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CNN Live Saturday
What Happens to Millions of Seized items at Nation's Airports
Aired October 11, 2003 - 12:38 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: In the wake of September 11, new safety regulations have become a way of life at airports across the country. Airline passengers have been forced to leave behind millions of items, such as pocket knives, box cutters, even guns. What happens to those left unclaimed?
CNN's Kathleen Koch is at Reagan National Airport near Washington and she has an update -- Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH CNN CORRESPONDENT: Renay, as you can imagine over the last few years, screeners at the nation's airports have seized quite a few items from passengers trying to get aboard planes. Since February of 2002 alone they have seized more than 8 million contraband items. Everything ranging from box cutters, some more than 50,000 of those. More than 15,000 firearms. Now, the Transportation Security Administration is forbidden by law to sell any of these items, to profit from their seizure. The government has, as of today, they have signed a contract with a private company. And it is going to now find a way to dispose of all these items. Especially the hazardous materials and make sure they're disposed of in a consistent and safe manner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's important to understand what would happen if TSA didn't have this contract in place. At airports across the country, our local airport operations would have to scramble to find places to take items like mace, hazardous items like pepper spray and dispose of them appropriately. These are items you can't just put in the trash can, can't empty out in the local storm gutter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: Some of these items will likely end up with state agencies around the country that handle surplus items. Might possibly be cleaned up and then donated, say the pocket knives to local scout troops, scissors to local schools, that sort of thing. And also passengers, as they're boarding will still have a way to hold on to their items, the same choice they've always had, take that contraband item say back in their in their car. They can put it back in their checked luggage. They can also take it to one of a number of these postal operations that have popped up in a lot of airports and mail that item back to themselves. The Transportation Security Administration said it was too cumbersome to set up some sort of nationwide system to get all of these items directly back to the person who was traveling with them. They want to focus not on being a lost and found agency but security agency -- Renay.
SAN MIGUEL: Kathleen Koch, live from Washington. Thanks so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Airports>
Aired October 11, 2003 - 12:38 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: In the wake of September 11, new safety regulations have become a way of life at airports across the country. Airline passengers have been forced to leave behind millions of items, such as pocket knives, box cutters, even guns. What happens to those left unclaimed?
CNN's Kathleen Koch is at Reagan National Airport near Washington and she has an update -- Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH CNN CORRESPONDENT: Renay, as you can imagine over the last few years, screeners at the nation's airports have seized quite a few items from passengers trying to get aboard planes. Since February of 2002 alone they have seized more than 8 million contraband items. Everything ranging from box cutters, some more than 50,000 of those. More than 15,000 firearms. Now, the Transportation Security Administration is forbidden by law to sell any of these items, to profit from their seizure. The government has, as of today, they have signed a contract with a private company. And it is going to now find a way to dispose of all these items. Especially the hazardous materials and make sure they're disposed of in a consistent and safe manner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's important to understand what would happen if TSA didn't have this contract in place. At airports across the country, our local airport operations would have to scramble to find places to take items like mace, hazardous items like pepper spray and dispose of them appropriately. These are items you can't just put in the trash can, can't empty out in the local storm gutter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: Some of these items will likely end up with state agencies around the country that handle surplus items. Might possibly be cleaned up and then donated, say the pocket knives to local scout troops, scissors to local schools, that sort of thing. And also passengers, as they're boarding will still have a way to hold on to their items, the same choice they've always had, take that contraband item say back in their in their car. They can put it back in their checked luggage. They can also take it to one of a number of these postal operations that have popped up in a lot of airports and mail that item back to themselves. The Transportation Security Administration said it was too cumbersome to set up some sort of nationwide system to get all of these items directly back to the person who was traveling with them. They want to focus not on being a lost and found agency but security agency -- Renay.
SAN MIGUEL: Kathleen Koch, live from Washington. Thanks so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Airports>
