get.

It took many months to get TSOs to accept NEXUS cards as valid ID, yet somehow TSA seems to have gotten the word out pretty effectively to never say 'yes' when a pax asks if s/he is being detained.

I wonder what happens if a screener decides to exercise his/her 'discretion' and actually tell a pax s/he is being detained?

Note: there has been discussion about this type of screening in the past. One concern resident TSOs brought up was the possibility of multiple persons participating in a threat across multiple airports. Anyone who was already in the air by the time TSA realized they hadn't been properly screened may be part of a conspiracy to transfer contraband to another bad person in the sterile area of the destination airport.

The only way to stop a plot like that is to screen those pax immediately on arrival. Hopefully they didn't purchase any contraband inside the sterile area before departing, or they'll likely get it confiscated - out of an abundance of caution.

Now THAT would be an interesting test case. On what authority would a TSO have to detain someone AFTER their flight has occurred?

False or illegal arrest?

They don't (supposedly) have authority to detain, but as long as pax are in the sterile area, it doesn't matter how they got there - they and their belongings are subject to search (and retaliatory delay) at any time.

They can't, however, threaten you with missing your flight (assuming you don't have a connecting flight).

As Rand Paul found out, calling the cops doesn't make any difference.

So, why ask permission to search? Just do it if they are in a sterile area and passengers are subject to search due to weight of Federal law.

Furthermore, if that same Federal Law is on their side, then why not say, "yes, you are being detained"?

TSA employees are not law enforcement officers and do not have the power to detain people except as a citizen arrest. I suspect that they are nervous about being personally sued.

What about passengers and their belongings being subject to search at any time while in the sterile area?

Sounds like this was the pax final destination why not just say hey we'll escort you to the exit? I guess that would require some deep thinking about how to solve problems. Did they screen everyone on this flight or was it just this guy and if it was just him why?

Unfortunately, we're just looking at a brief snapshot of time. We don't know what led up to this or what the resolution was.

Hopefully more facts come out.

This happened a year ago. I suspect more facts coming out is unlikely.

the rest of the story.

And what a grand conspiracy (or confluence of events) that would have to be. I hope the TSA was thorough in their investigation of their own TSOs who would have to be involved in this conspiracy to make it work.

Hey sounds like a moron. He would fit in perfectly with the TSA.