jak71454

I have been traveling for 15 years and have never removed or been ask to remove my wallet. It contains no metal. This past Monday when going thru CVG I was told to remove my wallet in order to go thru the full body scanner.
I was allowed to put in my suit case when I told the TSA agent it was not secure in a tray.
My concern is that many people saw me remove my wallet and where I put it. Anyone including a TSA agent could have taken my wallet while I was detained for 10 seconds or so in the scanner.
I have credit cards, ID and cash in there that I can't afford to lose. If it were taken I would not even have any ID to get home.
My question is: Is this normal procedure now? Are there any TSA rules that cover this? Is there a better option?

Thanks, Jim Kammerer

timeasterday

With the new body scanners it seems to throw up a flag if your wallet is on you. I got thoroughly patted down when I left my wallet in my back pocket. I could hear the guy talking on his radio saying "back right pocket." So they were zeroing in on that area. Now I just stuff it in my carry-on temporarily until I get to the other side.

Jennlee

It's because the body scanners do not detect explosives or weapons - they just detect "stuff." Therefore, you can't have anything in your pockets because the machine would show that something was there other than your skin and your clothes.

It is indeed their normal procedure that you remove your wallet and anything else. This is one of the complaints about the scanners and their use. You have a chance of having your wallet lost or stolen. You are supposed to have the right to keep your belongings in sight, but with the scan and the pat down you're likely to get after the scan...

danl08

read that line again........ "......the body scanners do not detect explosives or weapons...". WTH do they do then? The only threat we have is from explosives and weapons and we are moving toward a system which is entirely reliant on humans to detect these things when there are other means which are non-subjective available.

FliesWay2Much

I have been placing my wallet, watch, etc, in a locked pocket in my carryon long before the Cancer Machines and friskings arrived. TSA screeners are equally as prolific violating the 8th Commandment as they are the 4th Amendment.

oboshoe

"scanner" is a misnomer.

The machines don't scan anything.

Using ionization radiation, they take a photo of you naked.

Then the viewer visually scans the photo of your naked body to see if anything looks amiss. If they do, then they radio down to the grope-point and have a groper rubdown the offending area to determine what the item is.

The TSA pervert in the private booth is the scanner, not the machine.

Flahusky

I opt out so the scanner detecting an anomaly in my left rear pocket is never going to happen.
As for pat downs, haven't had one in 4 months before that it was random WTMD selection and HHMD re-wanding/swabbing. Never heard a peep outta a TSO about my wallet.

Billiken

On a trip in August from BOS, the Shoe Carnival workers were telling people to remove wallets from pockets, even though the traditional WTMD was being used.

I ignored the request....no problem

danl08

exactly. Any system is only as strong as its weakest link and in this case the weakest link is not something mechanically reproducible, but a human who can easily be distracted or make a simple mistake. These machines are useless

cordelli

Yup. It would show up as something on the scanner and because they can't tell one something from another you would need a pat down.

There have been lots of threads about wallets and money, it seems to come down to two camps. Put it in something you can zipper shut or lock in your carry on or lock your carry on, or put it in a jacket or sweater pocket folded over enough so they can't casually grab it in the bin. I usually use a carry on with pockets inside of pockets and put wallet, money, etc in there and zip it all shut.

But yes, if you go through the scanners, you will be separated from your wallet.

There will be a huge market for somebody who comes up with a little locking bag for valuables through the scanner people can attach to their carry on's like a laptop cable for laptops to keep valuables from wandering away at the checkpoing.

breny

Your best bet is to put your wallet in your carryon and then close it with a zip-tie. Demand to keep your bags in your sight at all times. If you need a patdown, ask the screener to retrieve your bags before they do the patdown. If they want to inspect your bags, the zip-ties will (hopefully) keep them from opening them until after your screening is done.

I carry zip-ties and some small nail clippers in an unlocked outside pocket of one of my carryons. I use the clippers to remove the zip-ties.

scoow

I put valuables in a locked pocket in my carry on. But I think Pacsafe makes what you are looking for.

DevilDog438

I stopped using zip-ties after being threatened with arrest by the BWI FSD a few months ago due to my electrician's scissors (he saw me clipping a couple of the zip-ties and went on a tirade about them until the MdTA cop told him he wouldn't arrest me for having an object that just went through screening and was cleared by TSA).

I found some non-TSA small Master Lock combination locks that have shanks long enough to permit me to close just about every compartment on both my roller and backpack. I also bought a small rigid first-aid kit which, when emptied, is just big enough for all of my credentials, passport, cash and car keys. This gets double locked and buried in a bottom section of my backpack immediately after I go through the TDC.

breny

Wow, so the BWI FSD threatened you for having a totally legal item? I am curious, did you stop using them out of fear of more threats or just because a combo lock is easier?

Kudos to the MdTA cop that actually exercised some common sense.

DevilDog438

Stopped using them since he likes to hang out at the C C/P in the early AM shift on Monday (my usual transit time). I still carry them, still pull them out of the bag and place them next to my laptop for the X-ray search. The combo lock also makes it much more difficult for the TSA employees to just grab my stuff and start walking over to do a bag search; it forces them to ask whose bag it is, since they will need to have the locks opened before they can proceed with whatever search they want to perform.

For full disclosure, I got PO'd at the FSD and yelled at him that HIS personnel just looked directly at the scissors as they passed through the x-ray next to the laptop and cleared them. Once I stated that, the MdTA officer spoke up and tried to defuse the situation, since it was readily apparent that I was pissed and the hackles were rising on the FSD...