Good news for US travelers

[furryman]

Rules regarding carrying cash have changed.

 

It looks like the TSA has made new rules disallowing hassling travelers over carrying large amounts of cash. I think it's ridiculous that it was an issue before, but this is definitely a step in a positive direction.

 

An angry aide to Rep. Ron Paul, an iPhone and $4,700 in cash have forced the Transportation Security Administration to quietly issue two new rules telling its airport screeners they can only conduct searches related to airplane safety.

 

In response, the American Civil Liberties Union is dropping its lawsuit on behalf of Steve Bierfeldt, the man who was detained in March and who recorded the confrontation on his iPhone as TSA and local police officers spent half an hour demanding answers as to why he was carrying the money through Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.

 

The new rules, issuedin September and October, tell officers "screening may not be conducted to detect evidence of crimes unrelated to transportation security" and that large amounts of cash don't qualify as suspicious for purposes of safety.

 

"We had been hearing of so many reports of TSA screeners engaging in wide-ranging fishing expeditions for illegal activities," said Ben Wizner, a staff lawyer for the ACLU, pointing to reports of officers scanning pill-bottle labels to see whether the passenger was the person who obtained the prescription as one example.

 

He said screeners get a narrow exception to the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches, strictly to keep weapons and explosives off planes, not to help police enforce other laws.

 

TSA was created in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to boost screening at airports, but the young agency has repeatedly bumped heads against civil libertarians, who argue officers overstep their authority.

 

TSA spokeswoman Lauren Gaches said the new "internal directives" are meant to ensure their screeners are consistent. She acknowledged the policy on large sums of cash had changed, but wouldn't provide a copy of either document. She said the directives would not be released unless a Freedom Of Information Act request was submitted by The Washington Times.

 

"TSA routinely assesses its policies and screening procedures to ensure the highest levels of security nationwide," she said. "Currency alone is not a threat, and TSA does not restrict the amount of currency a traveler may carry through the checkpoint."

 

TSA had earlier defended the search, though it had criticized officers' abusive behavior.

 

The ACLU released the September directive because TSA included it in a public court filing, but said when TSA gave it the October directive it was instructed not to publish it.

 

That second directive tells screeners that "traveling with large amounts of currency is not illegal," and that to the extent bulk quantities of cash warrant searching, it is only to further security objectives, the ACLU said.

 

The ACLU sued in June on behalf of Mr. Bierfeldt, who was detained after he sent a metal box with $4,700 in cash and checks through an X-ray machine at the airport.

 

He had the cash as part of his duties as director of development for the Campaign for Liberty, the offshoot group that Mr. Paul, Texas Republican, created from his failed presidential bid.

 

Mr. Bierfeldt recorded audio of the confrontation on his iPhone, including threats, insults and repeated questions about where he obtained the money.

 

"Are you from this planet?" one officer told him, while another accused him of acting like a child for asking what part of the law forced him to answer their questions about the money.

 

"The TSA has stated that their policy is going to change, which is basically what we were after all along," Mr. Bierfeldt told The Washington Times.

 

Some civil liberties activists speculate that TSA wants passengers to be uncertain about its procedures because it gives more power to the authorities in an encounter.

 

The new directives don't affect a situation where a TSA officer, in the performance of a regular screening, comes across evidence of illegal activity, such as a bag of illicit drugs.

[LongPlay]

Thanks for the post. It is of great value to some of us traveling through our borders. I am sure the requirement to declare larger sums of money, over $10,000 dollars, is still in effect. But that is a Customs issue not a TSA issue. Hassles with taking your money in cash to LOS has been a worry of mine for a long time. I do not use travelers checks, and do not like to use my ATM there because of the large amount of fraud possible there. Also, it seems that my credit card company / bank seems to require reminding every time I leave the country, even though I do so 5 or 6 times a year, for business. Every country go to and use the ATM starts the fraud alert process with my bank, requiring me to make an international call or two, at fairly high cost, to get it straightened out. This way I can now take what I need, cash, and stop worrying about the TSA idiots.

 

They seem to have let this hidden rule power go to their heads, in some airports, and have put all passengers in the terrorist list in their minds. Never know when you are going to hit one of them with a serious ego / power trip moment. I see all too many of them.

 

Thanks again.....

[wackyjacky]

LP: You've gotta call the banks and CC companies 1st. You know that. You're worried about fraud, yet you don't like the inconvenience of the call. With the 150 baht ATM surcharge, Traveler Checks are the only way to go. They're free at most US banks or AAA. Hell, some CCs will give you miles for buying 'em. You even get a little better rate than cash in the Thailand. I look at things differently, to me carrying $10K is much more dangerous than any ATM or CC fraud. You will be reimbursed for the plastic charges. Not so if a crook or hotel employee gets into your safe. Shit, they just busted a Chinese gang that had pulled 100s of these hotel safe jobs in Pattaya. wj

Edited November 16, 2009 by wackyjacky

[Scumbag]

I can't believe that they got away with it in the first place. It is a customs issue not a security one.

[SmellyFarang]

A shocking victory for the constitution

 

Here's a good link to hear the interrogation & threats he was subjected to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YZaholL8nI

[LongPlay]

LP: You've gotta call the banks and CC companies 1st. You know that. You're worried about fraud, yet you don't like the inconvenience of the call. With the 150 baht ATM surcharge, Traveler Checks are the only way to go. They're free at most US banks or AAA. Hell, some CCs will give you miles for buying 'em. You even get a little better rate than cash in the Thailand. I look at things differently, to me carrying $10K is much more dangerous than any ATM or CC fraud. You will be reimbursed for the plastic charges. Not so if a crook or hotel employee gets into your safe. Shit, they just busted a Chinese gang that had pulled 100s of these hotel safe jobs in Pattaya. wj

 

First let me say, thanks for your concern, but I did not say I wanted to take the money(cash)OUT of the states to the LOS.....

My interest is actually taking it into the USA. That is a different kind of story, and i would rather not get too deep into it on a public board.

 

But as a matter of fact, I do typically bring cash to LOS, and I have to date NOT used the little safes in the rooms to hold it. I would feel safer putting it into the sock drawer. I have heard, and will probably try using the safety deposit boxes at the hotel, now that I have found out they have them. But I commonly do carry cash. But I also never drink more than 2 beers per day, and NEVER all at the same time, so I am always sober, and fully with my wits about me.

I have only had two trials by pick pockets in my many trips, and both times, they went for the wallet with about 20 bucks and some business cards in it. I caught both of them, and never saw the front side of them again. They took off like a shot, when I grabbed their hand at the wrist. No one has even looked at the normal place where I carry money, so I dont really worry about it so much now a days.

[Mike Asia]

if it is less than 10K they can't really do anything.

 

you also have to be pretty stupid to put cash thru' the metal detector. that is what pockets are for

Edited November 18, 2009 by mike_asia

[wackyjacky]

First let me say, thanks for your concern, but I did not say I wanted to take the money(cash)OUT of the states to the LOS.....

My interest is actually taking it into the USA. That is a different kind of story, and i would rather not get too deep into it on a public board.

 

But as a matter of fact, I do typically bring cash to LOS, and I have to date NOT used the little safes in the rooms to hold it. I would feel safer putting it into the sock drawer. I have heard, and will probably try using the safety deposit boxes at the hotel, now that I have found out they have them. But I commonly do carry cash. But I also never drink more than 2 beers per day, and NEVER all at the same time, so I am always sober, and fully with my wits about me.

I have only had two trials by pick pockets in my many trips, and both times, they went for the wallet with about 20 bucks and some business cards in it. I caught both of them, and never saw the front side of them again. They took off like a shot, when I grabbed their hand at the wrist. No one has even looked at the normal place where I carry money, so I dont really worry about it so much now a days.

LP: That makes a shitload more sense than the other way around ! wj

[LongPlay]

LP: That makes a shitload more sense than the other way around ! wj

 

yeah, i realized when I read your post, that it was not clear to anyone but me that I would be doing the reverse....

 

middle east, project work. you get the drift