Lambert-St. Louis Internatioanl Airport security
By Heidi Glaus
St. Louis (KSDK) -- If your items don't meet all the rules and regulations at the airport, the TSA might have to take your stuff. NewsChannel 5 viewer Cindy Wolk wanted to know what happens to all those items, so NewsChannel 5's Heidi Glaus went to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport to find out what the TSA has collected in this week's Hey Heidi segment.
No doubt, traveling via any airline these days takes longer than it did 10 years ago for a couple of reasons.
"As you can imagine, people are carrying more bags through the checkpoints. They don't want to pay the extra fee and we've gone from like 40,000 bags up to 102,000 bags at a checkpoint," explains Bill Switzer, the Federal Security Director.
Of course, security is tighter. You probably know the rules by now about liquids and sharp objects, but it's amazing what Switzer and his staff still see.
"So during the year, we probably get about 2,500 pounds of various types of knives, tools," Switzer adds.
For the record, no tool longer than seven inches is allowed through security, which is why the table of consicated tools is heaven to a handyman.
"You can see here a variety of tools that you have, wrenches, vice grips, screwdrivers," Switzer points out.
On this particular day, there are even power tools and a pool cue that they've acquired in the last two weeks. I say acquired because technically it's not confiscated, it's voluntarily surrendered.
"They have the option to take it back to the car, give it to someone else or they can put it in their checked bag. But, they can not bring it through the checkpoint," Switzer reiterates.
Once it's been handed over, it's federal property.
"What we do is we have a contract with Missouri State Surplus. So about four, five, six, seven times a year, depending on how much we collect, and we just turn it over to them," Switzer explains.
The other stuff like liquids and lotions are tossed into the trash. As you can imagine, no two days are the same at the security checkpoints which could make for rather memorable cocktail conversations.
KSDK