I got selected to go through the scanner at SEA on Saturday. After the lady said I could go an other TSA guy got in my face and told me to come with him. he had me stand on a marked spot on the floor while he stood about 1 foot in from of my face. He said that my scan had a problem. I could see he was watching a screen behind me. He watched it for a minute or so and then told me that I had something in my left pocket. I reached in and pulled out a penny and a dime. He then frisked me and found nothing else.

What a waste of money..... A few hundred thousand dollars for a machine, 3 people to run it and we have a scanner that can't figure out that a penny and a dime add up to 11 cents, not a dangerous weapon.

Do you feel safer now?

I know I do.

Next time, opt out. If you're going to get groped anyway, might as well save yourself the unnecessary dose of potentially DNA damaging radiation administered by untrained, undereducated buffoons.

1. Why didn't they ask you to check your pockets again? (Hint: it's because this is about TSA controlling you, the "fare", and has nothing to do with security.)

2. The WTMD could easily have detected this.

It does pretty well with pistols, too. Tell it to Dallas/Fort Worth.

Even worse: it detects the penny and the dime but fails to detect a handgun in a woman's undergarments as at DFW...

I would imagine the scanner probably detected the gun, the screener wasn't paying attention. Imagine sitting here all day looking at these images, I would think it would become hard to concentrate. Of course the metal detector, which doesn't get tired or distracted, would have found the gun.

Good point. Had TSA stuck with the original plan the WTMD would be the primary device followed by the NoS if something looked suspicious. They may not have failed the test last week if they followed that practice.

As for the belt X-Rays, I agree that most of the time the person at the person on the belt screen gets distracted or seems to be zoning out. It has to be dreadfully boring and could be a viable use of the ATR technology. Computers are far more consistent since they don't fatigue.

Same applies to the baggage screeners and the NoS peepers. After awhile looking at some of folks naked picture has to become tedious. I mean, look at some of the folks in these lines, aren't you glad that they're wearing clothes? That's why the TSO has to radio his buddy when a hottie comes up, the guy is probably asleep or reading the paper. The ATR would do a better job there as well.

Of course the down side is that this would free up more TSOs to grope pax. Maybe they'll just go back to standing around after the union gets in place.

I suspect individual operators don't sit in the booth all day, so it isn't as hard as it sounds. I believe a TSO posted on this forum that they regularly rotate stations throughout the day.

Re: the 'hottie' thing. I thought I read that in at least some Canadian airports, pax step on a mat - if the mat lights up, they have been 'randomly' selected for the NoS. I don't think the mat is operated by a CTSO viewing pax and pushing a button. I certainly see no reason for communication between the 'selector' and the individual in the booth. There needs to be selection process for the NoS that really does select COS and steroid jocks once in a while.

I would support that but only if the mat always lights up when a Member of Congress or a federal judge steps on it.

There would have to be some sound effects too. "Got a hottie coming up!" "Hey, I thought she was mine!" or maybe the Darth Vader theme: "Bom Bom BA bom, bom BA bom."

"an 11 cent weapon"

Wow, wait till OBL learns he can arm every passenger in a 747 for under 40 dollars.

The TSO was jealous cause they only had 2 cents. And barely that.

Bolding mine. It's random selection for additional screening, not random selection for NoS. The additional screening can be as simple as wanding or checking though you bags. It can also be something a bit more involved. If that's the case you are giving a choice of patdown or NOS. You are not selected for NOS and then required to opt-out. Both options are given and explained equally. There is no retaliatory attitude. It is an actual choice.

A penny and a dime? I doubt it. More metal in the zipper and rivets of ones blue jeans.

But now you have a penny and a stamp that can glow in the dark

I disagree. There's easily five people for each machine, and I'm pretty sure if you total up the hours housekeeping spends cleaning up the sticky stuff on the viewing room floor and replacing the Kleenex, you've now got 6 FTE's for each machine.