She would be flying into Detroit on Northwest Airlines, the same city and carrier involved in the attempted bombing on Christmas, just 10 days before. She was tense. What happened to her lasted only 20 seconds, but she says they were the longest 20 seconds of her life. After pulling her laptop out of her carry-on bag, sliding the items through the scanning machines, and walking through a detector, she went to collect her things. A TSA worker was staring at her. He motioned her toward him. Then he pulled a small, clear plastic bag from her carry-on – the sort of baggie that a pair of earrings might come in. Inside the bag was fine, white powder.
She remembers his words: “Where did you get it?”
Two thoughts came to her in a jumble: A terrorist was using her to sneak bomb-detonating materials on the plane. Or a drug dealer had made her an unwitting mule, planting coke or some other trouble in her bag while she wasn’t looking. She’d left her carry-on by her feet as she handed her license and boarding pass to a security agent at the beginning of the line.
Answer truthfully, the TSA worker informed her, and everything will be OK. Solomon, 5-foot-3 and traveling alone, looked up at the man in the black shirt and fought back tears. Put yourself in her place and count out 20 seconds. Her heart pounded. She started to sweat. She panicked at having to explain something she couldn’t. Now picture her expression as the TSA employee started to smile.
Just kidding, he said. He waved the baggie. It was his.
RTFA. This could be considered cause for a justifiable ass kicking.
Is this the highly qualified personnel Obama spoke of. TSA is a joke, plain and simple. Put the Air Marshalls in charge of all aspects of airline security from screening to in flight security. They are well trained LAW ENFORCEMENT, not government flunkies just one step above mall security.
Lets not throw the baby out with the bathwater. One idiot move does not mean the entire agency is in need of replacement. I meet dedicated professionals and knuckleheads in all walks of life.
As for putting Air Marshalls in charge of security, I don’t think they can arrest anyone outside of an airplane. Additionally, there is a difference between security and law enforcement. A TSA agent can’t arrest you for example.
I fly for the airlines for a living, and I always wonder why so many flight attendants are or have dated these air marshalls. Apparently they have figured out the fine art of phone numbers on napkins as the highly trained professionals they are. There are some pretty wild stories about these ‘well trained’ people as well.
Didn’t the TSA recently get told that they are not allowed to perform any other type of criminal police work after they held that congressional aid because he had $40k in cash on him.
To refresh your memory, a congressional aid was flying with $40k in cash. The TSA pulled him aside and demanded to know where the money came from and what he was going to do with it. He refused, and secretly audio recorded his TSA interrogation with his iPhone. The TSA arrested him and forced him to go to the airport police (whom promptly released him since no crime had been committed).
The aid released his audio recording of his arrest on the internet. In response, the TSA director issued an order for the agents to not pretend they are real cops.
So that being done, even if she was carrying a backpack full of cocaine, the TSA should not, and can not, do anything about it. As long as it doesn’t hinder the safety of the plane and passengers.
Unless the link is from the Department of Redundancy Department, it’s gonna be hard to RTFA.
As a former TSA Screener I can tell you that this douche is more the norm than not. He should be fired plain and simple.
It was the most stressful, thankless, degrading undertaking of my life and on my worst day I would never act this way.
This type of incident is only a glimpse at the mistreatment of passengers and screening incompetence that lead to my resignation.
Unless the article is just this post on dvorak there’s no link to the article.
If someone freaks out nearly to the point of tears from someone asking “what’s this in your bag?” then that person has a lot more problems than some dumbass at the TSA.
RTFA = Read the Fail Article?
http://philly.com/philly/news/local/82230762.html
From the article:
“Update: Ann Davis, the TSA spokeswoman, said this afternoon that the worker is no longer employed by the agency as of today. She said privacy laws prevented her from saying if he was fired or left on his own.”
The same “privacy” laws probably prevents verifying that anything at all happened to the TSA worker.
Funny how “privacy” laws protect everyone except a private citizen.
And what exactly, is the difference between “LAW ENCORCEMENT” and “government flunkie”? They are frequently the same. Laws are a product of government ya know.
In fact, the TSA in question behaved exactly like a whole lot of law enforcement officers that I’ve encountered over the years.
There’s good and bad in all professions. You can even run across the occasional teenager in the fast food world who gives a rat’s ass and knows something. Rare, but it happens.
Ah, the fine work ethic of America. Then we wonder why many of our jobs have gone to China?
Absolutely no respect some Americans have for each other. Such a shame, people like this should be fired!
i would have shouted loudly and pointed at him “HE HAS A BOMB!”
now that would be funny!
#13, cherman/pedro
What he did was inexcusable for any person working with the public. He definitely deserved to be fired and he was.
What you suggest would be a criminal act. Criminal acts are not funny, whether or not you think they are.
If you had made some joke about a bomb or drugs when you passed thru screening or on a plane, you WOULD face criminal charges. Why this moron does not face charges is a mystery.
Wow! Tell them you made a bomb as a joke and oh the hilarity!
This should be criminal, and this guy should be fired. What’s more is the woman should sue for emotional damage.
Fire that Joker. If you can be deep cavity searched for joking around about the TSA while in line, that jerk can be incarcerated without possibility of parole for a long time, for pulling this stunt.