Amtrak, TSA, Security, Police, Criminal Activity Thread

[Jeff Smith]

Here's the thing I don't get. I'm in sleeper. I don't look like a drug dealer. How the heck do I fit the profile? You gotta fit something in the profile, and I'm about as far off that profile as possible. Heck they didn't even see me at first, they were waiting outside my room. Funny thing is they didn't even talk to the 60-something guy in the room adjacent.

They chose you PRECISELY because you don't fit the profile. They don't want the hassle of actually having to investigate/arrest someone. That's work. In the early days after 9/11, I used to get chosen for extra screening ALL the time. Why? Because I was courteous and carried a military ID card. They knew they wouldn't find anything, and I wouldn't give them any trouble.

Or perhaps it was just totally random... nah, I'm not buying that. I think you just happened along at the right (or wrong) time, and they took the opportunity.

That said, I know most LEO's are good people wanting to do a good job. Can't necessarily say the same of TSA. And trains do indeed seem to be a good conduit for drug couriers, who can avoid not only random traffic stops, but stops for violating traffic laws that can escalate.

[Greg Moore]

Here's the thing I don't get. I'm in sleeper. I don't look like a drug dealer. How the heck do I fit the profile? You gotta fit something in the profile, and I'm about as far off that profile as possible. Heck they didn't even see me at first, they were waiting outside my room. Funny thing is they didn't even talk to the 60-something guy in the room adjacent.

I complied with their requests because (a) I didn't have anything to hide; (b) it's wise to comply with requests from train personnel or law enforcement on board trains and planes, but it was certainly a stretch to stop a yuppie in topsiders.

And pray tell, what exactly does a drug dealer look like?
Or perhaps a high-end drug user, who in my experience looks looks exactly like a yuppie in topsiders?

[Jeff Smith]

Point taken.

[David Benton]

Possibly because you seem to have been travelling a lot lately ? Might have popped up a "see if this guy is on legit business" alert ?
They wouldn't even consider giving me a visa to Iran , because I had stamps to 50 something countries in my Passport.

[Passenger]

Bored or just keeping their hand in to justify their existence.

You fit the "profile" of someone who wouldn't give them trouble.

[JoeBas]

Could also have been travel profile, and not personal (I.E. repeated trips booked one-way between a near-border location and a major distribution hub, etc).

[AgentSkelly]

My educated guess knowing law enforcement and a little bit of what is going on with trends from my law enforcement friends is that the people they are looking for aren't the "drug dealers' aka the people where the money and orders start/end from; but rather the people getting on the train are the delivery people, which their profile is more polished and usually tries to blend in with the crowd. However with that said, if you had USMS on the train, its because they were looking for someone in particular.

[Tadman]

So upon a little research, I think they were DEA agents, not Marshalls. The badges are different and these guys definitely had "US" in the center of their badges, which is not on the USMS badge but is on DEA badge.

Here's what I don't get - I've seen them get on before with drug dogs, which I understand to be terrifically effective. Why not just do that rather than questioning passengers? It's unobtrusive. I don't mind having drug dogs walk through my train, I'm kind of glad. I don't really like being questioned by 4-6 DEA agents, I don't involve myself in drugs and sure as heck don't want anybody thinking I do. Besides, drug dogs would be pretty darn accurate - either they smell drugs on me or they don't. No need to badger anybody.

[AgentSkelly]

Well, USMS in the past had federal railroad jurisdiction; a matter of fact, when Amtrak was formed, it was suggested that USMS would handle Amtrak's law enforcement as a department expansion, but that got nixed I think by many railroad police departments.

I volunteer in Search & Rescue and our organization has K-9 dogs that both do scent/tracking and whats called Human Remains Discovery (HRD). Dogs trained in scent detection of drugs is pretty effective like you said and my understanding is that that is being done on a case-by-case basis with baggage cars already, especially in Chicago. They are probably doing the practice where the dog finds something (Beagles usually sit next to bags or persons when they find something), they hold the bag and then either pull the passenger in or when they get to their destination and they can't find the bag...have local law enforcement meet them.

However, I think law enforcement here is looking for something bigger. Look at the previous story where they found a trafficker who had a bunch of cash bills inside coffee cans in luggage on the train; they are moving cash in weird ways. I bet you too that some transactions aren't involving cash, but rather stolen goods too. "Oh yes, I'll sell you a few kilos of crack for those 200 iPhone 6s that were stolen"

[Literalman]

Cans in luggage: last year while in New England I bought a can of brown bread (my daughters: bread in a can? we're not eating that!). Before boarding Amtrak at South Station to return to Virginia, I had breakfast with my brother at his company's cafeteria. Entering his building, I saw a guard and a metal detector. I went over to the receptionist's desk and said I had a can of brown bread in my bag and thought it might look threatening on a metal detector (it comes in a can about 8 inches long and three inches in diameter). No problem. Good thing I wasn't flying. I think the TSA would have taken and kept my can of brown bread.

[AgentSkelly]

Your brown bread in a can would of been fine; its a factory sealed can; I have taken plenty of those on planes over the years and have seperated it out of my bag.
The smuggler's with the cans of money used poorly re-sealed soup cans; apparently they tried soldering the tops of them....