| TSA mistakes insulin pump for gun causing LAX security scare LA Times
quote:
Sources familiar with the incident said security staff scrambled to determine what happened but eventually realized the "weapon" was actually a medical device.
The woman was briefly detained and questioned. Authorities delayed some passengers boarding for up to an hour, according to sources.
Soon to be added to the prohibited list right after snow globes and cupcakes, no doubt.
You can't fix stupid. |
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 StuartMWWho Is John Galt?Premium
join:2000-08-06
Galt's Gulch
 ·CenturyLink
| You can but it's illegal to do so 
BTW have ya'll seen this.
British pair arrested in U.S. on terror charges over Twitter jokes
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 BlackbirdBuilt for SpeedPremium
join:2005-01-14
Fort Wayne, IN
kudos:2 | reply to goalieskates
Insulin pumps = terrorist weapons |
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 gugarciPremium
join:2004-02-25
Bergen Co | reply to goalieskates
My youngest son wears one. At least now I know he's a terrorist. 
Thank god I haven't put him through college yet. |
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StuartMWWho Is John Galt?Premium
join:2000-08-06
Galt's Gulch Reviews:
·CenturyLink
| said by gugarci:At least now I know he's a terrorist.
Well I'm sure DHS already had him, and you, flagged as potential threats.
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 EGeezerSummertimePremium
join:2002-08-04
Midwest
kudos:7
 ·Callcentric
1 edit | reply to StuartMW
Gun. | 
Insulin pump | |
"'It got even more ridiculous because the officials searched our suitcases and said they were looking for spades and shovels. They did a full body search on me too."
Ya gotta laugh about the obvious stupidity of this.
Of course, I can understand the confusion over an insulin pump being a gun. They look SO much alike! |
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StuartMWWho Is John Galt?Premium
join:2000-08-06
Galt's Gulch Reviews:
·CenturyLink
| said by EGeezer:Of course, I can understand the confusion over an insulin pump being a gun.
Well that pump (at the right of the pic) sure looks it has a barrel to me. I bet the OK button is the trigger 
BTW by just posting a pic of a gun now has you in the DHS database.
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 DataDocMy avatar looks like me, if I was 2D.Premium
join:2000-05-14
Greenville, NC
 ·Suddenlink
| It looks like this:
»www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd1SRtkhh-U |
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StuartMWWho Is John Galt?Premium
join:2000-08-06
Galt's Gulch Reviews:
·CenturyLink
| said by DataDoc:It looks like this:
Wow, Maxwell Smart would be jealous!
Adds new meaning to having "shots" of insulin.
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 Dude111An Awesome DudePremium
join:2003-08-04
USA
kudos:10 | reply to goalieskates
TSA - Total Stupid Assholes!! |
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 Link LoggerPremium,MVM
join:2001-03-29
Calgary, AB
kudos:3
·Shaw
| reply to goalieskates
Re: TSA mistakes insulin pump for gun causing LAX security scare OK how many people would know the difference between an insulin pump and a gun on a scanner? How many people knew people wear such a device? If you wore such a device don't you think you should mention it before your scanned? Sorry everyone should know the game and be responsible to inform TSA agents before they call the swat team and haul your dumb ass out of the line. For what they pay TSA agents, I doubt your going to get many Endocrinologists working there, so man up and mention it beforehand.
Blake
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Vendor: Author of Link Logger which is a traffic analysis and firewall logging tool |
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| said by Link Logger:OK how many people would know the difference between an insulin pump and a gun on a scanner? How many people knew people wear such a device? If you wore such a device don't you think you should mention it before your scanned? Sorry everyone should know the game and be responsible to inform TSA agents before they call the swat team and haul your dumb ass out of the line. For what they pay TSA agents, I doubt your going to get many Endocrinologists working there, so man up and mention it beforehand.
Very passionate, but having been through numerous airports, my expectation would be for the TSA to question this person on the spot if they didn't know what they had, not allow her to go off and then try to find her again.
The stupidity comes from the handling of the incident by the TSA, and laying the blame on the person with the pump is utterly ridiculous. Insulin pumps are common devices, and I highly doubt this is the first one to go through security at LAX. If the TSA is going to take responsibility, they need to do the job or admit they can't.
That dog won't hunt. Sorry. |
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 EUSKill cancerPremium
join:2002-09-10
canada | reply to Link Logger
It sounds like you're saying you agree that anything outside of an untrained idiot's comfort zone is a automatically a weapon.
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 coldmoonPremium
join:2002-02-04
Broadway, NC
·Windstream
| said by EUS:It sounds like you're saying you agree that anything outside of an untrained idiot's comfort zone is a automatically a weapon.
Considering that an idiot would be primarily focused on keeping his/her job rather than trying to think through the fog and pain to make a reasoned conclusion, that would make sense both operationally and policy wise. It could have a downside when too many faux wolves are "seen"...
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gugarciPremium
join:2004-02-25
Bergen Co | reply to Link Logger
said by Link Logger:If you wore such a device don't you think you should mention it before your scanned?
Blake
That I agree with. I haven't been in the air since our honeymoon but if we decided to travel now by air I would find out ahead of time if we need to bring any additional info for security and would also tell the people scanning. But in reality if I can avoid flying anywhere with my son, I'm taking that route in order to avoid the added headaches involved now in air travel.
But considering some of the people that work in airport security. I would still worry about dealing with the added BS involved in air travel since we would also be carrying other diabetes supplies, such as insulin. I'm sure some where along the line regardless if we did all that was require by law to inform security ahead of time someone or some people would still give us some issues. 
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Link LoggerPremium,MVM
join:2001-03-29
Calgary, AB
kudos:3 Reviews:
·Shaw
| reply to goalieskates
said by goalieskates:Very passionate, but having been through numerous airports, my expectation would be for the TSA to question this person on the spot if they didn't know what they had, not allow her to go off and then try to find her again.
The stupidity comes from the handling of the incident by the TSA, and laying the blame on the person with the pump is utterly ridiculous. Insulin pumps are common devices, and I highly doubt this is the first one to go through security at LAX. If the TSA is going to take responsibility, they need to do the job or admit they can't.
That dog won't hunt. Sorry.
Sorry I don't know anyone who has a insulin pump and I'm getting up into that diabetes age group so I doubt they are that common. I would also think with the high turn over rates within the TSA, experience is in short supply, so assuming anything while going through airport security is likely a bad plan.
Perhaps they can't do the job with their current funding levels, so either we accept their current performance levels, up their funding or toss them. If we toss them, I would consider not flying for a awhile and see how things go before I plop my butt on a plane (if someone did blow up a couple of flights etc, I can only imagine what airline insurance rates would become and hence what tickets would cost), but perhaps making all the passengers sign a waiver protecting the airline from any and all passenger risks would help.
Blake
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Vendor: Author of Link Logger which is a traffic analysis and firewall logging tool |
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 rcdaileyDragoonflyPremium
join:2005-03-29
Rialto, CA | If we manage to make flying so expensive that even business travelers cannot afford it, then it will be possible to justify the building of the high speed rail system in California. That would be the silver lining here, I think.
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 SteveI know your IP addressConsultant
join:2001-03-10
Yorba Linda, CA
kudos:5 | reply to Link Logger
I dunno how common insulin pumps are, but I have a CPAP machine for breathing while asleep, and after having met you a coupla times, I know you're in the apnea demographic too
The TSA has always been totally clueful about this machine, and the signage has even referenced it ("take the machine out of your bag").
I'm pretty much in the front of the line about bashing the TSA for stupid stuff, but I've done enough research about this to get the sense that they have been trained about far more obscure stuff than breathing machines and insulin gear.
Steve
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gugarciPremium
join:2004-02-25
Bergen Co
1 edit | reply to Link Logger
said by Link Logger:Sorry I don't know anyone who has a insulin pump and I'm getting up into that diabetes age group so I doubt they are that common. Blake Insulin pumps are only worn by children and people with type 1 diabetes, which is also referred to as juvenile diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is not cause by a bad diet. Adults and children can develop type 2 diabetes due to a bad diet.
Also insulin pumps are not very common, but they are not rare either. Since they are worn under you clothes you could have a co-worker sitting right next you with one and you will never know it.
One last thing I find it very hard to believe that these security people have not seen an insulin pump considering they deal with thousands of air travelers every day.
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BlackbirdBuilt for SpeedPremium
join:2005-01-14
Fort Wayne, IN
kudos:2 Reviews:
·Frontier Communi..
| reply to Link Logger
said by Link Logger:...Sorry I don't know anyone who has a insulin pump and I'm getting up into that diabetes age group so I doubt they are that common. ... The pumps have been around for over 30 years. It's been estimated there are 200,000 users in the US alone (Insulin Pumps Not Just for Type 1 ), so it works out to about 1 for every 1500 people.
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