Flight crews report improper searches

USA TODAY ^ | 11/30/2001 | Blake Morrison

[mykdsmom]

Crewmembers have been fondled and groped by airport screeners and targeted for improper searches at security checkpoints, the nation's largest flight attendants union says.

The charges were outlined earlier this month in a letter the Association of Flight Attendants sent to Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta: "Numerous flight attendants report being hand frisked, told to remove shoes and belts and having their bags thoroughly searched when passengers were not subjected to the same treatment."

[mykdsmom]

I'm sure something like would have never taken place if these were government employees.

MKM

[OldFriend]

Considering some of the murderous hijackers pretended to be pilots I see no problem with the pilots and flight attendants getting extra scrutiny.

[dandelion]

Maybe not - but considering that:

-nearly all of these people will lose their jobs,
-that 25% of them are not citizens, and
-that many of them were hired as known felons,

it wouldn't surprise me that some of these people would do it just because they think they can get away with it. Considering that so many of these "security personnel" would evidently fail a criminal background check in any other industry, it might be that things like this have been going on for a while...

It's really too bad, because the airport security people I have met have, for the most part, been quite nice.

[ctdonath2]

Bill Of Rights, Amendment IV: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

[steve-b]

Boortz has been reporting many abuse and theft incidents. His theory (which makes sense) is that many of these McDonald's rejects know that they have no chance of keeping their jobs once the new background checks are in place and are taking advantage of their positions while they still can.

[Kale]

My girlfriend (a very attractive blonde) just got back from London for the Thanksgiving holiday. She travelled from San Francisco to Dallas to London and the same way back. She got felt up EVERY single time she went through a security checkpoint. This is getting ridiculous.

[Lysander]

When he boarded, he noticed a passenger with knitting needles, which screeners should have confiscated, the letter says.

My God she might have knitted an Afghan!

[Georgia_JimD]

Reminds me of the SNL skit with Mariel Hemingway trying to go through the airport security. The security guys kept making beeping noises and asking her to remove her stockings and blouse. Very funny skit...

[Kale]

http://www.truthresources.org/faasposter.jpg

[Kale]

Hey can someone help me with the proper code for posting pics? Thanks in advance.

[MrBambaLaMamba]

Hmmm, seems that this sort of thing has occurred before.

If only Hearst were alive today.

[wideawake]

My God she might have knitted an Afghan!

I prefer the term 'Victory Blanket'.

[beerhead]

This is actually not a great surprise to me. Within the past week or so, I saw video of an Airport Security Manager speaking to his workers. He mentioned that "during WWII, soldiers were shot who fell asleep at thier posts." (camera pans the frozen looks of the employees) The manager added, "We aren't about to shoot you if you miss detecting a weapon, but you can be darned sure you'll be fired!"

[Tench_Coxe]

I wonder if we'll have this eventual scenario?:

More incidents are reported. Nothing is done. Even more incidents occur, with one fellow being shot or accosted by National Guardsman after having pummelled a screener for blatantly feeling up his girlfriend. Congress decides to make it a Federal crime and felony to strike an ariport screener. This continues, airline revenues drop as less and less people fly, during which one or two near riots break out as the situation grows intolerable.
Meanwhile, politicians are given free reign to walk by the checkpoints without any security measures, while on TV decrying the treatment of the people at the airport.

Off base? We'll see when the Federalization of security checkpoints is in place for a while.

[gatorman]

Right on . . . "Trust me . . . I am am a federal government baggage/security inspector . . . don't you feel a lot safer now?"

FReeregards . . .

 

[mykdsmom]

Seems like we could be on the way to this to me. I for one won't be flying anytime soon.

Less hassle to drive.

MKM

[mykdsmom]

OIC...they could be perceiving this as one of the "perks" of the job. They don't care too much if they get fired since they figure they're history anyway.

Someone will deck one of these gropers one of these days soon.

MKM

[BansheeBill]

My sister has 2 artificial hips made out of titanium. A couple of weeks ago a screener at OHare in Chicago (who had a problem with English, according to my sister), kept forcefully pushing the wand against her hip sockets (she was wearing jeans) trying to find the "dangerous" hidden metal objects.

She tried to explain to this woman that it was her artificial hips, but it didn't seem to register. My sis said she ended up with some light black and blue marks from the screeners heavy handed actions. I suggested she get some mini xrays to show supervisors of such screeners in the future.
I have read that some Grand Prix motorcycle racers who often have rods and plates in their legs and arms from crash injuries, sometimes carry such small xrays to show airport screeners why they are getting the results from their wands.

[Kale]

Barney Fife Airport Security:

[NewHampshireDuo]

Getting extra scrutiny is one thing. But these searches by some little power person who feels up a pregnant stewardess, or the person on the power trip that threatens people with a "private room", or makes people unzip their pants and calls in the National Guard when these people are upset, really should be taken off security duty. I guess you haven't had to unzip your pants, put up with rude and crude remarks from some of the screeners, or been strip searched have you? Yes, there may be a need to do that in some cases. But I personally believe that some screeners really get their jollies out of this kind of harrassment. My nephew even had a screener lean over and smell his neck and shirt collar when he went through security. Who knows why.....While trying to keep the public safe from hijackers, we seem to have given screeners absolute powers to make any decisions they feel like at airport check points. Someone ought to be watching them as well as us.