Out of sight of belongings? Why?
 

I read the various "horror story" threads that are posted here. I've noticed two definite trends.

The first trend is their tendency to pick women who are traveling alone, small of build if possible.

The second trend is that EVERY F***ING TIME they ensure that they are out of contact and out of sight with the belongings on the X-Ray belt.

For crying out loud, why does that second trend exist? Is it that hard to allow them to pick up the tray and carry it into the grape room? Is it that hard to set aside their tray on the conveyor when sentencing these women to molestation?

Or do they need all those passengers walking by the unattended items as cover for TSOs filching from the bins?

What possible reason is there for not securing the belongings of these victims / travelers / potential terrorists? If they really are potential terrorists like the TSA wants us to believe then shouldn't securing their belongings in an secure container be a priority? On the one hand it protects the other travelers in case the water explodes, and on the other hand if these people really are a threat then you've just secured evidence that can be used against them.

My question is why do people feel the need to steal?
Be it TSA or fellow passengers, why steal?

Do the people who steal have any empathy for the ones they steal from?

Is it something deeper than just wanting to take something that doesn't belong to them? Maybe so much hate, contempt, envy or jealousy that by stealing you are sending a message that your victim is at your very mercy.

Obviously the upper management condones this behavior, by not ensuring passengers ALWAYS have their belongings within sight. The false notion that one's belongings are dangerous and that you are not even allowed to touch your own belongings is absurd. If they are so dangerous, why even allow the TSA goons to paw through them. Call a bomb squad.

I believe that any search beyond the X-ray of carry on, the TSA goon must get the consent of the passenger, and the goon must declare exactly what they saw, and what they are specifically looking for. As it is now, the goons can say anything they want to paw through belongings, and it is a good opportunity to steal what they want.

Sad part, this is all protected by SSI and backed by the full force of the US Government. Don't comply, and you won't fly. Don't submit, they won't quit.

I've accepted that there are bad people out there who will steal. The thing to do is to find ways to deal with them.

And the way the TSA is behaving is, as you said, condinging the behaviour instead of curbing the behavior. I'm hoping some TSO will explain why the passengers / fares / victims / probable terrorists are separated from their belongings AND the belongings aren't secure.

Aren't the TSOs afraid that the water will explode? Shouldn't they seek to immediately secure the items? You don't need a bomb squad if you have a metal container with inch thick walls that you can put the bin of the dangerous terrorist grandmother inside of.

Just for another data point, I'm a tall male of large build, and I've never been selected for groping or scoping. I've been funneled over to a potential groping area twice in the past year, and both times the designated molester opted to pretend to swab my hands for explosives and let me go.

Let's face it, if the molestations were really about protecting travelers from terrorists, there's no way the belongings of the suspected terrorist would be subject to pilferage. The supposed terrorist's personal effects would be dangerous/evidence.

This is just more proof that the molestations have absolutely nothing to do with counter-terrorism. The assaults may be just for the fun of it, to terrorize citizens or to give the clerks a chance to steal. It's hard to know anything except that the motive of the attack cannot possibly have anything to do with security.

I agree that it's hard to imagine that the gropes are really about stopping terrorists, because leaving a suspected terrorist's stuff to mix in with other passengers' things makes no sense at all.

When I got groped, I was a female traveling alone, and I had to insist on being allowed to at least see my belongings. They finally gave me permission to stand in a place from which I could sort of see my things. I couldn't see them all the time, since passengers were going between me and my stuff, and at one point a passenger put an empty bin on the bin that held my laptop. Good thing it wasn't a bomb.

TSA is working like pick pocket teams. One to draw your attention while the partner steals you blind.

Ask and insist to have it in view. Some people just don't think to ask, others are too embarrassed to ask, others too meek to insist. I've asked to have my things moved into my view during an opt-out. Recently, although the TSA employee said I could face the conveyor belt to watch my things, I asked that they be collected from the end of the conveyor belt, mostly to keep them safe, but also specifically said that it would benefit the other passengers and make things move more smoothly by not taking up half the space. Guy agreed and thought it was a good idea. :)

That has been EXACTLY my perception as well.

The last time I opted out, I was held behind the backscatter machine which blocked my view of the conveyor belt. I asked to see my belongings and was told that I could not move. It, of course, took forever for someone to be available to pat me down. The TSO assured me that nothing would happen to my stuff, because they had cameras there. This is in MEM where a TSO was stealing from customers belongings. I had put my purse in my back pack before I went through security.

The TSO kept saying that I was creating a fuss. My voice was not loud or shrill.

For those keeping records, I'm average height, a bit overweight, gray haired and female.

I'm a cancer survivor and always opt out of the backscatter machines. (I'm not happy with the MMW, but if someone wants to see my lumpy body, it's probably more of a problem for them than me.)

What, does a little hand pop out of the camera and smite the would-be thief so that he can't take your stuff??

You can, and should move toward your things. And, really, someone should just point out the obvious to the screeners: if you are up to something nefarious, it's probably best if your accomplice isn't able to make off with your stuff.

This morning, BDL, I retrieved my stuff from the belt, and in front of me on the otherwise empty belt was a single bowl with a nice watch, a big thick billfold, a belt and various other items. I looked around and saw an older gentleman getting the frisk about ten feet away. I pointed at the bowl and mouthed "Yours?" He nodded. I pointed to the frisker mouthed "Tell him" and then pointed at my eye and to his stuff and mouthed "I need to see my stuff."

He picked up immediately and told the frisker. The frisker came over to the belt got the bowl and moved it to the chair at the frisk area.

Same with me at JFK T8. I had to make it clear that I wasn't complaining about how long I was being punished/forced to wait for a pat down, but that my belonging were unsecured and out of sight. I think next time I know I'm going to have to wait for a pat down I'm going to leave my laptop in my carryon.

That's exactly what I would do.

They tell us to keep an eye on our belongings and promise that we will be able to do so. If you get two contradictory orders you're forced to disobey one of them and so there's no way it can be wrongdoing on your part.

I wouldn't phrase it that way. I would just ask the groped why they are trying so hard to separate you from your belongings.