I've set off the explosion detector before. I didn't receive anything like what OP did. And honestly, I chalk up a decent amount of that up to having the good luck of being white.
I did get pulled into a separate area, and treated like criminal. Two agents stood by me the entire time while another one gave me another pat down. They opened up my backpack and rifled through everything (which was, I think, the most offensive part of everything), and meticulously swabbed and tested each area of my backpack.
I did receive similar questions "Where are you going," "Why are you here," "Why would your bag be setting off our alarm?" etc..
After a few more searches, a few more scans, and a lot more questions they finally let me go through security. Whole process probably took about 20 minutes -- twenty terrifying minutes -- but in the end, it was relatively painless compared to OPs.
I don't think his treatment was in any way justified by setting off an explosive materials detector.
"I don't think his treatment was in any way justified by setting off an explosive materials detector."
He set it off multiple times. It is likely you didn't.
He could not provide current id, anything that showed his current address, anything to prove any part of his story, etc.
Any attempt to prove any part of his story was met with no available info. His answers were plausible, but again, there was simply nothing concrete he could provide to explain anything.
I can understand the amount of questioning and length of time he was put through. I cannot understand the denial of water/etc.
"id" means identification. Your identity doesn't change just because you move. He had "id" just fine. It just didn't have his two-day-old address on it.
I understand what ID means.
You are suppose to report address changes, and in most states, you usually only get 10 days or less to do so.
Ignoring that for a second, what you have attempted to refute is not the sum total of the issue here.
The thing is, at every turn there was just a coincidental reason something happened to turn out that way. If you don't think this looks highly suspicious on someone whose hands and bag seems to keep setting off explosive detectors, i don't know what to tell you.
If they aren't supposed to target the people with odd stories who set off explosive detectors, who exactly are they supposed to be targeting?
Could you at least answer who you believe they are supposed to be targeting if not people who set off explosive detectors and can't provide concrete evidence of anything they say?
Thousands of people in the U.S. fly without business cards or ID listing their current addresses. University students are just one obvious example. This simply isn't uncommon. If you want to target that, you might as well target retirees or snowbirds. Of course, you wouldn't, since you profile based on demographics, ethnicity, etc, in addition to merely not having a current piece of ID or a work phone number.
Explosive detector results, sure. So determine it was a false positive and let them go. It doesn't take 3.5 hours to verify a person and their bag don't have any actual explosives on them. The amount of questioning was not warranted.
Thanks for sharing that experience. Any idea why you might have set the machine off? Trying to get a feel for how they've balanced how sensitive to make them.
I think there's been too errors: His ethnicity made him endure more interrogation and your ethnicity allowed you to endure less.
I think the next threat to airport security is as likely to be perpetrated by someone who doesn't fit the ethnic profile. Everyone in law enforcement really wants there to be a profile, but looking for one will only lead to the wrong conclusion and costly mistakes.
