Did you hear about the Camden cop whose disabled son wasn't allowed to pass through airport security unless he took off his leg braces?

[Odd]

Think I'll go comment on a YouTube video since that's about the only place the words coming to mind fit community standards.

Daniel Rubin: Another case of TSA overkill

Just when I thought I was out of the Transportation Security Administration business for a few columns, they pull me back in.

Did you hear about the Camden cop whose disabled son wasn't allowed to pass through airport security unless he took off his leg braces?

Unfortunately, it's no joke. This happened to Bob Thomas, a 53-year-old officer in Camden's emergency crime suppression team, who was flying to Orlando in March with his wife, Leona, and their son, Ryan.

Ryan was taking his first flight, to Walt Disney World, for his fourth birthday.

The boy is developmentally delayed, one of the effects of being born 16 weeks prematurely. His ankles are malformed and his legs have low muscle tone. In March he was just starting to walk.

Mid-morning on March 19, his parents wheeled his stroller to the TSA security point, a couple of hours before their Southwest Airlines flight was to depart.

The boy's father broke down the stroller and put it on the conveyor belt as Leona Thomas walked Ryan through the metal detector.

The alarm went off.

The screener told them to take off the boy's braces.

The Thomases were dumbfounded. "I told them he can't walk without them on his own," Bob Thomas said.

"He said, 'He'll need to take them off.' "

Ryan's mother offered to walk him through the detector after they removed the braces, which are custom-made of metal and hardened plastic.

No, the screener replied. The boy had to walk on his own.

Leona Thomas said she was calm. Bob Thomas said he was starting to burn.... [rest at site]

[Buttercup]

Did you hear about the Camden cop whose disabled son wasn't allowed to pass through airport security unless he took off his leg braces?
Unfortunately, it's no joke. This happened to Bob Thomas, a 53-year-old officer in Camden's emergency crime suppression team, who was flying to Orlando in March with his wife, Leona, and their son, Ryan.

Daniel Rubin: Another case of TSA overkill | Philadelphia Inquirer | 02/15/2010

[Jenna]

[Sapper_132]

Those ass hats an LAX had my remove my knee brace when I flew from LAX to Dallas, whats funny is when I left Amarillo to go to LAX the alarm didn't even beep, sounds like at some places security is tighter than others.

[Xiphos]

Threads merged.

[dotgope]

No, the screener replied. The boy had to walk on his own.

^ That right there would have gotten me arrested if it were my Son.

[gopherpuckfan]

The only place I show my police ID to get through security is at my airport. If I use it, I can go through the employee checkpoint. Otherwise, flying through any other airport, I won't show it. There are some TSA agents that would just love to be a dick to a cop because they feel they finally have some "power" over them.

It also pisses me off when they make our uniformed military members take off their boots.

Come to think about it, just about EVERYTHING TSA does pisses me off in some way or another.

[Buttercup]

Threads merged.

Sorry, I didn't see the previous thread.

[Ace]

The only place I show my police ID to get through security is at my airport. If I use it, I can go through the employee checkpoint. Otherwise, flying through any other airport, I won't show it. There are some TSA agents that would just love to be a dick to a cop because they feel they finally have some "power" over them.

It also pisses me off when they make our uniformed military members take off their boots.

Come to think about it, just about EVERYTHING TSA does pisses me off in some way or another.

Indeed. The level of stupidity that exists in that organization never ceases to amaze me. I was walking through the sterile area to my cruiser yesterday, and a couple of these morons stopped me and asked to see my airport ID, I asked if they wanted to search me for weapons too.

[pgg]

I would have been pissed. Those guys piss me off everytime I go through the airport anyways

[MacLean]

It also pisses me off when they make our uniformed military members take off their boots.

In uniform, with a biometric ID card - I'd get in trouble if I saw that.