The quotes from the police and security staff really make me want to slap them. From a WBZ story (read the comments posted for that story if you want to see barking insanity):
"She said that it was a piece of art and she wanted to stand out on career day," Pare said at a news conference. "She claims that it was just art, and that she was proud of the art and she wanted to display it." ... "I'm shocked and appalled that somebody would wear this type of device to an airport," Pare said. ... Simpson was "extremely lucky she followed the instructions or deadly force would have been used," Pare said. "She's lucky to be in a cell as opposed to the morgue."
I wonder if kids with flashing LEDs in their shoes are routinely detained at Logan Airport? Maybe some of them will end up in a morgue instead of a cell? Also, have electronic devices with transparent cases completely gone out of style?
"They showed amazing restraint, which may not have been there if she'd moved or if she'd tried to hide the explosive," said former FAA agent Bryan Sullivan.
The explosive? But there was no explosive -- the stories are now saying that she was fidgeting with some Play-Doh.
A Massachusetts Port Authority staffer manning an information booth in the terminal became suspicious when Simpson -- wearing the device -- approached to ask about an incoming flight, Pare said. She did not respond when the employee asked her about the device she was wearing, so the employee repeated the question, police said.Simpson then said the device was artwork and left the counter and walked around the terminal area, causing some employees to leave the building in fear, police said.
This seems like an unremarkable interaction to me; she didn't want to spend a lot of time chatting with airport staff, because she was there to meet someone. I can imagine giving a brief response ("it's an electronic art badge I made. Well, thanks for your help...") and then leaving.
It's not that the initial security response was necessarily wrong -- calling for an officer to look at the exposed circuitry is reasonable. But then, when you learn she's an MIT student who does robotics and the device is something innocent, you say "Oh, sorry for the inconvenience. Er, and could you please put it away? And not bring it the next time you come to Logan? And I'll just escort you around the terminal in case anyone else gets frightened." You don't charge her with possessing a hoax device, threaten her with five years in prison or a $5,000 fine, if convicted, and call press conferences that refer to "the explosive" and "she's lucky to not be in the morgue".
Comments (2)
Andrew this is my first comment on a blog but I feel I have to comment on this mainly because for 2 years I worked as a Security Screener for the TSA at Logan.
While I believe that some of the comments were a bit over the top especially the "morgue" comment. But let me enlighten others to the Security Screener POV. But first, recall that 2 of the planes involved in 9/11 flew out of Logan. People seen to forget this fact but for those that work at Logan its not something that easily forgotten and THE reason why the TSA is there.
I, personally, suspect that this person was out to make a statement for "Career Day". Anyone thats been to an airport in the last few years has seen all the warnings about what not to bring through security. Part of the screeners training is to look for 'unusual' things. Th was if nothing else was unusual and did have all the markings of an IED... an unknown plastic square that she didn't want to answer questions about, wires leading to a battery, and the report I heard was carrying clay. I further suspect that she didn't want to cooperate and follow the requests of the screener. This TEN days after the anniversary of 9/11. Come on people get a CLUE! Working a Logan I learned just how STUPID, as in no common sense, people can be. I can show you a dozen innocent looking things that can be turned into deadly weapons and even some that are explosive.
Yes it could have been handled better but there are many things that sould be handled better. Would you have preferred that she went throught screening unhindered?
I mostly worked in terminal E (international) and we screened between 7,000 to 15,000 PER DAY. Other Terminals did more some as much as 25,000 per day.
These screeners get a lot of pressure from supervisors and Managers and take a lot of shit from passengers. It is NOT an easy job to do. Cut them some slack they are just trying to make sure YOU arrive SAFELY at where ever you going to.
Oh, one other point, A screener has no actual authority except to call over a supervisor who in thair judgement can call a screening manager who can call the police or EOD. When things go bad and people are uncooperative things that could have been a non-event quickly escalate into a big situation.
Working at the TSA, I made a lot of friends but was an experience and have no regrets about but I wouldn't waht to repeat it. Working with Jython is alot more fun and 100% less stressful :)
Posted by Greg Moore | September 22, 2007 2:47 PM
Posted on September 22, 2007 14:47
None of the stories I've seen claim that she tried to go through screening: she went to information to ask about her boyfriend's flight, and then went outside. She's apparently worn the badge in other public places like school, so it would be a reasonable assumption on her part that it wouldn't attract special attention, and it's even possible she'd forgotten about it the way people forget about watches and belts.
Posted by amk | September 22, 2007 4:53 PM
Posted on September 22, 2007 16:53