Read your job description
At what point does an airport search step over the line?
How about when they start going through your checks, and the police call your husband, suspicious you were clearing out the bank account?
TSA is not law enforcement.
Via Michael.
August 23rd, 2010 at 10:07 am
Quite a few of the comments to that article that I’ve read are people telling everyone not to fly and mentioning how this crap is why the airlines are losing more and more business. Could the government be doing this on purpose so that when the airlines fail they can take over that industry as well?
August 23rd, 2010 at 10:48 am
This is caused by a bad incentive system. If a TSA screener needs to catch 3 criminals to get a promotion and a 10% pay raise, and no criminals are in line, the screener is going to get creative.
If the incentive is to screen 100 people per hour, the screener is going on break after 100 people regardless of how long the line is.
August 23rd, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Tar and feathers went out of style too soon.
August 23rd, 2010 at 12:24 pm
I’m wondering what law would have been broken even if she was cleaning out the account. Last I checked divorce and the attendant trauma is a civil matter.
I read the article and it is borderling harrassment on the part of TSA. The woman was not even of interest till she caught them looking down her top.
Seems a good lawyer should be on the short list for this one. Alan Gura comes to mind.
August 23rd, 2010 at 12:29 pm
But..but..but — they HAVE BADGES – and the legal authority to cause you all the pain & suffering THEY think is appropriate. Note that they called in the local police, who, instead of squelching this BS, apparently went along with it.
Tar & feathers, indeed…
August 23rd, 2010 at 2:13 pm
I’d NEVER thought I’d say this, but I think I might have to send some cash to the ACLU so they push this all the way to SCOTUS.
August 23rd, 2010 at 3:20 pm
Just keep in mind that it is the TSA security screeners who don’t have law enforcement authority. There are many TSA special agents, security specialists, and air marshals who have arrest powers.
August 23rd, 2010 at 3:41 pm
JJ said I was going to say – screeners are not LEOs, but there are plenty of TSA employees that are sworn, professional LEOs. It’s unfortunate for the professional LEOs within the organization that their public face is such a hodgepodge of GED dropouts and guys that would otherwise be flipping burgers at McArbonauts.
August 23rd, 2010 at 10:32 pm
The professional leos were the ones holding her up. Namely the philly police. All they had to say is that this is not in our jurisdiction and left it at that…