Consistency of Screening Processes
Sep 18, 2006 | 7:52 am
#1
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Consistency of Screening Processes
Yesterday I passed through the same screening set up 3 times in an hour and got 3 different results.
I was in McAllen (MFE) and went straight though screening no problem. I walked through the portal with no alarms and my bag went through the belt OK.
I then discovered we had a 90 minute delay, so decided to go eat landside. A few fajitas later, I went through the same lane (they only have one) and this time, I set off the alarm on the portal, but again my bag was deemed to be OK.
Almost immediately I discovered I'd left my book in the retaurant so went straight back out, picked up book, went back through. This time, I passed again, but my bag had something in it that the previous two scans had been happy with, but this time necessitated a hand search. (It turned out to be a laprtop power cable in a winder).
The inconsistency in the process worries me. Someone needs to convince me that this whole rigmarole would pick something up if someone tried to get it through.
Incidentally, whoever thought of the system where you can buy liquids airside, but can't take them on the plane must have several screws loose. It strikes me as pointless (as all liquids bought airside will already have been screened) and unenforceable.
I was in McAllen (MFE) and went straight though screening no problem. I walked through the portal with no alarms and my bag went through the belt OK.
I then discovered we had a 90 minute delay, so decided to go eat landside. A few fajitas later, I went through the same lane (they only have one) and this time, I set off the alarm on the portal, but again my bag was deemed to be OK.
Almost immediately I discovered I'd left my book in the retaurant so went straight back out, picked up book, went back through. This time, I passed again, but my bag had something in it that the previous two scans had been happy with, but this time necessitated a hand search. (It turned out to be a laprtop power cable in a winder).
The inconsistency in the process worries me. Someone needs to convince me that this whole rigmarole would pick something up if someone tried to get it through.
Incidentally, whoever thought of the system where you can buy liquids airside, but can't take them on the plane must have several screws loose. It strikes me as pointless (as all liquids bought airside will already have been screened) and unenforceable.
Sep 18, 2006 | 7:56 am
#2
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The TSA would tell you that inconsistencies keep the terrorists on their toes. In reality, they can't get their act together enough to be consistent.
Sep 18, 2006 | 8:41 am
#3
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The bag thing likely depends on the angle of the item in question. At some angles, an item may look harmless, others it might look like something explosive (better technology would fix that, but we're still using pre-9/11 x-ray equipment).
As for the metal detector, I'm not surprised. That happens a lot.
It's not any 'designed inconsistency,' it's just some equipment not up to snuff.
As for the metal detector, I'm not surprised. That happens a lot.
It's not any 'designed inconsistency,' it's just some equipment not up to snuff.
Sep 18, 2006 | 9:29 am
#4
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TSA is inconsistent? How could that be?
-trying very hard not to snicker-
In all seriousness, the Metal detector will alarm if you (or the TSA gate keeper) touch the sides of it while you walk though. That's why it might have alarmed only one of the times - your elbow brushed the side or the TSA gate keeper waved his arm into the WTMD to set it off on purpose.
Why would the TSA person set off the alarm on purpose you ask? The truth is that officially or not, some TSA people profile, like to inconvenience people, or simply like to harassss people and get off on some sort of power trip by sending them to secondary. I once caught a TSA Gate Keeper touching the side of the WTMD as he waved me though because I wasn't going to take my non-profile shoes off. Trust me, he and his supervisor were surprised that I knew they could do this.
The bag check is open to even more human guess work/error/judgement. There is always a chance that your bag was searched the last time because the TSA person watching the X-ray was being tested. The machines they use to X-ray your bags have the ability to digitally "insert" the image of a gun or bomb or knife onto the screen to make it look like you are carrying a weapon. The idea is to keep the screeners on their toes. The X-ray operator then calls for a bag check and in some cases the supervisor comes over and lets them know it was a test image (and they just passed) and sometimes they do the hand search anyway using some lame excuse like "I couldn't make out what this power cord was..."
-trying very hard not to snicker-
In all seriousness, the Metal detector will alarm if you (or the TSA gate keeper) touch the sides of it while you walk though. That's why it might have alarmed only one of the times - your elbow brushed the side or the TSA gate keeper waved his arm into the WTMD to set it off on purpose.
Why would the TSA person set off the alarm on purpose you ask? The truth is that officially or not, some TSA people profile, like to inconvenience people, or simply like to harassss people and get off on some sort of power trip by sending them to secondary. I once caught a TSA Gate Keeper touching the side of the WTMD as he waved me though because I wasn't going to take my non-profile shoes off. Trust me, he and his supervisor were surprised that I knew they could do this.
The bag check is open to even more human guess work/error/judgement. There is always a chance that your bag was searched the last time because the TSA person watching the X-ray was being tested. The machines they use to X-ray your bags have the ability to digitally "insert" the image of a gun or bomb or knife onto the screen to make it look like you are carrying a weapon. The idea is to keep the screeners on their toes. The X-ray operator then calls for a bag check and in some cases the supervisor comes over and lets them know it was a test image (and they just passed) and sometimes they do the hand search anyway using some lame excuse like "I couldn't make out what this power cord was..."
Sep 18, 2006 | 10:59 pm
#5
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: soaking up the sun
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Posts: 687
Originally Posted by MKEbound
TSA is inconsistent? How could that be?
-trying very hard not to snicker-
In all seriousness, the Metal detector will alarm if you (or the TSA gate keeper) touch the sides of it while you walk though. That's why it might have alarmed only one of the times - your elbow brushed the side or the TSA gate keeper waved his arm into the WTMD to set it off on purpose.
Why would the TSA person set off the alarm on purpose you ask? The truth is that officially or not, some TSA people profile, like to inconvenience people, or simply like to harassss people and get off on some sort of power trip by sending them to secondary. I once caught a TSA Gate Keeper touching the side of the WTMD as he waved me though because I wasn't going to take my non-profile shoes off. Trust me, he and his supervisor were surprised that I knew they could do this.
The bag check is open to even more human guess work/error/judgement. There is always a chance that your bag was searched the last time because the TSA person watching the X-ray was being tested. The machines they use to X-ray your bags have the ability to digitally "insert" the image of a gun or bomb or knife onto the screen to make it look like you are carrying a weapon. The idea is to keep the screeners on their toes. The X-ray operator then calls for a bag check and in some cases the supervisor comes over and lets them know it was a test image (and they just passed) and sometimes they do the hand search anyway using some lame excuse like "I couldn't make out what this power cord was..."
-trying very hard not to snicker-
In all seriousness, the Metal detector will alarm if you (or the TSA gate keeper) touch the sides of it while you walk though. That's why it might have alarmed only one of the times - your elbow brushed the side or the TSA gate keeper waved his arm into the WTMD to set it off on purpose.
Why would the TSA person set off the alarm on purpose you ask? The truth is that officially or not, some TSA people profile, like to inconvenience people, or simply like to harassss people and get off on some sort of power trip by sending them to secondary. I once caught a TSA Gate Keeper touching the side of the WTMD as he waved me though because I wasn't going to take my non-profile shoes off. Trust me, he and his supervisor were surprised that I knew they could do this.
The bag check is open to even more human guess work/error/judgement. There is always a chance that your bag was searched the last time because the TSA person watching the X-ray was being tested. The machines they use to X-ray your bags have the ability to digitally "insert" the image of a gun or bomb or knife onto the screen to make it look like you are carrying a weapon. The idea is to keep the screeners on their toes. The X-ray operator then calls for a bag check and in some cases the supervisor comes over and lets them know it was a test image (and they just passed) and sometimes they do the hand search anyway using some lame excuse like "I couldn't make out what this power cord was..."
Sep 19, 2006 | 2:33 am
#6
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 121
Originally Posted by thegoderic
Yesterday I passed through the same screening set up 3 times in an hour and got 3 different results.
I did the same thing in FRA last week. 3 times through the same checkpoint but different screeners. All of them paused when they saw my bag, zoomed in, changed X-ray colors to try to ID my 2x T43 extended batteries. All of them asked to see it and one guesses was a battery but wanted to confirm.
In the US I've never had that happen before. I guess the Germans are focus on what look like bombs vs. tooth paste and shaving cream.
Sep 19, 2006 | 9:01 am
#8
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Colorado
Programs: TSA
Posts: 2,745
Originally Posted by thegoderic
Yesterday I passed through the same screening set up 3 times in an hour and got 3 different results.
I was in McAllen (MFE) and went straight though screening no problem. I walked through the portal with no alarms and my bag went through the belt OK.
I then discovered we had a 90 minute delay, so decided to go eat landside. A few fajitas later, I went through the same lane (they only have one) and this time, I set off the alarm on the portal, but again my bag was deemed to be OK.
Almost immediately I discovered I'd left my book in the retaurant so went straight back out, picked up book, went back through. This time, I passed again, but my bag had something in it that the previous two scans had been happy with, but this time necessitated a hand search. (It turned out to be a laprtop power cable in a winder). What portal are you talking about? The explosives portal or the metal detector? With the Explosive portal, the machine is really sensative. With the metal detector, it can be influenced by vibration. Speaking of the bag check after x-ray, you have to realize that it is subjective, the experience of the person running the machine plays into it.
The inconsistency in the process worries me. Someone needs to convince me that this whole rigmarole would pick something up if someone tried to get it through.
Incidentally, whoever thought of the system where you can buy liquids airside, but can't take them on the plane must have several screws loose. It strikes me as pointless (as all liquids bought airside will already have been screened) and unenforceable.
I was in McAllen (MFE) and went straight though screening no problem. I walked through the portal with no alarms and my bag went through the belt OK.
I then discovered we had a 90 minute delay, so decided to go eat landside. A few fajitas later, I went through the same lane (they only have one) and this time, I set off the alarm on the portal, but again my bag was deemed to be OK.
Almost immediately I discovered I'd left my book in the retaurant so went straight back out, picked up book, went back through. This time, I passed again, but my bag had something in it that the previous two scans had been happy with, but this time necessitated a hand search. (It turned out to be a laprtop power cable in a winder). What portal are you talking about? The explosives portal or the metal detector? With the Explosive portal, the machine is really sensative. With the metal detector, it can be influenced by vibration. Speaking of the bag check after x-ray, you have to realize that it is subjective, the experience of the person running the machine plays into it.
The inconsistency in the process worries me. Someone needs to convince me that this whole rigmarole would pick something up if someone tried to get it through.
Incidentally, whoever thought of the system where you can buy liquids airside, but can't take them on the plane must have several screws loose. It strikes me as pointless (as all liquids bought airside will already have been screened) and unenforceable.
Last edited by eyecue; Sep 19, 2006 at 9:06 am
