Pilot Sues TSA For Overly Intrusive Searches
from the and-here-we-go dept
Before the don't touch my junk guy, there was Michael Roberts, the pilot who, back in October, refused both the naked backscatter scan and the intrusive groping pat-down, was not allowed to fly his plane, and was put on leave by his company (ExpressJet). He's now suing the TSA over the search process:"People are messed up because they touch your crotch," pilot Michael Roberts said. "They touch your bottom, your breasts, I mean, everything.That said, I haven't seen the actual legal filing, so I'm not sure if he has much of an actual case here. It will be interesting to follow either way.
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Filed Under: lawsuit, michael roberts, privacy, searches, tsa
Companies: tsa
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And I hope, incidentally, that this doesn't result in completely scrapping the backscatter scanners. As a safer and less personally intrusive alternative to strip-searching someone detained with probable cause they're not really objectionable.
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TSA now exempts pilots from screening
Looks like they're trying to diffuse this lawsuit before it gains any traction:
TSA decides to exempt pilots from intrusive security scans
The agency said it would treat uniformed pilots traveling on business for U.S. carriers as “trusted partners” and give them expedited screening at security checkpoints.
The action, coming before a busy Thanksgiving travel push, appeared to defuse pilot groups’ complaints about the agency’s invasive new screening procedures.
It came after lawyers for Memphis pilot Michael S. Roberts sued TSA and Homeland Security this week on grounds the screening violates Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure. It wasn’t clear how the change would affect the lawsuit brought on behalf of Roberts and Continental Airlines pilot Ann Poe.
Roberts called it “purely a political concession. By backing off crew members, they can continue to abuse the rest of the public.”
He was considering whether to return to work, but added, “I won’t stop fighting this fight.”
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Re: TSA now exempts pilots from screening
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Ummmm?
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A "privileged" class being established...
By the way, haven't seen it said here that the obvious next step is to make these scanners mandatory for *every* passenger not just those selected. And they want them at shopping malls too. Chertoff, former head of DHS, made purchases while in office, then went to work for the company. At over a $1M each, there's billions to be made on a few thousand machines, and you know capitalists love profits WAY more than they value your freedom.
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Re: A "privileged" class being established...
That would be a mistake.
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If you do not go thru security, you do not fly ... umm - ok what if no one flies?
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TSA=Waste of money
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