Hacker News Reader

Comment by stephengillie | Hacker News Reader

It may be an unpopular opinion to express, but these "horror stories of TSA incompetence" are somewhat entertaining to those who cannot afford to fly. It's like that "Cops" TV show, on location in the airports of America, with the men and women of law enforcement - the TSA in this case.

Your having LEOs violate your rights and go thru your belongings - for someone thinking your box is a bomb - is no different than a cop stopping a driver for thinking the driver's Coke can is a Budweiser and searching their car.

View on HN

This is why I can't support high speed rail enough. You get from downtown nyc to Washington dc without having your human rights violated. And its faster too.

IIRC the TSA occasionally sets up airport style security checkpoints at train exits. A search of HN should show some examples.

Boston police (or transit police) does this randomly on the MBTA train system.

VIPR is what you're looking for: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visible_Intermodal_Prevention_...

It's not exactly airport style - at least in NYC and Philly they swab you for explosives and check your ID. No X-Ray or nude-o-scope. You're free to not go through the checkpoint (but you won't board your train).

What makes you think they wouldn't institute similar TSA-style [1] security on a shiny new high-profile high speed rail?

1. Or literally the TSA: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/06/us/tsa-expands-duties-beyo...

Right, Spain already does this. And I've during high-profile events I've seen TSA patrolling the main subway stations in Washington, DC.

I've been travelling all around Spain for the last month and I wouldn't characterize the Renfe/AVE security as anywhere near the TSAs. You basically just put your bags through a machine and get waved through, and I've yet to wait in much of a line.

Yeah, same thing for the Eurostar, it's a much saner security and check-in process. As much as I love flying, I always take the train from London to Paris or between Madrid and Barcelona.

I nearly lost a pocketknife when my suitcase was x-rayed at a Spanish train station.

Our small satchel bags and bodies did not get x-rayed, but the large suitcases did. I forgot I had a pocketknife in there (as it's fine usually for airport security as a check in bag). Somehow, when my suitcase got scanned, they mixed up the order and the person behind me got stopped for having a knife. By that time, I was making a quick getaway to the platform as I didn't want to lose the knife.

I could have just had a knife (and bomb?) in my satchel bag, so was pretty confused by the whole x-ray suitcases only situation.

They've pulled this before in the commuter train station in Chicago.

Ehhh, I once had the contents of my backpack dumped all over a train station floor by the NYPD while leaving the LIRR.

> Your having LEOs violate your rights and go thru your belongings

the TSA smurfs are NOT an LEO! They are roughly the equivalent of desk clerks dressing in clothing designed to confuse people about this. They neither have the rights nor the competence of an LEO.

The harassment quota on TSA security checks is 100%. Meanwhile, I've never been stopped driving once.

(Also, of course, there is a semblance of due process with traffic stops)

I don't think that's an unpopular opinion at all - even for those who fly regularly. So much so, there are already several different COPS style 'reality' shows depicting controversial airport security encounters, at least one in the USA.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com