TSA fining passengers with "attitude"

Banned items in luggage bring TSA fines
By Laura Parker
USA TODAY


WASHINGTON -- When Mojdeh Rohani flew home to Boston after her wedding
last fall, security screeners at Baltimore-Washington International
Airport found a silver-plated cake serving set in her carry-on bag.
She had forgotten that she had the utensils, which were a wedding
gift.

Officials allowed her to check the bag and take a later flight. She
didn't think of the incident again -- until she got a notice from the
Transportation Security Agency fining her $150 for her oversight.

''I wasn't told I could get fined for this,'' Rohani says. ''There was
no sign at the airport. I think $150 is a lot of money for something
that wasn't intentional.''

A year ago, the TSA quietly began assessing fines against airline
passengers who violate security policies. But it wasn't until this
week that it issued guidelines that specify which of the thousands of
passengers who turn up every day with knives, box cutters and other
banned items will be fined.

''Attitude'' is listed among the ''aggravating factors'' that can
result in a fine. Other criteria include the type of item, evidence of
a passenger's intent and history of previous violations. Civil
penalties now range from $250 to $10,000.

Passengers attempting to carry firearms on board, loaded or unloaded,
face the highest civil penalties as well as possible criminal
prosecution. Since February 2002, the TSA has seized more than 1,650
guns from airline passengers.

TSA spokesman Mark Hatfield said Thursday that he was unable to
disclose the number of passengers who have been fined so far because
the agency's legal department computers are temporarily inaccessible.
The new guidelines were posted Wednesday on the agency's Web site.

At least 800 people had been fined through last October, according to
a California lawyer who spoke with TSA's chief counsel on behalf of
Susan Brown Campbell, a Los Angeles attorney who was fined $150 for
having a steak knife in her briefcase. Campbell, who like Rohani was
stopped at BWI, says she forgot she had the knife, which she used to
cut apples and cheese.

Each day, the TSA intercepts more than 15,000 prohibited items at
airports across the USA. Since February 2002, TSA has confiscated more
than 3 million knives and more than 57,000 incendiary devices such as
fireworks, TSA Assistant Administrator Tom Blank told Congress last
week.

U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, the ranking Democrat on the House
aviation subcommittee, which oversees the TSA, questioned how the
guidelines could be uniformly applied. ''Where do they draw the line
if they are confiscating that many items every day,'' he says.
''Judging attitude is extraordinarily subjective. . . . Unless they
felt it was intentional, then the person should be given a warning.''

DeFazio says he has arrived at airport checkpoints carrying his
mustache scissors and has been allowed to mail them to himself. ''The
TSA could be in trouble for not equally applying the law,'' he says.
''They didn't fine me for my mustache scissors, but they did fine
someone else for a cake knife.''

Campbell initially wanted to contest the fine in a hearing before an
administrative judge.

''I got a call back from an attorney at TSA. He went on to be very,
very intimidating, asking if I knew . . . that the penalty could be up
to $10,000,'' Campbell says. She asked for a hearing in Los Angeles;
when it was scheduled for Baltimore she chose not to pursue it. But
she hasn't paid the fine, and last week she got another notice from
the TSA: The fine had been increased to $300.

http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/2...0/5944418s.htm

"flyer" wrote in message
...
Banned items in luggage bring TSA fines
By Laura Parker
USA TODAY


WASHINGTON --

''Attitude'' is listed among the ''aggravating factors'' that can
result in a fine. Other criteria include the type of item, evidence of
a passenger's intent and history of previous violations. Civil
penalties now range from $250 to $10,000.


I can't wait to read Bill Mattocks' reply to this one. His attitude (well
deserved BTW) shouild net hims at $100K worth of fines :-(

dennis

On Sat, 21 Feb 2004 01:20:03 GMT, "Dennis G. Rears"
wrote:


"flyer" wrote in message
.. .
Banned items in luggage bring TSA fines
By Laura Parker
USA TODAY


WASHINGTON --

''Attitude'' is listed among the ''aggravating factors'' that can
result in a fine. Other criteria include the type of item, evidence of
a passenger's intent and history of previous violations. Civil
penalties now range from $250 to $10,000.


I can't wait to read Bill Mattocks' reply to this one. His attitude (well
deserved BTW) shouild net hims at $100K worth of fines :-(

dennis


Its called creeping fascism and the answer
is to get rid of the creeps who hijacked the Whitehouse.
Roll on November when JFK MkII is elected President.

Ignorance of the law is no excuse, hon!
"flyer" wrote in message
...
Banned items in luggage bring TSA fines
By Laura Parker
USA TODAY


WASHINGTON -- When Mojdeh Rohani flew home to Boston after her wedding
last fall, security screeners at Baltimore-Washington International
Airport found a silver-plated cake serving set in her carry-on bag.
She had forgotten that she had the utensils, which were a wedding
gift.

Officials allowed her to check the bag and take a later flight. She
didn't think of the incident again -- until she got a notice from the
Transportation Security Agency fining her $150 for her oversight.

''I wasn't told I could get fined for this,'' Rohani says. ''There was
no sign at the airport. I think $150 is a lot of money for something
that wasn't intentional.''

A year ago, the TSA quietly began assessing fines against airline
passengers who violate security policies. But it wasn't until this
week that it issued guidelines that specify which of the thousands of
passengers who turn up every day with knives, box cutters and other
banned items will be fined.

''Attitude'' is listed among the ''aggravating factors'' that can
result in a fine. Other criteria include the type of item, evidence of
a passenger's intent and history of previous violations. Civil
penalties now range from $250 to $10,000.

Passengers attempting to carry firearms on board, loaded or unloaded,
face the highest civil penalties as well as possible criminal
prosecution. Since February 2002, the TSA has seized more than 1,650
guns from airline passengers.

TSA spokesman Mark Hatfield said Thursday that he was unable to
disclose the number of passengers who have been fined so far because
the agency's legal department computers are temporarily inaccessible.
The new guidelines were posted Wednesday on the agency's Web site.

At least 800 people had been fined through last October, according to
a California lawyer who spoke with TSA's chief counsel on behalf of
Susan Brown Campbell, a Los Angeles attorney who was fined $150 for
having a steak knife in her briefcase. Campbell, who like Rohani was
stopped at BWI, says she forgot she had the knife, which she used to
cut apples and cheese.

Each day, the TSA intercepts more than 15,000 prohibited items at
airports across the USA. Since February 2002, TSA has confiscated more
than 3 million knives and more than 57,000 incendiary devices such as
fireworks, TSA Assistant Administrator Tom Blank told Congress last
week.

U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, the ranking Democrat on the House
aviation subcommittee, which oversees the TSA, questioned how the
guidelines could be uniformly applied. ''Where do they draw the line
if they are confiscating that many items every day,'' he says.
''Judging attitude is extraordinarily subjective. . . . Unless they
felt it was intentional, then the person should be given a warning.''

DeFazio says he has arrived at airport checkpoints carrying his
mustache scissors and has been allowed to mail them to himself. ''The
TSA could be in trouble for not equally applying the law,'' he says.
''They didn't fine me for my mustache scissors, but they did fine
someone else for a cake knife.''

Campbell initially wanted to contest the fine in a hearing before an
administrative judge.

''I got a call back from an attorney at TSA. He went on to be very,
very intimidating, asking if I knew . . . that the penalty could be up
to $10,000,'' Campbell says. She asked for a hearing in Los Angeles;
when it was scheduled for Baltimore she chose not to pursue it. But
she hasn't paid the fine, and last week she got another notice from
the TSA: The fine had been increased to $300.

http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/2...0/5944418s.htm

"flyer" wrote in message
...
Banned items in luggage bring TSA fines
By Laura Parker
USA TODAY

I don't agree at all with fining people for having a bad attitude. All a
matter of opinion of the screener in question, and some of them have awful
attitudes.

However fining people a small amount for bringing prohibited items is good
idea. Focuses the mind of people going through security. Would all these
people who "forgot" about bringing scissors and knifes etc really forget if
they knew they would be fined? I doubt it.

"Irwell" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 21 Feb 2004 01:20:03 GMT, "Dennis G. Rears"

wrote:



Its called creeping fascism and the answer
is to get rid of the creeps who hijacked the Whitehouse.
Roll on November when JFK MkII is elected President.

Does that mean you think the Democratic candidate
is a womanizing hypocrite who shares his mistress
with a Mafia boss, is going to start an unwinnable war and
will be assassinated within 3 years ?

Keith

On Sat, 21 Feb 2004 12:53:35 -0000, "Keith Willshaw"
wrote:


"Irwell" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 21 Feb 2004 01:20:03 GMT, "Dennis G. Rears"

wrote:



Its called creeping fascism and the answer
is to get rid of the creeps who hijacked the Whitehouse.
Roll on November when JFK MkII is elected President.

Does that mean you think the Democratic candidate
is a womanizing hypocrite who shares his mistress
with a Mafia boss, is going to start an unwinnable war and
will be assassinated within 3 years ?

Keith

The MkII model has fixed those minor glitches.

In article ,
(Irwell) wrote:

On Sat, 21 Feb 2004 01:20:03 GMT, "Dennis G. Rears"

wrote:


"flyer" wrote in message
.. .
Banned items in luggage bring TSA fines
By Laura Parker
USA TODAY


WASHINGTON --

''Attitude'' is listed among the ''aggravating factors'' that can
result in a fine. Other criteria include the type of item, evidence of
a passenger's intent and history of previous violations. Civil
penalties now range from $250 to $10,000.


I can't wait to read Bill Mattocks' reply to this one. His attitude (well
deserved BTW) shouild net hims at $100K worth of fines :-(

dennis


Its called creeping fascism and the answer
is to get rid of the creeps who hijacked the Whitehouse.
Roll on November when JFK MkII is elected President.


How someone could propose the country would be better off in a post-911
world with a soft on defense candidate like Kerry never ceases to amaze
me. Yes, I KNOW HE WAS IN VIETNAM, but that doesn't change the fact
that his voting record is somewhere left of Teddy Kennedy and he has
voted against almost every defense initiative that has been proposed
since he took office.

Creeping facism? Is creeping socialism a better alternative?

Was it creeping facism during WWII when we posted armed guards at the
ends of railroad bridges?

Get your heads out of the sand! There are people who want to destroy
us! Nicey nicey talk and holding hands isn't going to keep them away.

How come it was OK when Bill Clinton asserted that average Americans
would have to give up a few rights after the OK City bombing? There was
no outcry then. Along comes a Republican, however, and suddenly the
Nazis are goosestepping down main street? Give me a break.

--
Sean Elkins RKBA

Being a talented actor or musician doesn't make some
drop-out's political ideas more valuable or enlightened
than mine.
**************************************************

Sean Elkins wrote:

In article ,
(Irwell) wrote:

On Sat, 21 Feb 2004 01:20:03 GMT, "Dennis G. Rears"

wrote:

"flyer" wrote in message
...

Banned items in luggage bring TSA fines
By Laura Parker
USA TODAY
WASHINGTON --

''Attitude'' is listed among the ''aggravating factors'' that can
result in a fine. Other criteria include the type of item, evidence of
a passenger's intent and history of previous violations. Civil
penalties now range from $250 to $10,000.

I can't wait to read Bill Mattocks' reply to this one. His attitude (well
deserved BTW) shouild net hims at $100K worth of fines :-(

dennis

Its called creeping fascism and the answer
is to get rid of the creeps who hijacked the Whitehouse.
Roll on November when JFK MkII is elected President.

How someone could propose the country would be better off in a post-911
world with a soft on defense candidate like Kerry never ceases to amaze
me. Yes, I KNOW HE WAS IN VIETNAM, but that doesn't change the fact
that his voting record is somewhere left of Teddy Kennedy and he has
voted against almost every defense initiative that has been proposed
since he took office.

Yeah strong on defense if someone else has to do it. Shrub & his
buddies just love to hang other folks out there. He may have had a good
time sitting around reading manuals and defending Galveston from attack
but Shrub is the ultimate soft on defense.

Creeping facism? Is creeping socialism a better alternative?

Was it creeping facism during WWII when we posted armed guards at the
ends of railroad bridges?

In WWII there was a real war on. Armies and all. But it was creeping
fascism when some folks with roots in the opposing combatants were
dragged off to camps and others played baseball.

Get your heads out of the sand! There are people who want to destroy
us! Nicey nicey talk and holding hands isn't going to keep them away.

Neither will attacking nasties on weird excuses. Remember the imminent
danger from WMDs.

How come it was OK when Bill Clinton asserted that average Americans
would have to give up a few rights after the OK City bombing? There was
no outcry then. Along comes a Republican, however, and suddenly the
Nazis are goosestepping down main street? Give me a break.

I do remember a few complaints then. And that was talking simply of
making everyone go thru metal detectors. Not sending security spies
around US campuses and deciding that some folks complain too much. You
may get a break unfortunately not everyone does. FFM

Sean Elkins wrote:
(Irwell) wrote:
Roll on November when JFK MkII is elected President.

How someone could propose the country would be better off in a post-911
world with a soft on defense candidate like Kerry never ceases to amaze
me.

Some people have realized that terrorism is not solved with tanks (George
Bush and Vladimir Putin not among them).

miguel
--
Hundreds of travel photos from around the world: http://travel.u.nu/