May 2, 2007 1:02 am US/Pacific
Call Kurtis: TSA Security
by Kurtis Ming
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) ―
A Sacramento boy returned from a family trip to discover his birthday money was missing from his luggage. When he and his mom struggled with airport security, they called Kurtis Ming.
After a birthday trip to San Diego, 12-year-old Jeffery Martin flew home from San Diego a couple hundred bucks richer. He thought his wallet with the $265 bucks in birthday money would be safe inside a bag he checked.
"I had one hundred, three fifties, one ten, and five ones," he says.
"We got home he was excited to open it up and show me all his birthday money. He brought it in and opened it up and it was just like it had been ransacked," says Jeffery's mom Kim.
It was money he planned to use toward his next trip this summer.
Jeffery said everything had been moved around in his bag. The inside zipper was left open, and he claims there was no inspection tag left. Kim called Southwest. She followed their recommendation, calling the TSA baggage supervisor in San Diego.
"Can't we just check the video, can't we just check the camera I mean I can describe the suitcase it had a yellow ribbon on it, she says we don't have camera's back there," says Kim.
Kim could not believe her ears, there's no video surveillance watching TSA employees in San Diego as they search people's luggage?
"I think they should put cameras back so if it does happen to somebody they can check it, find it, and then return it," says Jeffery.
She filed a claim, and got Kurtis involved. Kurtis contacted the TSA to find out what can be done to get Jeffery's money and learn about security cameras. TSA representative Nico Melendez told me some airports have cameras, others don't.
He admitted to Kurtis that 173 employees have been fired for stealing since 2003. But he says that's a low number consider there have been nearly 100,000 employees.
In a statement he says: "The TSA has a no tolerance policy for theft in the workplace. We investigate all allegations of misconduct.... Move swiftly to end the federal careers of offenders, and seek the highest levels of prosecution.
Jeffery's claim to get his money back has been assigned to a TSA investigator. But he and his mom would like to see cameras, or something that offers more security protection.
A spokesperson for Sacramento International won't say whether they have cameras, because of security reasons. Whenever a TSA inspector looks through your bag, they're supposed to leave a tag inside with a number that identifies the inspector. That didn't happen here.
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