SPOTTED at IAD
 

In a hurry yesterday at IAD I ran to the elite security line only to find it was crawling along due to the newly installed TSA ID checkers. They had one checker at the end of the queue and one checker in the middle of the line. There wasn't enough space to get by, so you had to wait and have the TSA at the end of the line look at your boarding pass even the though the other person had approved it . There was also another TSA standing around at the end of line. So I tried to show my signed pass to him and got "What's the matter? Why are you in a hurry? Are you going to miss your plane?

The guy starts following me asking questions. Finally I say "I don't talk to SPOTs". The look on his face was great. He couldn't believe I had identified him. He stumbled around for a minute and finally got on his walkie talkie and asked what to do.

Of course I got secondaried and he wrote down the information on my ID. As two other guys went through my bags I told them what a bad SPOTter the original guy was. They laughed and said he's a pain to work with. They made several comments about how clueless the SPOTter was. They even had a nickname for him based on a physical characteristic.

This is not security. This is harrassment. In the future I guess the right comment to make to SPOTs is "Do I know you?"

And the agency denies that there's retaliation.

What was the nickname?

I hope you ripped this disgusting excuse for an American citizen a new one on the complaint form.

Kip Hawley: your agency SUCKS. You SUCK. :mad: FEMA and IRS are well-oiled bastions of freedom compared to your little pissant "security" excuse.

See spot run. I love your story:D but I would've told him to pound sand & mind his own business.

Anyone writes down my ID info at the checkpoint - I will ask them why they are interested in my ability to drive (ie its a drivers license) and/or ask for a copy of the Privacy Act.

Not only that, ask them for their ID and ask to copy the info down as well. EVERY FBI an DoD agent I've talked to on official business has provided me their credentials without even asking. How do we REALLY know that TSA guy isn't a fraud? Well, we already know the whole operation is but I digress. :rolleyes:

After all, can't be too careful right? :D

They called him "The crow" because "his eyes bug out.":eek:

Praise the Lord! I feel so much safer now! ;)

Seriously - you let him copy your ID information? You should have told him that he had no right to do that, that as long as you're not doing anything wrong you shouldn't have to put up with that. Or lie and say you're very careful because of ID theft. Since the rest of his workers seem to dislike him, you'd probably get past him without much hassle.

I'd suggest you file a complaint with TSA and demand that your name be removed from the secondary search list, if it was added (which, unfortunately, is likely). =/

On a side note, how were the lines slow due to the new TSA ID checkers?

Or how about "STOP TALKING TO ME AND MY SON/DAUGHTER YOU CHILD MOLESTING PEDOPHILE!" :D

hope "the crow" is working the ua term at iad next week
 

ok, folks-looks i'm gonna try and buy some bird seed before i return home from THE DO. :D

Let us know how you enjoy the secondary. :D

well, i should have plenty of witnesses with those of us returning from the do...... :D

"Your useless curiosity is interfering with my First Amendment rights and I'm not waiving my Fifth Amendment rights either." :D

Remember, you have no rights at the checkpoint, citizen. :rolleyes:

You do not have to invoke any rights protection when talking to a SPOT goon as they don't have LE or Judicial authority to ask you anything.

I will tell them to piss off and take the SSSS...they act like they can punish you with a secondary...sure it is irritating but not a big deal as a consequence of telling them to pound sand.

but do not forget to file a complaint along with getting names and i/d #'s. if they are a gov't employee and are asked for i/d they must provide it.

But like the privacy act, TSA thinks it's exempt. :rolleyes:

Go get 'em Spiff. You know you want to ...

A stranger or two on the pre-security side of the airport wants to know both your identity--including your home address if it is on your driver's licence--and how far (or how long) you'll be away from your home.

Gosh, nothing alarming about that request: why would anyone hesitate to answer questions like that from a non-uniformed person?

I still think that the best tack is to answer all questions with questions. It's very irritating and perfectly defensible.

"So where are you going today?"
"Why do you want to know?"

"Gee, I like your laptop bag."
"Do you like all laptop bags?"

"Do you want to fly today? Then respect my authority and answer my questions!"

"Not particularly, but I have to be NY tomorrow for a meeting. Does HMS Host make you go to meetings?"

"ok, i'll answer your questions but only in the presence of your supervisor, the tsa terminal manager, the ground services coordinator for <airline name here>, a law enforcement officer and my traveling companion who will record the entire conversation on their cell phone video camera".

Spot the MR Runner
 

MRs are going to get interesting:

"Where are you going?"
"Wherever that Delta CRJ out there takes me."
"Where might that be?"
"Don't ask me, I'm just self loading freight. The pilot and copilot determine where the plane goes, yet traditionally they don't consult heavy discount Y pax for navigation tips."
"What is the purpose of your trip?"
"To take a ride in an airplane."
"Are you being smart with me?"
"Explaining the concept of a Mileage Run seems darn near impossible in the 30 minutes remaining before my flight."
"How long have you been in Spotsville?"
"Ten minutes."
"Are you being smart with me?"
"Explaining the concept of a Mileage Run seems darn near impossible in the 29 minutes remaining before my flight."
"Do ya wanna fly today?"
"Thank you, that's a great idea. It will get me out of this town faster than the bus." :p

Sounds like you're going to give The Crow a real puckin' hard time. :D

if he is able to spot me (pun intended) among the 10 or so f/t'ers going thru security this sunday, in simple terms yes :D

Okay, so what is a spotter? This thread is very interesting, although I bet it would be even more interesting if I know what a spotter was.

Thanks!

Spiff would probably tell you it's a filthy communist dog (pun intended :D) that is out looking for "abnormal" behaviors and unusual responses to questions asked to determine if someone should receive further screening or should be talked to by police.

In short, it's harassment by poorly trained TSA personnel that are trying to look like they're being proactive.

I would also like to know what exactly a spotter is. How do they differ from the idiots putting their initials on your boarding pass?

They ARE the idiots putting initials on your boarding pass.

My automatic assumption is that people practicing SPOT include:

• Any TSO asking me anything other than a phrase constituting a Demand to see my ID or B/P
• Any LEO that decides to strike up a conversation while I am on airport property
• Any unknown individual who decides to strike up a conversation with me while I am on airport property

Are these SPOTTERS necessarily uniformed or plain-clothes, or can it be both? People checking one's BP in line are uniformed, but the comment about some random person, and I am paraphrasing here, "striking up a conversation on airport property", seem that they might be plain-clothes.

I'll definitely have to keep my eyes open for this in the coming months.

I don't think any of our intrepid TSA posters have ever stated whether all TSA BDO (Behavior Detection Officer) personnel are uniformed or not. Some airports (BOS comes to mind) use local LEO (Mass State Troopers in BOS) as sterile area SPOT personnel; most encounters with LEO personnel reported here have been uniformed, from what I recall without performing a search.

However, I make an educated guess about other folks in the airport. It hardly makes sense to run an intelligence gathering operation with strictly uniformed personnel. Are there actually plainclothes SPOT personnel, I don't truly know. Could there be...absolutely.

Anyone know/think the private contractors did SPOT too before TSA took over?

OP here. In following the recent posts I've come to the conclusion that "The Crow" was so inept that they wanted to get him away from the screening area. So they said "why don't you go over to the queue and play spot."

The problem with all of this is that I was in a hurry and afraid I'd miss my plane. My sense is that these are the people who get caught in the SPOT net and can least afford to make small talk. Of course I'm nervous, my plane leaves in 15 minutes, I've waited in the queue for 15 minutes, and now you're gonna harass me.

They have been shown a video on "How to Identify a Terrorist".

I think I am going to learn sign language so I can answer the spotter in sign.

And the taxpayers have furnished them with either:

Terrorism for Dummies

or

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Terrorism

There's only one sign you need to learn :)