Thread: TSA Pat-Down At DIA Leads To Sex Assault Investigation

TSA Pat-Down At DIA Leads To Sex Assault Investigation

January 15, 2014 11:58 PM



DENVER (CBS4) – Denver police have initiated a sexual assault investigation focused on Transportation Security Administration officers at a checkpoint at Denver International Airport. It comes after a Colorado woman filed a complaint saying the frisking she received amounted to a sexual assault.

“It’s an open and active investigation,” Denver police spokesperson Sonny Jackson said. “We take all complaints seriously and we are on this case as well. We have launched an investigation into it.”
The criminal probe stems from a complaint filed by Jamelyn Steenhoek, 39, who was patted down by TSA agents on Dec. 26 as she was escorting her 13-year-old daughter to a flight bound for Philadelphia. Steenhoek was not flying, just getting her daughter to the gate.
“I feel like someone who works for a powerful agency that we are afraid of used their power to violate me sexually — to put me in my place,” said Steenhoek, a working mother for a county social services department. Steenhoke is also a full time college student.
Although she had proper credentials to accompany her daughter to the airline gate, an alarm at the checkpoint sounded when she went through. Steenhoek believes the machine picked up the jewels that were sewn into the rear pockets of her jeans. She was asked to submit to having her hands swabbed, which she did.
“Then they told me I tested positive for explosives,” Steenhoek said during an interview with CBS4.
She explained to the agents that the positive hit from her hand swab was probably the result of her pumping gas into her car earlier in the day.
“She said, ‘We’ll have to do a search.’ So I thought, ‘Okay.’ “
Steenhoek said she was just focused on completing the search and getting to the gate with her daughter with enough time to get her teenager something to eat. She said she was ushered into a small private room at the TSA checkpoint with her daughter watching from a few feet away.
“They told me to spread my arms and spread my feet.”
She said the female TSA agent seemed to get agitated when Steenhoek tried to hurry the process along so she could get her daughter to her plane.
“At that point she did a pretty invasive search. They are just areas of the body I’m not comfortable being touched in. On the outside of my pants she cupped my crotch. I was uncomfortable with that.”
Steenhoek said the agent repeatedly dug her fingers into Steenhoek’s armpits.
“The part of the search that bothered most was the breast search. You could tell it shouldn’t take that much groping. To me it was as extensive as an exam from my physician — full touching and grabbing in the front. I felt uncomfortable, I felt violated.”
She said when the search turned up nothing, the agent repeated it a second time.
“So it didn’t make any sense. The whole search was done over and more touching and grabbing than the first time.”
Eventually TSA officers released her without finding anything and she managed to get her daughter to her flight on time. Steenhoek complained to the TSA about her treatment but felt that would not yield any results.
Three days later she went to Denver police and filed a police complaint against the unnamed female TSA agent who searched her. In the report Steenhoek complained of an “intrusive search,” characterizing what happened to her as being “sexually assaulted.”
“I was looking for consequences, for TSA to be accountable for what they do to people,” Steenhoek told CBS4.
“You want one or more of them to be charged with sexual assault?” she was asked.
“I do,” she responded.
Jackson says the sex assault complaint is being handled like any other.
“We’ll present it to the district attorney and see if there’s enough to charge,” Jackson said.
Carrie Harmon, a spokesperson for the TSA at Denver International Airport, declined a CBS4 request for an on camera interview but released a statement saying, “TSA’s security officers are trained to perform each pat down in a professional manner to ensure that all individuals are screened to the same standards. Complaints about pat-down procedures are thoroughly investigated, and the agency takes appropriate action, if warranted. The agency cannot comment on an ongoing law enforcement investigation, but is confident the facts will support our officer’s adherence to proper pat-down procedures.”
The TSA’s security pat downs have long been controversial:

• This month a Boston law firm argued in federal court that the TSA pat-downs are unconstitutional and discriminate against people with metal implants
• Last year Texas lawmakers considered passing a bill to make it a felony for TSA officers to touch travelers genitals areas.
• Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., has characterized some TSA pat-downs as “unacceptable” and excessive.

While many people express their displeasure with the pat-downs, it seems few actually file official police reports requesting criminal charges against those conducting the pat-downs.
“There’s a process for making sure agencies are accountable,” Steenhoek said. “Everyone is accountable.”

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2014/01/1...investigation/


What morons these two newscasters are..".oh she is so angry"!!!! Like she is supposed to take this feel up all in good stride!!The video is very broken up if I find a better one I will bring it over...

No TSA Patdowns for Muslim Brotherhood Members Traveling to US

January 18, 2014 by Daniel Greenfield

Or any inspections at all for that matter. Not when Hillary Clinton is in the State Department.

A U.S. official familiar with immigration procedures told the IPT in 2012 that the exemption for the Brotherhood delegation was “extraordinary.”
The records, marked “sensitive but unclassified,” were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. They offer few details. The State Department released a one-page document labeled “Compiled References to MB Delegation Arrival and Departure”.
“In the coming days, we’re going to write down a list of procedures for dealing with MB visits to the United States,” an April 16, 2012 entry says.
A March 30 communication offers help dealing with “FJP Delegation and POE [port of entry] Courtesies: Please let the desk know over the weekend if you’d like our help submitting to DHS the ‘Special Alerts,’ which are used to request that travelers not be pulled into secondary [inspection] upon arrival at a point of entry.”
But one member of the Brotherhood delegation, which met with U.S. academic and senior government officials, had been linked to a child pornography investigation in the United States years earlier. Under normal circumstances, he likely would have been subjected to extra scrutiny.
The records released do not address that issue. They do, however, report that “The MB/FJP delegation’s scheduler reported that their arrival at JFK on Saturday went very smoothly.”
And the official in question, Abdul Mawgoud Dardery, traveled separately and was escorted through security checks in Minneapolis and New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport “In response to a request from the MB … We did not hear anything further from the MB so we assume to departure went smoothly,” the records show.

No airplanes were hijacked. This time.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/dgr...aveling-to-us/

DHS Gave Muslim Brotherhood VIP Treatment, No TSA Pat Downs

Document reveals delegation was allowed to skip secondary screening
Paul Joseph Watson

Infowars.com
January 20, 2014

A newly released document obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request confirms that the State Department ordered the Department of Homeland Security to spare members of the Muslim Brotherhood traveling to the US in 2012 a TSA pat down or any kind of secondary screening.

The one page document (PDF), obtained by the Investigative Project on Terrorism, shows that members of a Muslim Brotherhood delegation traveling through Minneapolis Airport, New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport and Dulles Airport were handed expedited entry known as “port courtesy,” which is normally reserved for high ranking government officials and dignitaries. At the time, the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate Mohamed Morsi, later deposed, had not been elected president.

The document contains four separate entries which include a directive that Muslim Brotherhood members, “not be pulled into secondary upon arrival at a point of entry.” As well as a TSA pat down, secondary screening involves carry on luggage being inspected by hand and the use of puffer explosive detectors.

Two following entries confirm that Muslim Brotherhood members traveled through both JFK and Dulles Airports “smoothly” and “without incident” after the DHS had been alerted about “port courtesies”.

Another entry reads; “MB delegate departure: In response to a request from the MB, the desk worked with the office of Foreign Missions to arrange for TSA to escort the last member of the visiting MB delegation, Abdul Mawgoud Dardery, through security at Minneapolis Airport and JFK Airport on April 15. We did not hear anything further from the MB, so we assume the departure went smoothly. In the coming days, we’re going to write down a list of procedures for dealing with MB visits to the United States.”

The delegate was given privileged access despite one of their members being linked to a previous child pornography investigation in the United States. In addition, the Muslim Brotherhood, which has now been declared a terrorist organization by the Egyptian government after bombing a police HQ last month, is closely affiliated with Al-Qaeda and has long been cited as the foundational inspiration for both Al-Qaeda and Islamic Jihad.

The IPT also highlights the fact that individuals traveling from Syria to give speaking tours in the United States, people like Sheik Osama al-Rifai, that have openly endorsed Al-Qaeda militant groups under the banner of the the Islamic Front, are being handed visas by the State Department with no questions asked.

While completely innocent Americans continue to be subjected to invasive TSA grope down procedures and placed on no fly lists for no reason whatsoever, members of a group with direct links to terrorism were given VIP treatment by the State Department, the TSA and the Department of Homeland Security.

http://www.infowars.com/dhs-gave-mus...tsa-pat-downs/

UPDATE



No Criminal Charges Against TSA Agent Over Pat-Down At DIA

February 5, 2014 2:50 PM



(credit: CBS)





By Brian Maass CBS4 Investigates


DENVER (CBS4) – The Denver District Attorney’s Office has declined to file criminal charges against a female Transportation Security Administration agent at Denver International Airport after a passenger complained the pat-down she received amounted to sexual assault.
“I felt sick to my stomach,” said Jamelyn Steenhoek, 39, when she learned Wednesday that Denver prosecutors were no longer pursuing her complaint and would not be filing criminal charges.
Jamelyn Steenhoek (credit: CBS)


“Those TSA agents were purposely abusive to me,” said the Highlands Ranch mother. “And there isn’t any recourse. I still feel as if a crime was committed, and as an individual American I am powerless to do anything about it.”
Steenhoek was at DIA on Dec. 26 escorting her 13-year-old daughter to a flight. Steenhoek herself was not boarding a flight that day, but she still had to clear security to take her daughter to the concourse and gate.
Steenhoek said that when a female TSA agent patted her down, “She cupped my crotch … the part of the search that bothered most was the breast search. You could tell it shouldn’t take that much groping. To me it was as extensive as an exam from my physician … full touching and grabbing in the front. I felt uncomfortable, I felt violated.”
RELATED: TSA Pat-Down At DIA Leads To Sex Assault Investigation
Three days later Steenhoek, who works for a county social services department and is working towards a college degree, filed a complaint with the Denver Police Department, asking that the female TSA agent who frisked her be charged with sexual assault.
She says a detective contacted her Wednesday to tell her the case was not accepted for prosecution by the Denver District Attorney’s Office.
“I don’t understand how a reasonable person would think that this behavior is acceptable,” Steenhoek said.
Lynn Kimbrough, a spokesperson for the Denver District Attorney’s Office, told CBS4 that because of the nature of the case it was reviewed by two deputy district attorneys who agreed the investigation should be dropped with no charges filed.
“We would be unable to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt,” Kimbrough said.

Specifically, she said prosecutors believed they could not prove touching of Steenhoek by the TSA agent was for gratification, arousal or abuse — elements of a sexual assault charge.
The TSA did not immediately respond to an email from CBS4 seeking comment on the district attorney’s decision not to file charges.





ttp://denver.cbslocal.com/2014/02/05/no-criminal-charges-against-tsa-agent-over-pat-down-at-dia/

Senator Blasts TSA: Fast Food Joints Do Better Employee Background Checks


Agency head blames lack of funding, despite having $7 billion budget

Steve Watson
Infowars.com
May 1, 2014

The TSA has an annual budget of over SEVEN BILLION DOLLARS, yet this is not enough to do proper background checks on its employees, according to agency head John Pistole.

Appearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation this week, Pistole faced a grilling from Senators over the Administration’s dodgy employee track record, and its ability to keep Americans safe.

“DHS (Department of Homeland Security) officials have told us that job applicants in the fast-food industry typically undergo a more robust background check than applicants for a TWIC card,” said Senator Mark Warner, referring to the TSA-issued Transportation Worker Identity Credential.

Warner, a Virginia Democrat, cited a case involving a truck driver who used his TWIC to gain entry into a Naval Station in Norfolk, Virginia last month where he shot a Navy security officer dead. The shooter, Jeffrey T. Savage, has a violent criminal history, including a previous manslaughter conviction.
Astoundingly, he was able to clear the TSA’s screening process. Once a person is initially cleared, the system is only updated if cleared personnel self-report any additional criminal incidents, something violent criminals tend not to do.

U.S. Senator John Thune (R-SD), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee followed up the line of questioning:



At yesterday’s hearing, another Senator, California Democrat Barbara Boxer, referred to the recent case where a teenager was able to jump fences at San Jose International airport, and gain access to a passenger jet, where he stowed away in a wheel well and remarkably survived a five hour flight to Honolulu.

“If a 15-year-old can do this, who else can do this? What if it was someone else with an explosive that got on that plane?” Boxer said.
Displaying a remarkable lack of responsibility, TSA head Pistole replied “We could require airports to do much, much more, but the question is who pays for that?”



One solution, perhaps, would be to stop wasting BILLIONS OF DOLLARS on useless security theatre naked body scanners. A new Government Accountability Office report notes that almost half of all airports with the machines, reported no checkpoint drill results at all from March 2011 through February 2013.

The TSA did not gather mandatory “data on drills using improvised explosive devices,” or homemade bombs, at the checkpoint that could demonstrate how well screeners are addressing abnormal activity.

TSA officials told the GAO that the reason for this total failure was because it doesn’t know which office within the agency is responsible for overseeing it.

The report also found that the TSA is also not bothering to assess the number of pat-downs that are being carried out when a scanner is set off. This means there are no accurate figures on the number of false alarms that occur in the field.

Essentially, no one has any idea how well the scanners work because no one bothered to test or assess them, even though it is a legal requirement.
“Since TSA has failed to analyze and utilize AIT false alarm rates, we have no idea how many passengers are being subjected to pat-downs due to technological failures,” House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson, D-Miss., said. “TSA should not spend a single dollar on additional AIT machines until all of the deficiencies identified in this report are resolved.” he added.

As we have previously highlighted, TSA body scanners can be fooled by sewing a metallic object into the side of one’s clothing, rendering the entire fleet of machines virtually useless. This has not stopped the agency from earmarking $3.5 BILLION on the scanners so far.

A 2011 Homeland Security report noted that federal investigators “identified vulnerabilities in the screening process” involving the scanners, while multiple other security experts have gone on record saying that the scanners are ineffective. It is no coincidence that $200 million worth of the machines have now been mothballed.

The recent debacle over $50 million uniform contracts also further exposed the TSA as a colossal waste of money.

Then there was the ONE BILLION DOLLARS that was spent on a kooky behavioural monitoring program which consisted of blue shirted bozos staring at travellers in security lines, checking for shifty facial expressions. The GAO concluded that the program was “no better than chance” at discovering would be wrong-doers, and behavioural science experts described the notion that nefarious intent can be determined from body language as “little more than a cultural fiction.” ONE BILLION DOLLARS.

Perhaps diverting funds away from such utterly useless and invasive technology and practices, and putting it into checking whether employees are violent criminals would be a good idea.

Or better yet, just scrap the incompetent and corrupt TSA and employ private security companies who do better background checks than burger joints, and who do not eat up $7 BILLION in taxpayer funds with nothing to show for it but an army of jack boot thugs and a warehouse of mothballed porno scanners failing to secure anyone from anything.


—————————————————————-
Steve Watson is a London based writer and editor for Alex Jones’ Infowars.com, and Prisonplanet.com. He has a Masters Degree in International Relations from the School of Politics at The University of Nottingham, and a Bachelor Of Arts Degree in Literature and Creative Writing from Nottingham Trent University.
This article was posted: Thursday, May 1, 2014 at 12:07 pm


http://www.infowars.com/senator-blasts-tsa-fast-food-joints-do-better-employee-background-checks/