'This Is Not Right'

DES MOINES - Cecilia Beaman is a 57-year-old grandmother, a principal at Pacific Middle School in Des Moines, and as of Sunday is also a suspected terrorist. "This is not right," she told us. It's not right!"

This past weekend she and several other chaperones took 37 middle school students to a Heritage Festival band competition in California. The trip included two days at Disneyland.

During the stay she made sandwiches for the kids and was careful to pack the knives she used to prepare those sandwiches in her checked luggage. She says she even alerted security screeners that the knives were in her checked bags and they told her that was OK.

But Beaman says she couldn't find a third knife. It was a 5 1/2 inch bread knife with a rounded tip and a serrated edge. She thought she might have lost or misplaced it during the trip.

On the trip home, screeners with the Transportation Security Administration at Los Angeles International Airport found it deep in the outside pocket of a carry-on cooler. Beaman apologized and told them it was a mistake.

"You've committed a felony," Beaman says a security screener announced. "And you're considered a terrorist."

Beaman says she was told her name would go on a terrorist watch-list and that she would have to pay a $500 fine.

"I'm a 57-year-old woman who is taking care of 37 kids," she told them. "I'm not gonna commit a terrorist act." Beaman says they took information from her Washington drivers license and confiscated and photographed the knife according to standard operating procedure.

She says screeners refused to give her paperwork or documentation of her violation, documentation of the pending fine, or a copy of the photograph of the knife.

"They said 'no' and they said it's a national security issue. And I said what about my constitutional rights? And they said 'not at this point ... you don't have any'."

KOMO News did reach a spokesperson with the Transportation Security Administration for comment. They said they did not have record of Beaman's confrontation but did admit that TSA screeners are, by design, becoming more strict.

Despite continued warnings to passengers, TSA screeners say travelers continue to bring banned items in their carry-on luggage. Knives, guns, and other weapons are found and confiscated daily.

Fines issued for knives and other sharp objects range from $250 to $1,500. Fines issued for firearms discovered in carry-on luggage range from $1,500 to $7,500.

The TSA web site also indicates firearms violations will be referred for potential criminal prosecution. The same site does not propose the same criminal referral for knives like the one Cecilia Beaman was carrying.

"This is not the way my country should be treating me," she said. My concern is that if that's the way they're treating American citizens I would hate to think how they're treating other people. It's crazy."

The TSA reminds travelers that is has the authority to impose civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation.

"TSA needs the help of the traveling public in reducing the number of prohibited items brought to airport screening checkpoints," reads the Sanction Guidelines section of the TSA web site. "TSA recognizes that most passengers who carry prohibited items do so without any ill intent. TSA does not impose fines on the vast number of passengers who inadvertently carry prohibited items. Dealing with any prohibited item, however, adds time to the screening process both for the traveler who brought the item and for other travelers as well."

You can find a complete list of banned items, range of fines levied for violations, and information on how to plead your case with the TSA at www.tsa.gov.

And even when they do a full body and carry on search they still miss the lighter. Yep, happened to me. My teen daughter and I had the full search and they missed the lighter in the carry on.

Also, my oldest kid, 16, 15 and 14 at the time of all three searches, was tagged for a full body search, pulled out of security line, and full, ticketed luggage search. Ticked her off they messed up her luggage since she’s a neat freak.

Again, is there anyone in America that doesn’t realize just how serious it is to follow the instructions/rules? I considered it a hassle, felt bad for my teenage daughter (the body search thing freaked her out, she’s so “don’t enter my space” type of person). But she handled it and I was there since she was a minor so they couldn’t do it without me being present. And the bottom line is, sure it’s an inconvenience but one I’ll gladly put up with in today’s world. I told her, when she asked why she keeps getting searched, that she’s the easy, training person. The one they pick to train the new security personnel.

The most recent time was in Orlando airport, our family of 6 leaving Disney World. It happened another time there 10 months earlier when it was just the two of us and not all 6 of us (family). Anyway, leaving DW, she was pulled aside, me with her once they knew she was a minor, and given the search. Since it happened twice before, but my husband wasn’t present those times, he was freaking out, it was common to the two of us by this time. She thinks she’ll be searched every time we fly and I agree with her. Anyway, my husband was not happy about it but we were used to it by this time.

This latest time we flew, I made sure every shampoo/conditioner, etc. was the exact size permitted. And every time, we get pulled out of the long security line, which is a plus really since we don’t have to wait in those long lines. The search takes less time than going thru security with no problems.

It sucks. I wish they’d focus on those who pose a real threat but figure a teen traveling with her mom or her family of 6 COULD be a threat even though we know we’re not a threat.

I found the TSA and all the officers to be incredibly polite and gentle (especially when dealing with me and my kid, especially when searching my kid). They had what I perceived as apologetic looks while searching her and me. One TSA agent in SLC airport, saw me using a lighter to light my cig and was really belligerent in taking it from me and read me the riot act and how did I get through security with a lighter, blah blah blah. I had no idea we couldn’t fly with lighters then, it was the first time I flew since my honeymoon many years ago, and ignorance isn’t a defense but I really didn’t know. He snactched it out of my hand as if it were a weapon, in the smoking lounge where he was smoking and told me not to give him attitude, he thought I was giving him attitude. I called my husband on my cell, cos even thousands of miles away I expect him to fix everything, and he said “crap, I forgot, you can’t have a lighter” It was a Damn! moment. Then my carry on was searched for “explosives residue” and the TSA guy was very informative and sorta apologetic about it all. Then we were full searched and my kid was WTH? She was a teen girl. Then the last two times, she was ok with it, it was still creepy to her but she’s older and realizes it may happen. She always gets tagged for it for some reason.

"Twink" said:

Which was immediately followed by:

One TSA agent in SLC airport, saw me using a lighter to light my cig and was really belligerent in taking it from me and read me the riot act and how did I get through security with a lighter, ... He snactched it out of my hand as if it were a weapon, in the smoking lounge where he was smoking and told me not to give him attitude,...

I'm having a hard time reconciling your first two sentences with the second two.

The latter happened prior to the other dealings with any airport security, except for the explosives search (he was really nice). It was on our trip to SLC and while we were leaving SLC airport, coming home, layover in Las Vegas. It only involved me, in the smoking lounge in SLC with my lighter. I guess I didn’t make that clear. He was a jerk imo.

Every other contact we had with TSA was basically positive. The other two trips were in Orlando and even though they were intrusive, the personnel were really nice about it all.

I hope that cleared it up. The one guy, agent, in the smoking lounge in SLC airport, was a jerk. IMO. Everyone else was not only profressional, they were really nice about it all.

But of all the things to focus on, you focus on that and not anything else. How about a teen girl, for two years, when she was 14, 15, and 16, (two years, not 3 since our first travel experience for this happened when she was 14 1/2 in SLC, then 15 and 16 in Orlando) is tagged for a full search? And, those times, she was treated with kid gloves, as she should have been, but still tagged for this when she’s nowhere near a threat to anyone, except maybe teen age boys. The TSA, all airport security treated her well and me also (with the exception of the jerk in the smoking lounge).

Does this reconcile it for you enough? I’m relatively new here but what I’m learning really quickly is some people will focus on the most idiotic thing and miss the entire point in the process.

You could have just asked me to explain what I meant. I know I go off on tangents just like when I’m speaking in person/real life. Maybe it’s best if you ignore what I post since you’re probably going to question everything anyway and miss what I actually said or was trying to say.

And on a side note, you’re having a “hard time reconciling your first two sentences with the second two” do you really want to get into a war of words on this? Cos’ if you had difficulty understanding either then you and I couldn’t have a conversation.

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