Another TSA Officer Leaves Personalized Note In Passenger's Bag (After Finding Pot)
Apparently, a TSA officer getting fired for leaving a personalized note in a passenger’s bag has not deterred other employees at the Transportation Security Administration from editorializing on the contents of the bags they screen. This time, though, the TSA officer did the passenger a favor, by not turning him in for traveling with illegal substances. Indiana rapper Freddie Gibbs had packed marijuana in his checked luggage; when his bag was screened, the TSA officer must have noted Gibbs’ unique interpretation of the “mile high club.” On the official note informing Gibbs that his bag had been inspected, the officer allegedly wrote, “C’mon son.”
Gibbs did not take the avuncular advice very seriously, instead providing photographic evidence of his possession and transportation of illegal substances over state lines via Twitter:
Gibbs tweeted about the note on Wednesday, likely after flying to Denver to perform that night. While certainly a less intrusive note than “ Get Your Freak On, Girl” (the one left by a TSA officer who discovered a vibrator), I (Kashmir Hill, Forbes.com Staff) imagine this TSA officer is going to get into double trouble for both leaving the note, and failing to act after finding something illegal in someone’s bag.
EDIT, additional info: Note that Gibbs was flying in to Denver, Colorado to perform a concert that night. Not everyone realizes it, but Denver legalized marijuana back in 2005 which might be why the TSA officer didn't bust Gibbs over the found pot. Also, in 2000, Colorado legalized medical marijuana.
“The TSA takes all allegations of inappropriate conduct seriously and is investigating this claim,” says a spokesperson for the TSA. ” Should the claims be substantiated, TSA will take appropriate disciplinary steps and refer the alleged possession of an illegal substance to law enforcement.”
Friends, this is why we don’t tweet evidence that can be used against us (and those who did us a favor) in a court of law.
Given that two notes to figures with large online audiences have surfaced, I’m now starting to wonder how often other people (without Twitter accounts or blogs to showcase their notes) are getting personalized messages from officers.
Source 1
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Update on "Get Your Freak On, Girl" story:
The TSA Is Firing The ' Get Your Freak On, Girl' Baggage Screener
This may be the quickest response ever by the TSA to a privacy concern expressed by a passenger. A TSA spokesman has alerted me that the agency has decided to fire the officer who found a vibrator in a female passenger’s checked bag on Saturday night and left her a note, “Get Your Freak On, Girl.”
“[The TSA] has initiated action to remove the individual from federal service,” says a spokesperson. “Like all federal employees, this individual is entitled to due process and protected by the Privacy Act. During the removal action process, the employee will not perform any screening duties.”
Jill Filipovic, the lawyer and Feministe blogger who found and tweeted the not, will not be happy to hear this news. After being told that the officer had been identified and suspended, she blogged that she hoped the person would not be fired.
“It’s easy to scape-goat one individual here, but the problem with the note is that it’s representative of the bigger privacy intrusions that the U.S. government, through the TSA and other sources, levels every day,” wrote Filipovic. “The invasion is inherent to the TSA’s mission, regardless of whether a funny note is left behind - the note only serves to highlight the absurdity of all this security theater. As much as this is a funny and titillating story, when I put the note on Twitter for what I thought was a relatively limited audience I was hoping it would open up a bigger conversation about privacy rights (or lack thereof) in post-9/11 America.”
As I (Kashmir Hill, Forbes.com Staff) wrote before, I’m torn on whether this is a fire-able offense. In reaction to 9/11, flying has become an incredibly irritating and invasive exercise. Disrobing. Patdowns. Body scanners. Bags inspected. It’s all the new normal. The TSA security process forces both us and the officers to pretend that when they pat us down and go through our bags, they’re just doing a job and that what they’re doing is a reasonable invasion of privacy for the sake of security. But to a considerable number of Americans, this is not the case. The “Get Your Freak On” note, in response to a vibrator being mistakenly identified as a potential weapon, though certainly not written with that intent, was a comment on this. The note could alternatively had said, “Wow, ma’am, this is embarrassing, but our screening machines thought there was a weapon in your bag. Turns out it was just a vibrator. This is kind of embarrassing, but I wound up touching your vibrator. That is pretty awkward. Heh. Just wanted to let you know. Sorry about the fact that I’m required to do this. Have fun with it.”
The note was the officer remarking on something we’re all supposed to pretend doesn’t happen - that the TSA ends up encountering intimate things about us, and that it’s embarrassing. This officer did abuse his or her access to the contents of Filipovic’s bag to make a joke, or to harass her, but the bigger issue is that we regularly have people going through our bags in the first place.
“The note was inappropriate, the agent in question acted unprofessionally when s/he put in in my bag, there should be consequences and I’m glad the TSA takes these things seriously,” wrote Filipovic. “But I get no satisfaction in hearing that someone may be in danger of losing their job over this. I would much prefer a look at why ‘security’ has been used to justify so many intrusions on our civil liberties, rather than fire a person who made a mistake.”
While the person will be fired for remarking on the intrusion of privacy that took place, he or she is still entitled to a bit of privacy. The TSA is not revealing the gender or name of the officer, as that would be a violation of the Privacy Act.
Source 2
Gibbs did not take the avuncular advice very seriously, instead providing photographic evidence of his possession and transportation of illegal substances over state lines via Twitter:
Gibbs tweeted about the note on Wednesday, likely after flying to Denver to perform that night. While certainly a less intrusive note than “ Get Your Freak On, Girl” (the one left by a TSA officer who discovered a vibrator), I (Kashmir Hill, Forbes.com Staff) imagine this TSA officer is going to get into double trouble for both leaving the note, and failing to act after finding something illegal in someone’s bag.
EDIT, additional info: Note that Gibbs was flying in to Denver, Colorado to perform a concert that night. Not everyone realizes it, but Denver legalized marijuana back in 2005 which might be why the TSA officer didn't bust Gibbs over the found pot. Also, in 2000, Colorado legalized medical marijuana.
“The TSA takes all allegations of inappropriate conduct seriously and is investigating this claim,” says a spokesperson for the TSA. ” Should the claims be substantiated, TSA will take appropriate disciplinary steps and refer the alleged possession of an illegal substance to law enforcement.”
Friends, this is why we don’t tweet evidence that can be used against us (and those who did us a favor) in a court of law.
Given that two notes to figures with large online audiences have surfaced, I’m now starting to wonder how often other people (without Twitter accounts or blogs to showcase their notes) are getting personalized messages from officers.
Click to viewSource 1
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Update on "Get Your Freak On, Girl" story:
The TSA Is Firing The ' Get Your Freak On, Girl' Baggage Screener
This may be the quickest response ever by the TSA to a privacy concern expressed by a passenger. A TSA spokesman has alerted me that the agency has decided to fire the officer who found a vibrator in a female passenger’s checked bag on Saturday night and left her a note, “Get Your Freak On, Girl.”
“[The TSA] has initiated action to remove the individual from federal service,” says a spokesperson. “Like all federal employees, this individual is entitled to due process and protected by the Privacy Act. During the removal action process, the employee will not perform any screening duties.”
Jill Filipovic, the lawyer and Feministe blogger who found and tweeted the not, will not be happy to hear this news. After being told that the officer had been identified and suspended, she blogged that she hoped the person would not be fired.
“It’s easy to scape-goat one individual here, but the problem with the note is that it’s representative of the bigger privacy intrusions that the U.S. government, through the TSA and other sources, levels every day,” wrote Filipovic. “The invasion is inherent to the TSA’s mission, regardless of whether a funny note is left behind - the note only serves to highlight the absurdity of all this security theater. As much as this is a funny and titillating story, when I put the note on Twitter for what I thought was a relatively limited audience I was hoping it would open up a bigger conversation about privacy rights (or lack thereof) in post-9/11 America.”
As I (Kashmir Hill, Forbes.com Staff) wrote before, I’m torn on whether this is a fire-able offense. In reaction to 9/11, flying has become an incredibly irritating and invasive exercise. Disrobing. Patdowns. Body scanners. Bags inspected. It’s all the new normal. The TSA security process forces both us and the officers to pretend that when they pat us down and go through our bags, they’re just doing a job and that what they’re doing is a reasonable invasion of privacy for the sake of security. But to a considerable number of Americans, this is not the case. The “Get Your Freak On” note, in response to a vibrator being mistakenly identified as a potential weapon, though certainly not written with that intent, was a comment on this. The note could alternatively had said, “Wow, ma’am, this is embarrassing, but our screening machines thought there was a weapon in your bag. Turns out it was just a vibrator. This is kind of embarrassing, but I wound up touching your vibrator. That is pretty awkward. Heh. Just wanted to let you know. Sorry about the fact that I’m required to do this. Have fun with it.”
The note was the officer remarking on something we’re all supposed to pretend doesn’t happen - that the TSA ends up encountering intimate things about us, and that it’s embarrassing. This officer did abuse his or her access to the contents of Filipovic’s bag to make a joke, or to harass her, but the bigger issue is that we regularly have people going through our bags in the first place.
“The note was inappropriate, the agent in question acted unprofessionally when s/he put in in my bag, there should be consequences and I’m glad the TSA takes these things seriously,” wrote Filipovic. “But I get no satisfaction in hearing that someone may be in danger of losing their job over this. I would much prefer a look at why ‘security’ has been used to justify so many intrusions on our civil liberties, rather than fire a person who made a mistake.”
While the person will be fired for remarking on the intrusion of privacy that took place, he or she is still entitled to a bit of privacy. The TSA is not revealing the gender or name of the officer, as that would be a violation of the Privacy Act.
Source 2