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Date: Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:29:17 -0500
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From: John Cooper <snopercod@citcom.net>
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Subject: Re: TSA Hell is Starting! 
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It's my belief that the Federal Air Marshals are the only actual 
'Federal LEOs' in the TSA, and most TSA people are just rent-a-cops with 
no actual legal authority. You'll note that when you try and carry a 
prohibited item through airport security,  the TSA screener calls a 
*real* police officer to deal with you. (I know, I did it once by 
accident.) Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong about this, but the 
first think I would ask if approached by a TSA worker is, "Are you a law 
enforcement officer?"

A *real* Federal LEO is required to comply with any U.S. citizen's 
request for proper ID.  Technically, federal agents must be identifiable 
from the moment of making any statement that is an exercise of the 
authority of their dept. within the law.  (This would be why you see the 
badge or apparel labels.) Now the TSA people all have uniforms, but that 
doesn't make them LEOs.

All federal LEOs should carry a mini-binder about 4 x 6 inches, which 
should include a badge, photo ID, and U.S. code sections that authorize 
them to do what they are doing.  Probably the best way to find out  
would be is to locate a TSA agent, and ask if he is a federal agent, and 
if so, would he mind going through the formal ID procedure -  IOW, you 
would like to see his formal ID badge and citations of the U.S. code 
under which authority he acts.

It sounds to me like the TSA person who accosted warren hogge was trying 
to impersonate a federal officer - a crime.