Did TSA do away with the glass boxes they used to detain passengers in prior to secondary screening? I didn't see any at SJC or LAS last week.

Apologies if this has already been covered. I did a couple of searches, but didn't find anything.

It has been discussed. One of our TSA contributors (SATTSO) has said the boxes would be removed over a period of time.

What is not known is why.

Maybe people started singing, dancing, and generally being silly in them... making the TSA look even sillier than usual.

I'm thinking it could be because they were illegally detaining people inside a box.

Didn't seem to bother TSA much seeing how they detained a lady for nearly and hour and TSA, according to Blogger Bob Burns, calls that "Proper Procedure".

But didn't SATTSO's comment about the boxes going away come after that incident ended up all over youtube with her being held inside the box. It sure didn't make for good publicity for TSA at all.

The holding pens are removed when the AITs are install since there isn't room for both. The holding pens are primarily used with the WTMDs for passengers who alarm so there is a positive hand off. Without them the WTMD Officer would have to stop the line to pass off the passenger for secondary screening. They are used to prevent breaches which cost not only airlines but passengers money.

At the time SATTSO announced the removal, BNA had just completed two brand new ones. Big ones. I got to use one a few weeks ago. There was room for me, all my stuff, swabbing and disassembling of my bag, my frisker and his supervisor. Even with all of this there was room for another PAX to get his frisk at the same time. It was like a community event. Cold beer and chips and we could party in that thing. They built two of them, one on each side of the elevated LEO observance throne room where they can watch for people taking photos. And they took nothing out of the security area to do this. Therefore, our brand new (almost) airy, roomy, open security area is now as cluttered and crowded as the ones in older airports. There are a bunch of WTMD's, five or six scanners, rope lines, metal conveyors, and roof support posts that just happen to be where you have to put your stuff on the xray conveyor, push it behind the post, walk around the post and continue its journey from the other side.

Maybe they think we're stupid enough to believe that it isn't detention if the rooms are big. Detention has nothing to do with whether you are told to stand in a plexiglass booth that is 4x9 or in a glass room with other people. In fact, you don't have to even be in a room at all. Detention is to keep in custody or confinement without regard to the length of time. They are hoping that if the detention room is comfortable, we won't mind. Nice try.

So can we refuse to go in booth and still fly?

I would simply tell the clown that if someone needs to search me because they think it will somehow maintain national security, then until the Supreme Court reins your rogue agency in and re-confirms the rights of law-abiding Americans, so be it - but I will not stand in a booth to wait for it to be done. I will stand right here in plain view and you can summon me when you are ready.

Technically what they are doing is still detention IMO and this needs to be addressed, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna be corralled like a farm animal.

Spiffy.

Either SATTSO misspoke, or the TSA just wasted a few million more at BNA.

I'm guessing that he misspoke. He did tell us that we could take gallon-sized plastic bags through the checkpoint

TOOL

Hmm... I'm pretty sure that SJC Terminal B (a brand new terminal) had the pens as well as AIT when they opened last year. Even if they didn't, I don't think it is a real estate issue (at least for SJC).

Glad they're gone.