TSA removes man's pants in publicly viewed screening

[alphakitty]

Here's the story:

 

http://www.gadling.com/2008/07/27/tsa-pulls-pants-off-of-elderly-man-during-search/?icid=200100397x1206728558x1200324453

[Cruisin' Ron VA]

And to think these people were regular ol' security guards until the government took over and gave them a badge. Power goes to the head and it shows.

 

Either do what they say or they call the cops and rough you up.

[monicajay]

This does not surprise me.

 

My experience was not as bad as this but was not pleasant. A strap of my knapsack got caught in the rollers just as the bags come out of the x-ray machine. This happened in Boston on Feb. 29th this year. The other bags belonging to my kids and husband could not come out because of this jammed bag.

 

Mom to the rescue. I reached in and tried to get the strap unstuck. My hand got caught in the rollers. I was shouting and screaming and trying to get the attention of the TSA to stop the machine but it took ages. Finally a guy came over and laughed at me. (my pinky was still stuck in the roller mechanizem ) he shut down the other suitcases coming through and finally pulled out one of the rollers to release my hand.

 

My pinky finger is crocked and still sore to this day. I tried to file a complaint with the supervisor but he wasn't around and my teens were laughing at me and didn't want to miss our flight so we continued on.

 

If I knew it would still hurt to this day I would have waited and missed my flight.

 

I feel sorry for all those who have been mistreated by these over zeleous security gaurds. It is hard to stand up to people who have that much power.

[Cruisin' Ron VA]

This does not surprise me.

 

My experience was not as bad as this but was not pleasant. A strap of my knapsack got caught in the rollers just as the bags come out of the x-ray machine. This happened in Boston on Feb. 29th this year. The other bags belonging to my kids and husband could not come out because of this jammed bag.

 

Mom to the rescue. I reached in and tried to get the strap unstuck. My hand got caught in the rollers. I was shouting and screaming and trying to get the attention of the TSA to stop the machine but it took ages. Finally a guy came over and laughed at me. (my pinky was still stuck in the roller mechanizem ) he shut down the other suitcases coming through and finally pulled out one of the rollers to release my hand.

 

My pinky finger is crocked and still sore to this day. I tried to file a complaint with the supervisor but he wasn't around and my teens were laughing at me and didn't want to miss our flight so we continued on.

 

If I knew it would still hurt to this day I would have waited and missed my flight.

 

I feel sorry for all those who have been mistreated by these over zeleous security gaurds. It is hard to stand up to people who have that much power.

 

I am sorry your finger got hurt but I am not sure it is the fault of the TSA.

[cruzegirl]

This is ridiculous. If they have to have someone take off their pants, which they shouldn't do in my opinion if they have a Dr.'s documentation and it's a locatable area by lifting pants leg up, do it in a private room with 2 people in attendance. How humiliating and again, show's that some authority has gone to someone's head. I hope he will sue them. People have to be responsible for their actions.

[monicajay]

I didn't explain well, yes, it was an accident that my finger got caught in the roller, but as I hollered at them to stop the conveyor belt they laughed and were rude.

 

When I did finally get my hand out it was black to my wrist and obviously squished with oily streak marks all over. Again they laughed. My baby finger was twisted and I was crying by then and again they laughed.

 

They did not show any normal human compassion whatsoever. I was not asked if I was O.K. nor if I needed something to clean my hand. I guess you had to be there to understand how rude and uncaring the attitude was.

 

This is why I said I can relate to the OP.

[Cruisin' Ron VA]

Ok I misunderstood my bad. I know you said your kids were laughing at you, I didn't realize the TSA agents were laughing at you too.

 

In this case I would complain. Unfortunately I think you already know the result of that. :(

 

I hope you are under a doctors care for you finger at least.

[G'ma]

This man has a lawsuit!! TSA's own rules prohibit lower body and strip searches in public. If they want to do it, they must provide complete privacy if the passenger requests it.

 

Here, from the TSA website:

 

If a lower body search is needed, a law enforcement officer then takes over. If at any point a passenger feels uncomfortable being patted down in front of others, they can request to have the search conducted in a private area. Experts urge travelers to remember that the person conducting the search should always be the same sex as the passenger.

[alphakitty]

I agree wholeheartedly G'ma. I've read other stories though where the passenger asked for a supervisor or to be taken into private and the person was told it could take a while and you'll probably miss your flight or some such nonsense! Sometimes we take the path of least resistance even if it's unsettling.

[Host CJSKIDS]

I just had TSA do something similar to me last month at the Fort Myers airport which also caused me to miss my Southwest flight (I had a family emergency and didn't leave much time to run). They made me lift my shirt, undo the button on my shorts and roll them down all while standing in between the two glass walls. They also had me roll my shorts up high to take a look. I was so completely humiliated and upset after 15 minutes of being groped by someone.

I made someone from the desk behind the security area come with me to the southwest desk to explain why I missed my flight. The fellow proceeded to walk me through a back locked area as a shortcut to the Southwest desk, guess I wasn't the international threat they thought I was just minutes prior! The Southwest employee went to find out what happened and came back with a complaint form and told me that confidentially, I didn't beep or anything and they have been having problems with TSA here going overboard with some people.

[nparmelee]

There's truly making things more secure and then there's people abusing this "power" they think they have. I'm all for real security but the power insanity must stop! The important words there are REAL SECURITY. Time to get a plane again and fly ourselves so we don't get quite so incensed every time we have to go through a blasted airport.

[alphakitty]

I just had TSA do something similar to me last month at the Fort Myers airport which also caused me to miss my Southwest flight (I had a family emergency and didn't leave much time to run). They made me lift my shirt, undo the button on my shorts and roll them down all while standing in between the two glass walls. They also had me roll my shorts up high to take a look. I was so completely humiliated and upset after 15 minutes of being groped by someone.

I made someone from the desk behind the security area come with me to the southwest desk to explain why I missed my flight. The fellow proceeded to walk me through a back locked area as a shortcut to the Southwest desk, guess I wasn't the international threat they thought I was just minutes prior! The Southwest employee went to find out what happened and came back with a complaint form and told me that confidentially, I didn't beep or anything and they have been having problems with TSA here going overboard with some people.

 

cjs.....so sorry you had to endure that! :( I don't blame you for feeling violated....sometimes the power just goes to these peoples heads. It's just awful. Did you fill out the complaint form?

[Kolleen]

I've had to be searched, twice. All my own fault, I was wearing knee braces and completely forgot. I have to say that at Long Beach and LAX airports the TSA people were very professional and did everything by the book. No groping, a female, and they explained exactly what they were doing. Very polite. I guess it depends on the individual. Some people just can't handle a little power.

[G'ma]

I agree wholeheartedly G'ma. I've read other stories though where the passenger asked for a supervisor or to be taken into private and the person was told it could take a while and you'll probably miss your flight or some such nonsense! Sometimes we take the path of least resistance even if it's unsettling.

 

I agree...and that's exactly why those knuckle-draggers get away with it. We let them do it.

 

While it's true that refusing to be searched can lead to arrest, it is equally true that they have NO right under the law to expose your body in public.

 

I had a ham-handed woman in San Francisco procede to do the under-boob, butt-crack search on me for a flight home a few years ago. She actually wanted to put her hands up under my shirt!!!! I backed off and said I was willing to let them do any search they wanted, but not in public....and insisted on privacy. ALL security areas have a private room right there, nearby, where they can and DO take passengers for more intense searches. Well, this refugee from a Soviet work-camp decided maybe she didn't really need to go under my shirt after all. Believe me, I would NOT have permitted it in public.... Would I have been detained? Maybe. But, all of us must draw a line in the sand somewhere....and my lines have been drawn a long, long time.

 

We, in our country, have rights; civil, constitutional and otherwise. If we continually let people tramp all over us in the name of "security" (homeland or otherwise), soon we'll have nothing. As a former activist, I KNOW my rights and I KNOW what TSA can and cannot do.

[pms4104]

We' date=' in our country, have rights; civil, constitutional and otherwise[/b']. If we continually let people tramp all over us in the name of "security" (homeland or otherwise), soon we'll have nothing. As a former activist, I KNOW my rights and I KNOW what TSA can and cannot do.

Sadly, we don't have as many rights as we did in the not-too-distant past ... going by the wayside with some regularity.

[Host CJSKIDS]

cjs.....so sorry you had to endure that! :( I don't blame you for feeling violated....sometimes the power just goes to these peoples heads. It's just awful. Did you fill out the complaint form?

 

Thanks for the kind words.

 

Yes, I sure did fill out the form and sent it in. The funny thing is I flew from there a week later and boy did I keep my head down.

 

I'm all for security, don't make a fuss, always follow the rules and never try to get anything through. My shoes are off, things out of pocket and I'm ready to roll. All I had that day was my a small purse, nothing in my pockets and flip flops on. They scanned in between my toes, up and down each side of my arms more than once, completely padded around my bra and body all the while telling me that they were using the back of their hands...like using the back of their hands wasn't groping me!!! AFter that search they then proceeded to go through my purse. All that was in there was a small wallet with cash, ID, and 2 credit cards and my sunglasses. They peeled off each bill, wiped it down, wiped down each credit card and continued to stare at my purse and flip flops like I had something. It truly was an amazing experience and one that I hope I never have to repeat.

[MMDown Under]

I wonder how long it will be before the US Government has to spend a small fortune trying to attract back tourists, who have experienced over zealous security personnel or seen someone else being inappropriately searched in public, and have decided to take their tourism business elsewhere?

 

Surely some retraining in what is appropriate and what is inappropriate is overdue.

[Globaliser]

I wonder how long it will be before the US Government has to spend a small fortune trying to attract back tourists, who have experienced over zealous security personnel or seen someone else being inappropriately searched in public, and have decided to take their tourism business elsewhere?

It's not just security, either. Immigration hassle is actually cited by travellers as a big factor in the dearth of inbound tourists to the US. These are reasons why people are simply choosing not to go to the US, or not to go as much. (And I'm one of them.) The US inbound international tourism industry has been crying out for help for ages now, but none seems to be forthcoming.

[pms4104]

The ill treatment doesn't end with TSA and tourists. I have welcomed refugees from Darfur, Myanmar and other areas and have assisted them thru Immigration and Customs at O'Hare ... I was thoroughly embarrassed to be part of their first experience in America.

 

The Immigration officers treated the refugees poorly and disrespectfully, and the Customs people weren't much better with their personal belongings. Everything, and I do mean everything, these individuals have in the whole world is in one suitcase (Welcome to the land of too much of everything!), and the Customs people pawed thru their belongiings like it was a sack of garbage.

 

Didn't seem appropriate that these individuals who have lived in camps for years, or even decades, should have been treated as sub-humans.