I understand that we don't live in a world where security is going to be perfect, nor is theft ever going to just disappear.

<rant>
That said, I can not even begin to express my disappointment and total shock for the lack of interest in a stolen laptop from the conveyor belt this past week. The laptop was stolen while my friend was being re-run through the metal detector behind another person. When he arrived on the other side of the conveyor belt, the laptop was gone.

Rather then look up the security tapes and try to help figure out who might have snagged the luggage and done something about it (maybe they were still in the airport and could be located?) or even pretend to care in general, the TSA agent claimed that we were inconveniencing them and they were supposed to be on break. He then went on to state that this happens a lot, and that we should fill out a bunch of forms and call the lost and found of the local sheriff's office later to see if it had been taken by accident and turned in. We were further dismayed to find out that the lost and found desk was really an unmanned phone line with a voicemail box, where they only return calls if there is something to report about your item.

It would seem to me that, with all the money and attention put on the TSA in recent years, a better system to pair a customer with their luggage during screening would exist. Considering you are essentially forced to be without your item during the security process, I absolutely believe that the responsibility to keep your items safe lies with the TSA. I realize a lot of people will respond saying "luggage looks alike - what is the TSA supposed to do?" but there are options. For example, scan bags and do the security walk-through separately as phases of security, or ensure that you can walk through immediately upon placing items on the belt, otherwise the conveyor belt is paused (no point in rushing bags through with no customers to pick them up - they'll just stack up on the other side anyway).

And an attitude adjustment is most definitely in order. That is, for sure, the biggest bummer in all this frankly.

</rant>

Why didn't your friend immediately call the airport police? For what it's worth, that's why I NEVER put my possessions through the x-ray until the WTMD is clear and I can proceed through immediately.

To be honest, we were so dumbfounded by the whole situation and more thinking in terms of "what stuff was on the laptop? do we call our employer? are we going to miss our flight?" This was a business trip with a big client, and in our heads that was still the top priority. I'm not sure we had much of a plan for how to handle this situation.

In hindsight, I would probably have voted that one of us stays behind and be a little more of a PITA about getting some action on this.

But I do look at the TSA staff as the "authoritative" figures on what to do in these situations. So I was just totally shocked when it almost seemed like they didn't have much of a plan, either, especially if "this happens all the time."

One other thing I forgot in my original post - the TSA agent explained to us that people would use fake boarding passes to get into security, take the items, and just leave the airport. Is this a known loop hole? This seems really ridiculous if it's that easy... I think he was just making that up frankly.

TSOs aren't law enforcement officers. Don't let the uniforms fool you -- they are government clerks, no more nor less. Their only involvement in thefts is when one of their own commits one. This was a police matter and should have been handled by the police. As far as using fake boarding passes, yes -- it's a piece of cake to produce one. All TSA does is make sure the name on the boarding pass matches the name on the ID -- this is revenue protection for the airlines and has nothing to do with safety or security. When you check in on-line, you're provided with an electronic boarding pass to print out at home. All you have to do is print it to a PDF and edit it to say whatever you want. There was quite a ruckus a few years ago when someone put up a website that did exactly that.

The bottom line is this: when you travel, you're responsible for your possessions, in spite of TSA's screening procedures. I got into quite an argument with an x-ray TSO once (coincidentally at SFO) because she wanted me to push my possessions through the scanner while there was a line-up at the WTMD. I refused, she got nasty and called for a retaliatory secondary. I demanded to see the supervisor, who agreed with me and promised to pull the tapes and review the screener's actions (whether or not this was ever done is a different question). Keep your possessions in your sight at all times, and don't let TSOs tell you otherwise.

I'd still call the airport police--hopefully they can document the crime via telephone. If you have a serial number available it can be entered into a database if it turns up somewhere (pawn shop, swap meet, search warrant, or found).
http://www.sfgov.org/site/police_index.asp?id=19892

He got sent back through.

I'm wondering if this was an inside job.

Ah, I missed that. Some TSO clown tried that with me at SNA a month ago or so. I absolutely refused and demanded to see his supervisor -- surprise, surprise, I didn't have to be run back through.

But they are desparate to think (AND HAVE OTHERS THINK) that they are more than clerks in uniform aren't they ? check out the "FREEZE" thread for an example of that.

Funny (not) how they are oh so full of their own self-importance until somebody actually expects them to do more than a uniformed clerk (as in this case) - in which case they quickly revert to their true DMV-in-uniform nature "we're on a break right now"....

This would be my guess.

A report should be filed with the airport police. SFO has had a bad rap lately with thefts from luggage, this would add to it. If you don't get it documented, it never happened. It's not worth asking for changes to a system if we can't prove their are documented examples of problems with it.

P.S. Sorry for your loss.

Why? Did it alarm? If so, what did they take out of their pockets or clothing to change the next outcome? If not, why go back through?

Was this laptop company property? Did it have proprietary or confidential material on it? Is your company large enough to have a security department, or an IT department with a security component?

Of course it would have been ideal to make a theft report with SFPD immediately, (and most likely the laptop is gone, gone, gone), but if you get stonewalled, a corporate communication to local media might evoke some kind of action that would put pressure on this kind of checker behavior�"Warning to SFO travellers!" or some such.

Whether it was company or private property, the response you got was inexcusable.

I put a very annoying jingle bell on my bag (or one of those jingly cat bells). The sound is distinctive, so if anyone moves my bag I hear it immediately. Just remember to attach it while in line at security and to tuck it in something soft afterwards so you don't annoy yourself

Something with multiple bells so the thief can't just cover one bell in his hand, or a bunch of http://www.westcoastpetsupply.com/2/...ls-Large-3-pk/.

jingle...jingle...jingle...


I love the Hong Kong Airport's system that is so simple yet effective: Everything goes in the grey bins (except for larger carryons), purses, laptops, etc Your coins, watches and keys go in a smaller grey bin when you go through the metal detector and it is right next to you! So you get to keep your eyes on your stuff the entire time. They do not try and rush you through. Each large bin that holds your stuff has an alphabet assigned to it that corresponds to your lane and an individual bin number. You are handed a large white laminated sign that you hold along with your passport and boarding pass when you walk through. They do not let anyone touch a bin unless you have the correct big white sign.

If you get pulled aside for a secondary, they ask you to bring all your bins along with you to an area on the side that has a divider so no one can pick your pocket or your bin while your attention is on the agent.

The screeners at SFO are not TSA, but private contract agency employee's.

Don't they follow the same work rules you supposedly do?