Originally Posted by SATTSO (Post 13317792)

edit: But let me ask you this: I come across child porn, if I understand you correctly, you want this NOT to be reported. And the person to continue on, maybe to hurt more children?

Originally Posted by goalie (Post 13315371)

gate raped.

Originally Posted by Trollkiller (Post 13313648)

I
This is MCO I am sure they have tourist take pictures all the time so they most likely would not notice.

Originally Posted by mikeef (Post 13318038)

Absolutely, the same way I'd want you to ignore drugs.

Mike

Originally Posted by SATTSO (Post 13317305)

I use the word screened because that is what I do as a TSO. I screen people and property. I am not a "searcher", but feel free to call me that. As a screener, using the word screen makes sense to me.

Originally Posted by SATTSO (Post 13317305)

I don't search for drugs; never have, never will.

Originally Posted by SATTSO (Post 13318159)

Not to be mean, but nope. Too bad; if I come across drugs and other illegal items, I will report it to a leo.

Originally Posted by SATTSO (Post 13317305)

I have never received any instructions or training to search for those things.

Originally Posted by SATTSO (Post 13317305)

But if you really want to play semantics with the words screened and searched, feel free.

Originally Posted by SATTSO (Post 13317792)

So you want governemnt emloyees to turn a blind eye to certain things, huh?

Originally Posted by SATTSO (Post 13317305)

when I come across something illegal, but not a wei, due diligence requires me to report it to a leo, because I am a government employee.

Originally Posted by SATTSO (Post 13317305)

I come across child porn, if I understand you correctly, you want this NOT to be reported. And the person to continue on, maybe to hurt more children?

Originally Posted by Trollkiller (Post 13318438)

Don't forget the purpose of this thread is to give me wicked ideas.

Originally Posted by SATTSO (Post 13318159)

Not to be mean, but nope. Too bad; if I come across drugs and other illegal items, I will report it to a leo.

Originally Posted by pmocek (Post 13318375)

I can't speak for Lostsoul, but yes, I want you to search for weapons, explosives, and incendiaries as you have been authorized by Congress to do without warrant, and give people the benefit of the doubt with anything else you see while searching them and their belongings, and move on to more work preventing people from taking dangerous items onto airplanes. If you feel something in an envelope that seems to be several passports, I want you to move on, not open the envelope to inspect it. If you see something in a bag that looks like a controlled substance, I want you to move on, not call the police to have the substance tested.

Originally Posted by SATTSO (Post 13317305)

btw, I don't search for drugs; never have, never will. I have never received any instructions or training to search for those things. Most I have ever been told, that while searching for wei, if I come across them, contact a leo. Which, I have every right to do, not as a TSO, but as a citizen.

Originally Posted by pmocek (Post 13318375)

The process of searching everyone and everyone's belongings may be called "screening" but what you're doing to individual people and their belongings is searching them. Outside, possibly, your internal jargon, I don't know the word "screen" to mean "to examine the content of" or "to examine those things which are carried by someone in his clothing".





We get it. You search our stuff, and if you see weapons, explosives, incendiaries, drugs, drug paraphernalia, or large quantities of cash, you alert a supervisor (who will probably call the police). Things you think are probably drugs are treated just the same as things you think are probably weapons, but you're not "searching for" drugs.

You're not searching for drugs, just keeping an eye out for them when you're searching for other stuff. Got it.



Sure. You've just been given instructions about what to do when you see something that looks like those things while you are searching passengers and their belongings.



I think TSA uses "screen" as a euphemism for "search". If asking you to say "search" when you're talking about searching people is playing semantics, then that's what I want to do.



I can't speak for Lostsoul, but yes, I want you to search for weapons, explosives, and incendiaries as you have been authorized by Congress to do without warrant, and give people the benefit of the doubt with anything else you see while searching them and their belongings, and move on to more work preventing people from taking dangerous items onto airplanes. If you feel something in an envelope that seems to be several passports, I want you to move on, not open the envelope to inspect it. If you see something in a bag that looks like a controlled substance, I want you to move on, not call the police to have the substance tested.



Only if you are sufficiently convinced that what you see is something illegal. You always have to make a judgment call. I and others are asking you to give people the benefit of the doubt when you stumble across something interesting during your search of people and their belongings for weapons, explosives, and incendiaries.



I know it's painful to think of not stepping in, but if our Congress had not granted you this special authority to search us and our belongings without warrant, you would not have discovered that evidence anyway. So if you ignore it, we're still better off, because you've ensured that the person you're searching does not have weapons, explosives, or incendiaries.

We could undoubtedly catch many criminals if we simply stopped everyone who's minding his or her own business and searched him or her for evidence of wrongdoing. Our courts have ruled that such fishing expeditions are illegal. Yes, this does mean that we are letting child pornographers and other criminals slip through our fingers. Such is the price of freedom.

Originally Posted by ElPasoPilot (Post 13318827)

... and while were all pouncing on SATTSO, this may be the root of the problem. With the lack of a clearly defined policy, procedure and training for these situations, every TSO is apt and able to interpret their "search" limits as they personally see fit.

Some will want to come striding in on their great white horse and save the world from the evil of their particular choosing, while others will steer clear of interpreting green or white things in bags, or what someone might be doing with that much cash in their possession.

Combine poorly defined procedures, variation from something like 50,000 employees, and an organization that prides itself on lack of a consistent approach, and the public reaction you get is demonstrating itself in realtime every day.

Originally Posted by SATTSO (Post 13318857)

If I see something that looks like drugs, but I don't know, I let it go, and notify no one.