Loss of Privacy

Over the past few days, a video has been making the rounds about an incident at Phoenix International Airport. The video depicts a woman screaming for help from the police because she felt a TSA officer had sexually assaulted her during what is known as an enhanced pat down. This woman had never been through an enhanced pat down before and was, rightfully, terrified and shocked over the incident.

The woman’s son had recorded part of the incident and we see and hear several TSA officials telling the man that he would be arrested for filming if he did not stop. The man politely asked several times to show them the law or statute that says he cannot film, but the TSA only continue with their threats, including asking him if he wanted to fly that day.

The TSA has now responded to the incident with their standard answer that everything is fine and the TSA officials did nothing wrong.

TSA takes all allegations of improper screening seriously and investigates each claim to the fullest. After reviewing this passenger’s time at the checkpoint, we found that our security officers acted properly and neither the CCTV footage nor this YouTube video support any of the allegations levied. Real violations of our protocols are worth every ounce of our energy to investigate, but this alleged incident does not meet that threshold.

While the TSA may feel that they take all allegations seriously, it never appears this way to the public. Results of their investigations are never released so Americans are forced to take their word that everything done was proper and in order. It does not satisfy anyone. It only serves to enrage the general public further against the TSA.

By stating that only “real violations” are worthy of investigation and that this does not meet those expectations, the TSA infuriates anyone who has an ounce of decency. It says that the woman’s claims of being violated are frivolous and not worthy of their attention. It continues to confirm that the TSA does not take the very real violation and humiliation that passengers are forced to surrender to at the airport.

This incident has also raised many questions about whether or not passengers can film at checkpoints. This topic is currently under review, but you can read this blog post on our current policy for photography at checkpoints.

The second part of the TSA’s statement is even more disturbing. It is a polite way for the TSA to say that, while filming is currently allowed, the TSA and its workers are not happy about being filmed, so the policy is under review. It very much appears as if the TSA wants to make filming in a public space illegal.

This is further confirmed by the fact that the TSA says the TSA officials did nothing wrong at the airport. It says that, when they threatened this man, it was perfectly legal for them to do so even though it is not illegal to film at the airport.

The truth is that the TSA hopes to intimidate passengers who may not be aware of the law into submitting to what they want. The TSA wants passengers to be submissive and servile, happily giving up their rights so that they can force individuals into compliance. As Americans, it is our duty to continue to fight against the forced security theater and stripping of our rights. If we don’t, the TSA, DHS and other government agencies will continue to stomp on the Constitution in order to get what they want and the hell with any rights an individual may have.

PHOENIX – The story of a Phoenix police officer who shot and killed a man Tuesday has taken a shocking twist. We’ve learned that the officer, Richard Chrisman, is now under arrest.

This all started at a trailer park near Central and South Mountain. A woman called 911 to report domestic violence on the part of her son, 29-year-old Danny Frank Rodriguez.

Officers showed up at the home and at some point, Officer Chrisman opened fire at the man, killing him.

“They killed him for no reason they just shot him,” said Elvira Fernandez, the man’s mother, anguished. “I said don’t hurt him whatever you do don’t hurt him… they went in there and they killed him!”

Chrisman was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a felony.

The probable cause statement alleges that two officers went inside the mobile home and Rodriguez began yelling that they needed a warrant.

Chrisman allegedly pulled his pistol, put the muzzle against the suspect’s head and told him, “We don’t need no warrant [expletive].”

Over the next few minutes, Chrisman shocked Rodriguez with a stun gun and shot his pit bull.

When Rodriguez started to retreat by taking up his bicycle, but he and Chrisman struggled, and finally Chrisman shot him from 2 to 3 feet away, according to documents..

Officer Sergio Virgillo, who accompanied Chrisman on the domestic violence call, told detectives that he saw no threat and no weapon in the suspect’s hands.

Officer Virgillo, a 14-year veteran of the force, called it “the worst day of his life.”

“We will investigate this thoroughly and we will do everything possible to make sure we have the facts and take the appropriate action based on the facts,” said Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris.

Chrisman was released on a $150,000 bond about 3:45 p.m. Wednesday.

JT Ready and a group of armed men are planning on taking Arizona’s border battle into their own hands.

“We’re going to go all night and shut down the drug corridor that comes directly into Phoenix,” Ready said. “We have guys that are going to be doing some covert stuff and we have some snipers coming out.”

Oh yeah, this is going to end well.

The Phoenix police department raided the home of Jeff Pataky, a blogger who writes about, and criticizes the Phoenix police department.  The reason behind the raid, Pataky believes, is that sources inside the police department confirmed that the police don’t like him questioning the behavior of the department.

Pataky, a former software sales and marketing executive who now focuses his energy shoveling content on www.badphoenixcops.com, said he believes his online criticism of the department – along with past criticisms of police investigations – led officers to serve a search warrant at his home last week.

“We have heard internally from our police sources that they purposefully did this to stop me,” Pataky said. “They took my cable modem and wireless router. Anyone worth their salt knows nothing is stored in the cable modem.”

As it appears from the current news reports, the police are violating Pataky’s 1st, 4th, and 5th amendment rights as well as Title 18, U.S.C. Section 241 and Title 18, U.S.C., Section 242.

While Pataky’s case is complex and disturbing, they aren’t just targeting him.  Former homicide detective David Barnes was demoted for questioning the handling of evidence in the crime lab.  It appears that anyone who questions the police is a target for harassment.

The entire county has been accused of being corrupt and incompetent [pdf].

Unfortunately, today’s law enforcement is seen as a place filled with tyrannical individuals only interested in themselves and what they can take for themselves.  Instead of being a help to the citizens of the United States, they are a hindrance, becoming the very threat to our security and liberty that they are supposed to protect.

I believe more people would fight back against this sort of behavior if only normal citizens would not be seen as dissenters, “terrorists,” protesters, and a threat to society.  It also doesn’t help that the police are the ones armed to the teeth and can ruin your life with a swift arrest and a blurb on the news.