TSA roughs up woman, faces $10 million excessive force lawsuit

by Jamie Rhein on

Watching the video of Robin Kassner being arrested while her bag is getting checked at the Reagan International Airport certainly gives one the impression that being arrested is not relaxing.

The incident happened in February 2007. She’s tussled up a bit by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. That part is clear.

What isn’t clear is exactly what happened.

According to this news story from Kare 11 that includes the video, Kassner is suing because she believes she was wronged, although the charge of disorderly conduct has been dropped. The charge that she was obstructing justice still stands.

Kassner claims she was being cooperative when officer Michael Urbina reached over and grabbed her to throw her into a chair. Does he have some sort of tick then? After the chair, she was pushed over the TSA counter, face down and then onto the floor.

From the video footage, before Urbina grabbed her, it looks like she’s pretty close to the screener and talking–not particularly animated, but too close.

TSA says that the video doesn’t tell all and that Kassner was not minding. She was getting in the way. Kassner says that she was roughed up for no fault of her own, thought she would die, and was put in jail to think about why she wasn’t on board the flight that she would have been on if she had behaved herself. Jail time is like being sent to the principal’s office in this case.

Check out the video of the incident below. What do you think happened?

Regardless of who is telling the truth, for folks who are quick to get mad, the TSA screening area isn’t the place to let emotions get the best of you. Easier said than done, but important to keep in mind before you ever slip off your shoes.

I don’t get mad easily, but last summer, I found myself halfway arguing over a small, still in its package wine kit that I didn’t know had been left my husband’s carry on. I didn’t even know that there could be a knife attached to the corkscrew. As irate as I was about the situation, the TSA person felt sympathetic, tried to help me find a solution, and I let it go. I was surprised my emotions were triggered.

As ridiculous as the TSA rules may seem at times, or how much you love the items you’ve been told to leave behind, or where you’ve been told to stand, there’s really no point in arguing. The person in uniform hasn’t made the rules, but they have a job that can’t be all that much fun. Keep your distance, keep your mouth shut, and it will be over. You’ll at least be on a plane.

Unfortunately, keeping calm when traveling isn’t easy when the trip has snafus, and I know several people who, when grabbed, will fight back. Fight or flight. It’s an instinct that can cost you.

Other Troublemakers in the Skies


More on TSA nipple ring woes and pliers incident

by Jamie Rhein on

When Jeffery wrote his post yesterday, the story about the woman who was asked to remove her nipple rings at an airport security line were sketchy. Now that the details are out, they are almost unbelievable.

The woman was in the Lubbock airport and triggered off the metal detector. Perhaps they were rather large nipple rings, but once she told the TSA employees what caused the beeping and offered to show the rings to a female employee, one would think that would have been enough. I haven’t read anything about nipple rings being a weapon. Particularly since corkscrews without a knife blade are allowable and so are scissors if the blades are small enough, it would seem nipple rings would get a pass.

The woman was given the pliers after she couldn’t get one of the rings to come out. She reports that she was crying and heard the TSA guys snickering. According to the TSA policies, she could have had a pat down to establish what was triggering off the alarm. At this moment, all she wants is an apology from TSA.

Two weeks ago I saw an older man getting quite the pat down at the TSA line at the Columbus airport. At first I thought he was getting a massage at the back of his neck and shoulders, but decided it was odd that he was holding his arms out from his side. This nipple ring story makes me wonder even more what was up with him. Oh, the woman did say once the rings were out ,she was able to board the plane with her belly button ring intact. With all the things one can pierce these days, if you plan to take an airplane, I’d watch the size of the metal and how much.

Gift idea: Clear System by 3-1-1 Travel Bag

by Jamie Rhein on

Here’s a traveler’s gift idea that has use. The Clear Bag System by 3-1-1 Travel Bag was made with the air traveler in mind. Instead of loading up 3 ounce prepackaged travel size bottles into a zip lock bag, you fill the various bottles of the Clear System with shampoo, mouthwash, lotion, etc. then slip them into the system’s clear plastic carrying case that meets TSA standards. There are a few options to choose from depending on how many products you take along with you.

One thing that I like about this system is that you can fill up the bottles with the products you need and just top them off between trips. It also cuts down on waste because instead of buying travel sizes over and over again, you can fill these from your larger, regular size bottles.

The numbers 3-1-1 refer to the TSA rules for carry-ons.

  • 3 ounce or smaller liquid container or gel
  • 1 quart-size clear plastic , zip-lock bag holding 3 ounce or smaller containers
  • 1 bag per passenger placed in security bin.

Clever, huh? Works kind of like a mnemonic for a spelling bee or some method used to remember the Periodic Table. If you want an explanation for these regulations, the link leads to that as well.

Remote Control Toys and Airport Security

by Jamie Rhein on

The latest items to bear scrutiny at U.S. airports are remote-control toys. Even a child with a toy car and the battery operated gizmo that runs it might be looked at more carefully. This doesn’t mean you can’t take your toy on board, but if you have one, you could get a pat down and have your hand-carried luggage searched. A University of Florida student is partly to blame. He made a video in Arabic that he posted on You Tube explaining how to turn such a toy into a bomb detonator. Of course, the guy was also arrested in August on explosive charges.

Lest we think that it just takes one to spoil the fun for the rest of us, there are other factors that have played into this decision, although nothing specific. There hasn’t been a plan uncovered, although, in Sri Lanka and India such toys have been used to explode a bomb. If you’re worried that your car key remote, or your remote channel changer for your TV that you happen to take with you on trips might flag you, don’t. They don’t count. (see article)