Re: Airport Security Screening
Yes, I was kidding! Yeah, the T.S.A. gets especially stupid on International flights. ( BTW, Mud...you used different words for the letters than I would !:shk:
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Yeah, Jo...they have had that 'super X-ray' screening machine here in the States for a while, maybe 6 or 8 months or more, at different airports. I think they have one or two at Tampa ( T.I.A. ); I haven't flown out of there in the past year or more. And yeah, the 'public'/media went nuts when shown the detail seen during screening.
As a side note, the quality of some TSA employees has been surpassed recently here in Tampa, about a month ago. A TSA-type private Security company had the Contract for Security Screening/X-ray's/Metal detectors at the Hillsborough County Courthouse in downtown Tampa....right across the street from the Federal Courthouse. It seems that in the course of X-raying purses, briefcases, etc., the Operator spotted a Beretta handgun in a purse. The machine has an 'automatic profile-matching' feature, similiar to 'facial-recognition' software....when tripped, it starts beeping and a small warning light starts flashing to alert the Operator to a 'hit' if he happens to be looking away when it goes thru. Weeeellll, SOMEBODY had the volume turned down to almost 'off', and the Operator SOMEHOW didn't see the light for nearly AN HOUR!!!
:whis:All X-ray images are recorded....so when it was hurriedly run back, sure enough, SOMEBODY is SOMEWHERE in the Courthouse with a handgun!!:shk:
:shk: To say the entire Courthouse went totally Ape-sh## when the 'Screeners' informed the REAL Deputies of the 'situation' is an understatement to the 'enth degree! It turned out that a lady/legal courier/whatever had gone in to file a paper, drop mail. etc., and had a CIGARETTE LIGHTER shaped exactly like a Beretta handgun in a side pocket of her purse that she had totally forgotten about! She went in, filed/dropped paperwork, and LEFT THE BUILDING just a few minutes later, and was LONG GONE when the 'breach' was detected!! Needless to say, the cost-savings of the Private Security Co. were wiped-out in about an hour...and the REAL Sheriffs Deputies are manning ALL the Checkpoints.... again.
Lee