TSA call cops because woman had checks that there were "nearly" sequentially numbered

[healthpellets]

Making our skies safer, one 43 year old white woman at a time.

Highlights:

• TSA "Behavorial specialist" IDs woman for extended search
• TSA starts searching through woman's wallet, scanning her receipts and discovers checks
• TSA calls police after discovering the checks were nearly numerically sequential
• Police calls husband and say that they suspect wife cleaning out bank account and leaving him

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/colum...html?viewAll=y

What happened next, she says, was more than embarrassing. It was infuriating.

That same screener started emptying her wallet. "He was taking out the receipts and looking at them," she said.

"I understand that TSA is tasked with strengthening national security but [it] surely does not need to know what I purchased at Kohl's or Wal-Mart," she wrote in her complaint, which she sent me last week.

She says she asked what he was looking for and he replied, "Razor blades." She wondered, "Wouldn't that have shown up on the metal detector?"

In a side pocket she had tucked a deposit slip and seven checks made out to her and her husband, worth about $8,000.

She protested when the officer started to walk away with the checks. "That's my money," she remembers saying. The officer's reply? "It's not your money."

What happened sounds to me like a violation of a TSA policy that went into effect Sept. 1, after the American Civil Liberties Union sued the agency on behalf of the former campaign treasurer of presidential candidate Ron Paul.

In that case, Steven Bierfeldt was detained after screeners at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport discovered he was carrying about $4,700 in cash. He challenged their request that he explain where his money came from.

The new TSA directive reads: "Screening may not be conducted to detect evidence of crimes unrelated to transportation security." If evidence of a crime is discovered, then TSA agents are instructed to contact the appropriate law enforcement agency.

"None of this makes any sense except as a fishing expedition, which under the U.S. Constitution is not allowed. They can't rummage through her personal life. I'm not surprised this woman is outraged. She should be."

[alnorth]

This is crap. I'm fine with a behavioral specialist marking you for a thorough search, enhanced security (within reason) and all that, but the TSA is not the police. Their only purpose should be identifying a threat to the airplane, and looking for items that you are not permitted to carry or transport, thats it. If they suspect that someone could be a thief, they should not care. As far as I am concerned, even if they just happen to stumble across evidence of a crime unrelated to what they are looking for, they should ignore it, they are not the police, they are the TSA.

If a bored screener finds something suspicious and decides to play amateur detective, they are in the wrong job. They should quit and go join the police academy.

[Garcia Bronco]

She was doing exactly what they said she was doing; Cleaning out her husband and bolting. Good catch.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Garcia Bronco

She was doing exactly what they said she was doing; Cleaning out her husband and bolting. Good catch.

Not according to the story, she wasn't.

The TSA screener was searching for a threat to the airplane (razor blades, I guess), and stumbled across receipts and checks that made him (incorrectly) think she emptied out a joint account in preparation of a divorce.

Not only was that not right, it also is arguably not illegal, and most importantly, it was none of the TSA screener's damned business. The cop (who also sounded like an over-suspicious idiot) shouldn't have been called in to harass and delay her.

As soon as the TSA screener determined she had no weapons or contraband, that should have been the end of it. The TSA is not the police, they have no business behaving as if they were police. Even if they think they see evidence of an unrelated crime during the search, it should be ignored.

[Ebolapox]

****ing TSA. do your job and leave her the **** alone. no bomb? no knife? go the **** away, double digit IQ

[healthpellets]

here's the thing. it's MY money. if i want to carry $5000 on to an airplane because i'm going to make some purchases at a gun show in another state, it's not TSA's business where my money came from, or what i'm doing with it.

unless i have a wad of cash, along with some drug paraphernalia, a lighter, and some crack, is there any evidence of a crime, or the money originating from criminal activity.

can't wait for the "Black man detained at airport because he had lots of money and looked like a pimp" story.

i like to make TSA do a little work, so i don't walk through the body scanning machines as KCI, and they sure do get an annoyed look when you ask to opt out. maybe i'll distract them long enough to let some poor women not get harassed.

[ForeverChiefs58]

plus there has been celebs from Michael Vick to Whitney Houston get busted with drugs or guns and just get pissed and get to leave. This lady gets held for receipts?

[Bwana]

There are some real knuckle draggers that work for the TSA. I think a lot of them are cop want to be types, who couldn't make the cut to become a "real cop." Seriously, from what I have seen, I'm surprised that the majority of them stand upright and walk on all fours. The majority of them would be naturals for a Geico commercial and there would be no need for makeup.

Some of their rules from week to week are nuts. I flew to Michigan about a month ago and decided to take a mini humidor, a cigar cutter and a torch lighter. I had all the stuff packed in my check in bag, in the humidor and claimed it. Evidently, you can't have a torch lighter at all, so they took it. He did enlighten me that it is OK to carry on a regular lighter onboard though. I said "you have got to be shitting me?"

Sure enough, I was able to buy a lighter at the airport and toss it in my carry on bag and take it with me "ON THE JET." I'm thinking, what a stupid freaking rule this is. They take my nice lighter out of my checked bag, yet anyone can carry a regular lighter on a jet?

Think of the possibilities of that, if you are a terrorist. Has anyone ever seen how fast seat foam goes up in flames? Who is the government genius that came up with that policy?

[Oucho Cinco]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Not according to the story, she wasn't.

The TSA screener was searching for a threat to the airplane (razor blades, I guess), and stumbled across receipts and checks that made him (incorrectly) think she emptied out a joint account in preparation of a divorce.

Not only was that not right, it also is arguably not illegal, and most importantly, it was none of the TSA screener's damned business. The cop (who also sounded like an over-suspicious idiot) shouldn't have been called in to harass and delay her.

As soon as the TSA screener determined she had no weapons or contraband, that should have been the end of it. The TSA is not the police, they have no business behaving as if they were police. Even if they think they see evidence of an unrelated crime during the search, it should be ignored.

Even if she did clean out an account in preparation of a divorce there is no law against that if it's a joint account.

TSA intelligence requirements must be pretty low, and their psychological screening must be suspect.

[bobbymitch]

The TSA folks have no real common sense. My wife had her bare feet scanned with a metal detector.

It would seem that many were picked on in school, had no real prospects, and never were going to be in some management capacity. Now they have absolute power and enjoy using it.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by Bwana

There are some real knuckle draggers that work for the TSA.

Its a government created position with gauranteed pay and benefits....did you expect differently?

[Gracie Dean]

Once our flight in ICT got cancelled, they bussed us to Dallas (broke down 10 times on 35) and when we got there we had to fly standbye to Miami. My husband, me and our daughter...the TSA looked at our ID's and pass ports ...remember 2 girls and one guy. The TSA called out "who's Mark" DUH

[Bwana]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Its a government created position with gauranteed pay and benefits....did you expect differently?

What I expect, is some level of competency. That being said, I'm disappointed on a regular basis.

[kcfanXIII]

Originally Posted by Bwana

What I expect, is some level of competency. That being said, I'm disappointed on a regular basis.

this pretty much sums up my feelings towards ALL government agencies, and really the government itself.

[Bwana]

Originally Posted by kcfanXIII

this pretty much sums up my feelings towards ALL government agencies, and really the government itself.

You've got that right.