Are "secret agents" really exempt from "stupid" rules?
Posted on 06/16/2007 12:33:12 PM PDT by 3AngelaD
ARLINGTON, Virginia — The Transportation Security Administration is denying allegations that an airport screener seized a toddler's cup and mistreated his mother, taking the unusual step of posting security camera footage on its Web site. At issue is whether Monica Emmerson, a former Secret Service officer, was improperly detained June 11 after she spilled water out of her child's cup at Washington's Reagan National Airport.
TSA has banned most fluids at airport security checkpoints because of concern about possible liquid explosives.
A TSA report said Emmerson told an officer she was a Secret Service agent, flashed her credentials and said she was exempt from the "stupid" policy restricting liquids on planes.
The story spread on the Internet after blogger Bill Adler saw a note Emmerson wrote on a Web site for city parents and interviewed her. He wrote that a TSA screener seized the cup after asking if there was water in it, causing Emmerson's son to cry. Emmerson was told she would have to leave the security checkpoint and dump out the water if she wanted to keep the cup.
As she left the security line, Emmerson "accidentally spilled" the water, she and Adler wrote.
TSA, however, said Emmerson dumped, not spilled, the water on the floor. Emmerson declined to comment.
The video that TSA posted on its Web site shows Emmerson being escorted from the security checkpoint as she appears to take the top off the sippy cup and shake it upside down. It shows that after she was confronted by several officers, she used paper towels fetched by the TSA to clean up the spot.
The TSA said in a statement that the incident and the videotape demonstrate that its "officers display professionalism and concern for all passengers."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
And flashing her out-of-date SS credentials was a very stupid thing to do. I too felt that the whole story was weird.
Interesting that the original news omitted that she was a secret service agent. She should have known the rules. She obviously wasn't flying on official business so she shouldn't get special treatment.
Then there is the entire water spilling thing. Splashed on accident my butt. She opened and dumped it on purpose...then shook it to get all the little drops out of it.
I gotta side with TSA on this one. Lady knew exactly what she was doing.
If she is an agent, she should know better, if she is not, she should have been arrested.
Are "secret agents" really exempt from "stupid" rules?
Do you have a bigger picture of that squirrel?
Ignorance of the law is no excuse.
I haven't flown in four years because they piss me off so much that I know I will make some snide remark that will get me arrested.
The TSA is a useless as t**ts on a boar hog.
The real danger to commercial aircraft is shoulder-fired missiles, and all the high school dropout former welfare recipients in the world rooting through your underwear won't make you one once safer from them.
I hope the airlines all go bankrupt.
Like a lot of others here, I thought there was something missing from the original report. It’s amazing how many Freepers will willing to dump on the TSA without hearing their side of the story. What did you expect from the perp? The whole truth? Not likely.
“Like a lot of others here, I thought there was something missing from the original report. It’s amazing how many Freepers will willing to dump on the TSA without hearing their side of the story. What did you expect from the perp? The whole truth? Not likely.”
TSA is a welfare program disguised as tranportation security.
It seemed odd that they made her clean it up. But if she dumped it on the floor on purpose, it only makes sense. Spilled water on the floor might seem harmless, but if somebody slipped and fell, there would be a major lawsuit.
That’s why you have all those little yellow signs all over the place warning you that someone has been mopping the floor. Lawyers.
Don’t punish the airlines for government stupidity.
You guys should read all the numerous thread on the Travel/Security section of www.flyertalk.com .
Some of the run ins posted there about “airport security”
will have you shaking your head in disbelief.
A common complain is something on the order of,
“they confiscated my 4 ounce bottle of mouthwash,
yet all the cargo on the plane is unscreened.”
I’ve seen some amazing stuff posted in the 5 years that I’ve been a member of that website.
Yes because we know the rules are to keep us 'safe'. Oh wait a minute, we're talking about the federal government. Those rules are to justify the existence of highly paid buffoons to harass private citizens so it looks like they're keeping us safe.
You don't actually believe those bobbleheads are useful do you?
Sounds like those t**ts on a boar hog has got you logging lots of miles on your car. Perhaps you don’t go anywhere anymore.
Ooops.. breezed right over that.
Seems like they could have charged her for impersonating a federal officer or something.
On June 11,2007 at approx. 13:45 TSO [REDACTED] responded to a CIC check on lane four at center pier checkpoint. A female passenger traveling with a child in a stroller had entered the checkpoint with a 16 ounce bottle of Deer Park water and a plastic children's drink cup with approx. 6 to 8 ounces of fluid inside. TSO [REDACTED] a s k e d the female if the children's cup had formula or juice in it and she stated no. TSO [REDACTED] g a v e the female her options of placing the 16 oz. Deer Park water in her check baggage or have TSA dispose of the bottle and he informed the passenger that the child's container was too big and would have to be poured out. TSO [REDACTED] stated the female passenger became upset and stated she was an officer and flashed her Secret Service badge and credentials and said that she should be exempt from all this and this was a stupid policy and this whole thing was [REDACTED] .
TSO [REDACTED] took the female to the exit lane with the stroller and her bag. When she got past the exit lane podium she opened the child's drink container and held her arm out and poured the contents (approx. 6 to 8 ounces) on the floor. MWAA Officer [REDACTED] was manning the exit lane at the time and observed the entire scene and approached the female passenger after observing this and stopped her when she tried to re-enter the sterile area after trying come back through after spilling the fluids on the floor.The female passenger again flashed her badge and credentials and told the MWAA officer "Do you know who I am?' An argument then ensued between the officer and the passenger over whether the spilling of the fluid was intentional or accidental. Officer [REDACTED] asked the passenger to clean up the spill and she did. The female passenger then requested to speak to officer [REDACTED] supervisor and several MWAA officers responded including a MWAA Major. After a short discussion between MWAA and the passenger she was cleared to re-enter the screening checkpoint which she did by going through lane five and after re-submitting her bag and articles for x-ray screening she proceeded to her gate.
“those little yellow signs”
The ones that say “Piso Mojado”????????
Bottom line? This Emmerson lady is a two-bit LIAR!
What about an ignorant law?
There's no excuse....
I've always been polite to TSA screeners, and they've never failed to be polite to me in return. People who think the rules don't apply to them, "constitutionalists" who are spoiling for a fight, and cranks who berate eveyone they come into contact with are going to bring problems upon themselves. The security line isn't the place to argue the appropriateness of the policies.
Same here. I used to work for one. They treat their employees like garbage. And sadly that tends to be reflected in how they treat their customers.
FYI, never fly Continental Airlines. Heck a friend of mine just got bumped off a flight this morning because the idiots working the ticket counters don’t know the new homeland security rules regardng temp passports.
That may well be, but so what? You thinking the rules are stupid and the buffoons are too highly paid doesn’t change what happened, and doesn’t change the circumstances at the airport. And you certainly do not waive your id around like it is a magic pass through airport security. All she did was hold up everybody else in the line and inconvience dozens of people, probably arranging for some to miss their plane. Not exactly the right time or place to indulge in a little civil disobedience in defiance of TSA. She is an adult and should have figured that out. Another one who thinks the rules don’t apply to her and her child.
I see she used the mantra of the liberal democrat:
“Do you know who I am?”
The no-liquids rule is absolutely idiotic.
We know who is trying to do us harm. Why not start looking for them, instead of harassing everyone?
The TSA guys did have some fun with her, though. After she initially cleaned it up, she apparently asked to speak to a supervisor- who made her clean it up again! Meanwhile, about ten million people walked over the wet area before the one guard kinda, somewhat, blocked it off. It was funny, though.
I have had the same kind of experiences, and I have to fly a lot. They have always been pleasant and polite to me, even on the very day last summer when the no-liquid rule went into effect. I was coming back from Hawaii and had to sacrifice my favorite lip gloss on the altar of airport security. The man and the woman inspectors both apologized profusely. Generally if you are nice and respectful to people, they will return the favor. But if you go around with a huge chip on your shoulder looking to be offended, you will encounter what you are looking for.
Who in the hell hired this wacko at Secret Service????????Did she have the same psyche screening as our illustrious former female astronaut/diaper model?????
“Willing to dump on the TSA” because of our own experiences with them. Besides, I am always skeptical of those in authority. I’m not quite sure what these videos are supposed to prove. I viewed them and they seemed pretty inconclusive to me. There is no sound, so no ability to hear what anybody is saying or the level of the dialogue.
I’ll continue to give Ms. Emmerson the benefit of the doubt.
Yeah! Let people dump water on the floor. What do we care.
So tell us. When is the right time for civil disobedience? When would be acceptable to you? Civil disobedience most often happens when you're fed up to the gills with the nonsense, not when it's most convenient for those who won't stand up no matter what.
This is just flat-out wrong. The law must apply to all equally. If our betters do not have to abide by the law, they will have no appreciation for what it takes to abide by the law. Furthermore, there will come a time when the long suffering people will not accept this unequal treatment any longer.
This woman, as a badge-flashing former Secret Service Agent, obviously felt that her privilege was not being respected. While I sympathize with her annoyance at the petty stupidities inflicted on the traveling public by the TSA, I loathe her assumption that they may apply to me but not to her.
Maybe when there are not 50 people behind you in the security line trying to get on a plane, some not wanting to miss their mother’s funeral. Maybe when you are not traveling with a toddler. Maybe when you are not in the wrong.
I watched the tape, the child had the cup in his hand. I went over that tape several times and did not see a deliberate spill. She was chased by a TSA woman initially and then several more came over. Long time talking. She had to take child out of stroller. Child took off down the corridor. One of the TSA men then held the child for her and she went and mopped up spill. Later roll of paper towels came and she mopped up floor.
The woman was offended by the hassle by TSA. The rule about 3 ounces seems silly and she wanted to get through. She seemed to have tried to shortcut the incident by showing ID that she was a safe person and should not have to obey the silly rule.TSA seemed professional but no sound. They just kept her there for 40 minutes and she missed her flight.
Seeing red, here...
She forgot to say "My taxes pay your salary!" That one works every time...
Why does she still have credentials? I would think this would be a serious security issue the Secret Service needs to look into, especially if you have people that can try to exert some influence, using old credentials?
Whatcha wanna bet Monica Emmerson is true blue liberal Democrat?
Good point. Government agencies usually make an employee perform an employement termination form, which includes a line where each ID, building pass and credential is accounted for as returned, and signed off by the appropriate offfice.
Of course, a lot of people certify that they "lost" their credentials and take them with them. That fraudulent certification surely carries a heavy penalty, all by itself. Then the subsequent fraudulent use of the credentials only compounds the offense.
This woman could be in a heap o' trouble...
Get with the program, Fox. This is the kind of copyediting we expect from the drones at the alphabets. The word is "ruckus" -- regardless of how raucous this incident was or wasn't.
Ditto for "reign in" (it's "rein in," from the horsey world), "duel citizenship" (two is "dual," although it might yet come to dueling), and "boarder" (unless you're talking about pirates, or someone who lives in your house by mutual arrangement instead of skipping blithely over that non-existent line in the desert that we used to call the "border").
I see. So civil disobedience is acceptable as long as you aren't put out. Gotcha.
Just glad so many that stood up for basic freedoms throughout history didn't take that into concern before doing it. Course today it seems good 'conservatives' would want them rounded up and tossed into the pokey for inconveniencing them....
The deliberate spill starts at 2:00:59 on the tape. The TSA escorted her out but after dumping the water and trying to enter the secure area the wrong way, a female cop stopped her. The TSA guy left her with the cop. Everyone around her from then on were cops.
Good thing she didn't act up in a Middle East airport...
Good thing Libby wasn’t standing behind her in line.
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