You must use 911 and *677 to call the police first and get them on
your side. Make sure that you get to the airport with plenty of
time to spare. Have the airline you are flying with print up a
Gate Pass for a friend or a significant other so that they may
accompany you through the security gate. This way you will have a
witness to the crime. If you cannot be accompanied by anyone, do
not worry; this tactic will still work. Remain calm and stay
silent. Don't get belligerent or violent.
The second the security screener goes over your breasts or genital
area with their hands after wanding you, pull out your cell phone
and dial 911. In a loud but clear tone of voice tell the 911
operators that you are being sexually assaulted at the airport. If
the screeners have name badges on, give the 911 operator their
names. However, if you cannot do this, physical descriptions will
do just fine for a 911 call. The legal definitions of sexual
harassment and sexual assault nationwide are generally somewhat
broad. Sexually oriented intimidation and uninvited touching of
the breasts or genital areas is typically classified as sexual
assault.
After the 911 call is completed, dial *677. This number will
automatically connect you to the State Police dispatcher. Tell the
State Police everything you told the 911 operator, without telling
them you also called 911.
The fact that the T.S.A. screeners are federal employees will not
protect them. Screeners have been arrested by local police in
Denver, Atlanta, Honolulu and Los Angeles for theft of passenger
belongings. If they can be arrested for steeling, they can be
arrested for sexual assault.
Having a significant other tell the arriving police officers that
the screeners sexually assaulted you will do plenty to make sure
that the screener/screeners that were patting you down are
arrested and spend a night or two in jail.
If the local police don't arrest the screeners, the State Police
are still there at your side. Go along with whoever ends up making
the arrest and tell the police officers that you would like to
file sexual assault charges against the screener/screeners. If you
file first, this puts your T.S.A. tormentors on the defensive, now
having to prove their innocence.
The accused will be the subject of an investigation in which time
they will be subject to a thorough background check (the T.S.A. in
years past did not do any real initial background checks for its
screeners, so who knows what a police investigation will turn up),
solitary interrogation and a night or two in jail.
Even if the screeners are later turned loose they may have to pay
a fine once they are released in order to pay the city back for
housing them in jail. There is an old cop saying about this; "you
might beat the rap, but you won't beat the ride downtown."
Get restraining orders filed against the screeners while you're at
the police station. This way, they will never be able to
personally harass you again without violating the restraining
order.
If you don't want to chance missing your flight, or are
uncomfortable with the 911 *677 tactic, then file a complaint
against the T.S.A. screeners that patted you down so you can get
their names and badge numbers without arousing suspicion. Just
politely file the complaint and go back to the police department's
sexual assault detail later on to file the sexual assault charges.
The statute of limitations for sex crimes is seven years. So, if
you or someone you know were groped by T.S.A. screeners under the
original pat-down policy from September to December 2004, you can
still go back and file sexual assault charges. If you filed a
complaint, this will aid you when you go back to file charges.
Whether you filed a complaint or not, if you could recognize the
screeners who sexually abused you, then tell the police that. Have
them take you back to the airport to search for the screener so an
arrest can be made.
When women were forced into the "private" screening areas like
sheep into a slaughtering pen, there were usually other screeners
and passengers there to watch it take place. Therefore, the
detectives can subpoena other screeners and bystanders to testify
about the incident. However, your 911 call can still get the
screeners jailed. If your child was molested, then contact the
police department's child exploitation unit.
There is still time to properly retaliate if you want to reclaim
some of your lost rights and dignity.
