My brush with TSA

[ultrarunner]

I appreciate your perspective having come from a lifetime of experience!

 

[TripleR]

Yes, I'm afraid I strayed from the original intent of the thread, but now . . . well, here's my retirement plaque and on the wall right above it is a clock that a cousin bought as a retirement gift for me. The clock was made by one of our officers, since deceased. He was in that business after he retired from the police department.

Very nice clock, mine is simply in the shape of the State of Missouri.

Now I'm not saying MDOC is cheap, but for my 30 year service award, they gave me a chunk of rock from the old MSP, better known as "The Walls" with an ink pen holder glued to it.:laughing:

 

[Snaker]

Here is an example:

My brother has a Titanium rod that runs from his knee to his ankle in his leg. When he went through security, he set off the alarm. The female officer made him step aside. He told her of the rod in his leg. She ran her hand scanner along his leg and it sounded. She waved the scanner around the rest of his body and it never made a peep. Every time she ran it down his leg, it sounded from his knee to his ankle.

This would tend to backup what and where he told her the rod is and why it is there.

She made him assume the position and began a hand frisk. She felt the need to frisk his entire body, groping his privates so thoroughly he though she was doing a medical exam.

Now, since the metal was obviously in his lower leg and a frisk of his lower leg did not turn up any "contraband", and pulling his pant leg up and having her scan his bare leg proved the metal was INSIDE his leg, why the full body frisk ... and why all the genital groping?

This is what some people experience and what gets mentioned more then the "good" experiences.

Unless your brother is Brad Pitt, she probably wasn't having any more fun than he was. I'm guessing that she was doing it because that was what she was told to do. This is just another case of the front line worker taking the heat for being "required" to follow policies that are made somewere up the chain of command.

Some time back about a half dozen Aman's staged a race baiting specticle at the Minneapolis IAP and got the security attention that I'm sure they were hoping for. That issue is still floating around and people are wringing their hands over these poor folks getting treated so. That is why grandma has to get her knickers checked.

 

[MHarryE]

I had a similar experience, not with something like bullets but I was carrying a test part with me to install on a machine and I completely missed that it resembled something that could be used as a weapon. Even its engineering name, "Striker", sounded nasty. They put my bag through x-ray 3 times politely asking me before they did it, then told me they saw something odd and could they check. That is when I realized what it might have been, explained the situation. I helped them find the part in my bag because I knew where I had packed it. They were very polite, told me I could take it out to my car, or get my luggage back and check it, but I was concerned about time so I told them to pitch it - I would have another part shipped to me. Not a problem so on I went. And here I am, having thousands of flights experience, always wondering about how people can be who wait in line going past all the signs warning of things you can't carry, then get caught with a knife, butane lighter, etc. I also admit to almost leaving the house with a loaded magazine for my 9mm Baretta in my bag. Because of my extensive travel inculding to some countries with not the best reputation I am often singled out for special attention and have nothing but respect for the agents all around the world. I have seen passengers, however, who are so disrespectful that I would toss them in jail and throw away the key based on attitude alone.

 

[johnrex62]

Thought I would post my "airport experience" although it was not TSA but rather Canadian screening in Toronto.

I was leaving after for home after a week long trip in 1983 and when my bag went through the scanner the agent started asking me if I had anything to declare. When I responded I did not, he continued to ask me if I had things like agricultural products, produce, meat, etc.... Each time I responded I had nothing to declare he asked again in a different wording. After a good number of attempts he finally asked if I would come around and look at the screen with him. Needless to say I was shocked that he would ask me inside his area to look at that screen they hold so sacred.

I was even more shocked when I saw the screen. Inside my bag was what appeared to be numerous foot long sections of what seemed to be spinal column! :shocked: I packed the bag myself, had it in my hand from the time I left the hotel until I put it on the counter for the scanning. It had NEVER been out of my control or touched by anyone else. I was bewildered and confused as to what I was seeing in front of me, more so that the bewildered agent was.

He asked if I would mind if he opened it to look inside and I am thinking "I am going to jail for transporting bodies or something and I have no idea who, how, or when they got in my bag.", but I told him to open it because I wanted to know what it was as well.

I was greatly relieved to see scattered in my bag about a dozen large Toblerone chocolate bars my wife had asked me to pack. :cool2:

In case you hadn't caught on yet, the combination of the foil wrapping and the chocolate formed in the wedge shapes make an xray image that look just like back bone. Both of us were very relieved that there was not an axe murderer involved with my bag. :thumbsup:

 

[Mace Canute]

Jeeze John...are you ever lucky it wasn't a "Kinder Surprise"!

Kinder Surprise egg seized at U.S. border - Manitoba - CBC News

 

[ultrarunner]

My nieces are crazy for them as are the kids that live in the rest of the world...

The chocolate is OK.. the real fun is what's inside.

Could be anything from a toy that needs to be assembled, a game or a puzzle.

My favorites are the magic trick prizes...

Another example of what's wrong today...

 

[johnrex62]

Jeeze John...are you ever lucky it wasn't a "Kinder Surprise"!

Kinder Surprise egg seized at U.S. border - Manitoba - CBC News

When were those banned?? A coworker brought a couple dozen of those back a few years ago. I thought they were really cool candies.

 

[Mace Canute]

From Wiki (where else? )

Prohibition on sale or import into the United States

While Kinder eggs have been available in Canada since 1975, the product has never been allowed into the US for several reasons. In 1993 the Ferrero Group (the maker of Kinder eggs) applied to have the eggs sold in the USA, but was turned down because of a prohibition against having an inedible item inside an edible object. More recently, the US Consumer Products Safety Commission determined in 2008 that the product did not meet the small-parts requirement for toys for children under the age of three, creating a choking and asphyxiation hazard in young children. Since 1991, at least 7 children worldwide have died of choking after swallowing the toy inside the Kinder egg.[8]

 

[QRTRHRS]

Timely discussion. I have a 6am flight to catch tomorrow and would term myself as being a "infrequent flyer". Can I carry my cell phone charger or must it go in baggage?