TSA’s Statement on ACLU Lawsuit and St. Louis Incident
News & Happenings
TSA cannot comment on pending litigation. Here is TSA’s statement on the St. Louis incident:
At approximately 6:50 p.m. on March 29, 2009, a metal box alarmed the X-ray machine at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, triggering the need for additional screening. Because the box contained a number of items including a large amount of cash and coins, all of which needed to be removed to be properly screened, it was deemed more appropriate to continue the screening process in a private area.
It is legal to transport any amount of money when flying domestically, however movements of large amounts of cash through the checkpoint may be investigated by law enforcement authorities if suspicious activity is suspected. As a general rule, passengers are required to cooperate with the screening process. Cooperation may involve answering questions about their property. A passenger who refuses to answer questions may be referred to appropriate authorities for further inquiry.
A TSA employee and members of the St. Louis Airport Police Department can be heard on the audio recording. TSA holds its employees to the highest professional standards. The tone and language used by the TSA employee was inappropriate and proper disciplinary action was taken.
A passenger must file a report with U.S. Customs when flying with amounts exceeding $10,000 (or its foreign equivalent) from the United States to any foreign place, or into the United States from any foreign place.
