Five More Employees Nabbed In Ongoing JFK Theft Problem
 

Queens Chronicle Article

"Five baggage handlers at Kennedy Airport were arrested last week and charged with grand larceny for stealing over $23,000 in electronic equipment in the second major bust of airport employees in three months.

The baggage handlers, all employees of Swissport USA, Inc., stole laptop computers, cameras, printers and other electronic equipment from passengers’ luggage, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. They allegedly sold some of the goods to undercover officers and on the eBay Internet auction site.

The newest theft comes at a time when the Transportation Security Administration has asked passengers to leave their bags unlocked so they can be checked as they go through security."

TSA. Policy. Thefts. Result.

What the heck is the Dept. of Fatherland Security doing? After all, if things can be stolen at airports and evade customs, then things can easily enough be smuggled to evade customs and screening.

Is there an investigation of DHS & Customs at JFK and EWR? There probably should be one.

Not screeners. Baggage handlers for air carriers.

Which was clearly pointed out in the article. No mis-quoting here. The fact reamins that TSA requires the travelers to leave their bags unlocked which encourages theft from, or addition to, the bags.

I know. But I still think Customs at JFK and EWR should be investigated -- for collaboration in certain circumstances. ;)

Agree with you and that's why I prefer the in lobby screening of checked baggage. Some places just don't have or won't allow the facilities to do this.

These baggage handlers are not employed by the airlines but contract employees. You get what you pay for.

Why in the heck don't these people buy TSA locks? At least then the baggage handlers can't get ahold of their things.

Aren't these the locks that for some reason keep getting broken?

And, a TSA lock doesn't keep out TSA thieves. (only a small percentage of TSA employees, but nonetheless...)

When a customer hands off his/her luggage, it should never be opened without his/her presense or explicit consent.

I've heard that that's happened upon occassion.

True. But at least it would be narrowed down. Besides, those few TSA thieves need to be caught and made an example of. They give the rest of us who really do care about people's belongings a bad name.

True. In a perfect world, that would be the case. Unfortunately, the configuration of our airport (and I'm assuming others as well) just don't have the physical space to do the searches out front.

You kinda have to be a trusting person to put anything of value in checked baggage anyway. Airlines mislay baggage all the time.

There is a old saying "Locks are for honest people" With a soft sided suitcase with the double zippers all you have to do is press real hard on the zipper part it will separate you take want you want and rezip it, and that is with the locks on it. Baggage handlers have known this for years. The airlines have known this for years.This is not a new thing. If that does not work a knife works real well. If you want a suitcase that is semi secure buy a hardshell suitcase. Most of the suitcases are so overstuff that if you drop it it will pop open. You can't put 60lbs of Sh*t in a 20lbs bag and expect the bag to hold it. Bags get tossed from one end to the other. That old TV commerical with the gorillia tossing the bags is close to how baggage handlers treat bags. With the airline schedules there is not enough time to lightly place a bag on the belt,cart, under the airplane or anything.

Please direct me to a place I can buy a TSA lock for a hard-side Samsonite suitcase!

There are several places to buy the locks and here is one place to buy them online.

Thoe locks don't work with a hard-sided case.

Above we have your typical government double speak:

A TSA screener tells us to use a hard sided case to ensure that baggage handlers cannot steal anything. BUT, a hard-sided case that is locked will be destroyed by the TSA when they go to rifle through it.

Typical Government nonsense!