Airport Screeners said to have sticky fingers
09-18-2011, 07:43 PM
#4
On Reserve
Joined APC: Oct 2009
Posts: 18
My mom had this happen in DFW back in 2006. The screener "selected" her bags for a hand inspection, and while digging through her purse, started to do her digging with one closed fist.
My Mom got suspicious, and said "Ma'am, please open your hand." The screener pleaded ignorance, trying to continue without a scene, and my mom kept insisting, louder with each round, "please open your hand."
Eventually, the screener gave in and there fell a $20 bill. My mom demanded the audience of a supervisor, and the supervisor tried to cover it up, and insist that the only way she could report the situation was to call the local police and miss her flight.
I love my mom, because she made them call the police and file a report! (god knows how many TSA folks get out of god knows what just because people want to get to their destination on time on the flight they paid for). Long story short, the local cops took her report, her airline was very good about getting her on the next available flight without hassle, but of course who knows if anything actually happened to the screener in question.
I find it all interesting because I used to work for a dept store whose camera system (back in 2003) was state of the art - if a customer tried to claim that a sales person gave them change for a 10 instead of a 20, you could scan their receipt and pull up footage clear enough to show the denomination of the bill - right away.
Why has this been in the hands of retail for almost 10 years, when the minimum wage federal employees who didn't work out at Wendy's are entrusted to protect our airports without similar supervision?
Better yet, anyone been to any of the monuments in DC? Notice how they use big sticks to go through your bags? That ensures that they aren't touching your stuff without question, and with very little initial investment. Although maybe those guys are more professional than the TSA guys who would try to beat you with them....
My Mom got suspicious, and said "Ma'am, please open your hand." The screener pleaded ignorance, trying to continue without a scene, and my mom kept insisting, louder with each round, "please open your hand."
Eventually, the screener gave in and there fell a $20 bill. My mom demanded the audience of a supervisor, and the supervisor tried to cover it up, and insist that the only way she could report the situation was to call the local police and miss her flight.
I love my mom, because she made them call the police and file a report! (god knows how many TSA folks get out of god knows what just because people want to get to their destination on time on the flight they paid for). Long story short, the local cops took her report, her airline was very good about getting her on the next available flight without hassle, but of course who knows if anything actually happened to the screener in question.
I find it all interesting because I used to work for a dept store whose camera system (back in 2003) was state of the art - if a customer tried to claim that a sales person gave them change for a 10 instead of a 20, you could scan their receipt and pull up footage clear enough to show the denomination of the bill - right away.
Why has this been in the hands of retail for almost 10 years, when the minimum wage federal employees who didn't work out at Wendy's are entrusted to protect our airports without similar supervision?
Better yet, anyone been to any of the monuments in DC? Notice how they use big sticks to go through your bags? That ensures that they aren't touching your stuff without question, and with very little initial investment. Although maybe those guys are more professional than the TSA guys who would try to beat you with them....
Last edited by swimheiss; 09-18-2011 at 07:45 PM. Reason: blathering too much. broke it into paragraphs
09-19-2011, 07:44 AM
#5
Line Holder
Joined APC: Feb 2011
Posts: 26
When we landed back in BHM from HOU my wife opened her suitcase and there was a piece of paper in there saying, "Your bag was selected for a random inspection blah blah blah". It doesn't seem right that they can do this without you being present. They didn't take anything but had it been a less-honest person, they could have easily. Have any of yall had something like that happen? I never knew they did that.
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