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More from Deirdre Walker: non-random random screening at BWI

This lady is my hero! She's the retired assistant Police Chief from Mont'y County MD who wrote about being repeatedly chosen for random searches.

Here's her latest essay.

Highlights:

Quote:

Within a few moments, I was met by another uniformed agent, who directed me to a glass-enclosed cubicle located between the screening belts for the B gates at BWI. On my way to the cubicle, I had observed a sign indicating that travelers have the right to decline the imaging machine and “request” a pat-down instead. It struck me as odd that in order to really see and absorb the information posted on the sign, you would have already passed by or through the imaging machine.
...

At this point, I turned to look over my shoulder and observed a Caucasian woman in her late thirties or early forties standing inside the whole-body imager. I called my screener’s attention to this and said. “Look over there. There’s a woman in the scanner. You all picked me for a search, and then the very next person you select is a woman. Why didn’t you pick a white guy? Where are all the white guys?”

She replied, helpfully, “We are understaffed today and we don’t have enough male screeners to do pat downs. We are not allowed to do opposite sex pat-downs so we are only selecting women for secondary screening.”

By this point, I was seated and she was patting down the bottom of my feet. The secondary search, more thorough than the last search I had been subjected to in Albany, but equally ineffective, was nearing completion. I said “If you are only selecting women, how is that random?”

She said, “You’re done. You can collect your belongings, Have a nice day.”

Deirdre, if you're out there, keep writing and send these articles to the NYT and WaPo. Run for office. Seriously.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RadioGirl (Post 12797960)

This lady is my hero! She's the retired assistant Police Chief from Mont'y County MD who wrote about being repeatedly chosen for random searches.

Here's her latest essay.

Highlights:

Deirdre, if you're out there, keep writing and send these articles to the NYT and WaPo. Run for office. Seriously.

^ ^

Quote:

Originally Posted by RadioGirl (Post 12797960)

They should make her the head of TSA. She gets it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RadioGirl (Post 12797960)

This lady is my hero! She's the retired assistant Police Chief from Mont'y County MD who wrote about being repeatedly chosen for random searches.

Here's her latest essay.

My favorite quote from the article:

Quote:

Are you watching, Bob?

~~ Irish

Quote:

Originally Posted by IrishDoesntFlyNow (Post 12798237)

Are you watching, Bob? ~~ Irish

Of course I am.

I think she needs a TK t-shirt too. :D

So much for BWI using "random" strip search/patdowns. :rolleyes:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Superguy (Post 12800239)

I think she needs a TK t-shirt too. :D

So much for BWI using "random" strip search/patdowns. :rolleyes:

Next MR, try picking out the female-only strip search line while you wear the tee shirt and see what happens...

Quote:

Originally Posted by IrishDoesntFlyNow (Post 12798237)

My favorite quote from the article:

Are you watching, Bob?

~~ Irish

Quote:

Originally Posted by TSA Bob (Post 12800120)

Of course I am.

I thought there was a FTer with the handle "Blogger Bob." Are he and TSA Bob two different people?

Mike

Quote:

Originally Posted by TSA Bob (Post 12800120)

Of course I am.

Well then, when is the new Ice Policy going to be posted?

And not the one for special needs travelers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TSA Bob (Post 12800120)

Of course I am.

And???

Deirdre Walker claims that she is repeatedly chosen for "random" screening and postulates that it is because she looks compliant. :td: She claims that the signage at BWI is in a completely inadequate position to do what it's supposed to do: inform people of their options before the machine. :td::td: She further claims that BWI were only selecting women for "random" screening because only women screeners were available. :td::td::td:

Do you have anything to say in reply other than "Of course I am." :rolleyes:

Quote:

Originally Posted by RadioGirl (Post 12804498)

He has to formulate a response, send it to his superiors, legal and SSI monitors, get them to sign off on it and then he can answer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollkiller (Post 12804653)

He has to formulate a response, send it to his superiors, legal and SSI monitors, get them to sign off on it and then he can answer.

And the response will be, as it has in the past, that every last WBI machine is properly and clearly signposted and that every passenger is clearly offered a choice and that TSA is doing it all perfectly. :rolleyes: Or, more likely, he'll just ignore it and move on to another puppy post.

Sorry, TK, but I don't have the faith in BB that you do.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RadioGirl (Post 12804739)

And the response will be, at it has in the past, that every last WBI machine is properly and clearly signposted and that every passenger is clearly offered a choice and that TSA is doing it all perfectly. :rolleyes: Or, more likely, he'll just ignore it and move on to another puppy post.

Sorry, TK, but I don't have the faith in BB that you do.

No faith in BB = no faith in TSA :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Italy98 (Post 12804926)

No faith in BB = no faith in TSA :D

I've got faith in TSA. I faithfully believe that they could screw up an anvil with just a ball point pen.