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The headline gave me a slightly incorrect impression. ABC news left valuables at checkpoints as part of a sting operation. While it's still inexcusable, taking

The headline gave me a slightly incorrect impression. ABC news left valuables at checkpoints as part of a sting operation. While it's still inexcusable, taking a lost item isn't quite as bad as actively stealing. I think the legal term is "theft by finding": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theft_by_finding http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theft_by_finding. I guess the TSA agent didn't know that iPhones, iPads, and many other tablets and smartphones can be tracked and wiped remotely. There is a large risk to stealing them and little reward. I bet theft rates will decrease as word of these anti-theft features spreads.

NegativeK 14y ago
Except not only is it theft by finding, it's also in their training to turn in lost goods. It's not just the law; it's very clearly their job.
cek 14y ago
What an outrageous thing to say! This guy stole the iPad. Period. You also seem to be implying that his "mistake" was taking something easy to track. Wow.
- AngryParsley 14y ago
  No. I'm saying not only was his action inexcusable, wrong, and illegal, it was also stupid. I'm not sure why people downvoted me and replied with such stern disagreement. I used as many hedge-words as I could ("slightly incorrect", "isn't quite as bad", etc) and was describing my subjective impression. In no way did I blame ABC for the loss of their iPad, and I called the TSA agent's action inexcusable. We're on the same side here.
  - scott_s 14y ago
    Don't worry, I assumed the same thing you did about his actions, and I think it's important to make what he did clear.
- 13rules 14y ago
  What an outrageous thing to say! This guy stole the iPad. Period. Seriously. If someone leaves their car running on the street that's a stupid thing to do, but does it give anyone permission to steal it? "Oh look ... I 'found' this car." Finder's Keepers applies to a $5 bill you find on the sidewalk with no one around, not iPads.
danilocampos 14y ago
> taking a lost item isn't quite as bad as actively stealing. This isn't a thing where the TSA guy saw a pack of tissues left on a bench and pocketed them for himself. This is a thing where travelers are forced to separate even from valuable items under stress from travel, family and time constraints. So the default assumption when you come across an expensive item like an iPad is "this must belong to someone." You know they're coming back for it, either in person or by phone.
- AngryParsley 14y ago
  I'm not saying that theft by finding isn't bad, just that it's not quite as bad as normal theft. It is still pretty damn bad. Consider these options: Option 1: TSA agents steal things from your bags. Option 2: TSA agents steal things that you forget at the checkpoint. Both options suck, but option 2 doesn't suck quite as much. That's all I'm saying. I'm not defending the guy. It's just that the headline made me think #1 was the case, but it turned out to be #2, and #2 isn't quite as bad as #1. Of course, both are inexcusable, illegal, and wrong.
  - 13rules 14y ago
    Well, here's an "Option 1" for you then ... "Pythias Brown, a former TSA officer at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey who admits he stole more than $800,000 worth of items from luggage and security checkpoints over a four-year period" $800,000!!! http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/convicted-tsa-officer-reveals-secrets-thefts-airports/story?id=17339513 http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/convicted-tsa-officer-reveals-... This was so ridiculously easy that the only way that he got caught is that he got VERY lazy, and didn't remove the CNN stickers from a camera he stole from a CNN producer's luggage. Others that worked with him seemed to know about it — one co-worker even warned him, "They were talking about you in the office. Be careful." But no one did anything. Absurd.

NegativeK 14y ago

Except not only is it theft by finding, it's also in their training to turn in lost goods. It's not just the law; it's very clearly their job.

cek 14y ago

What an outrageous thing to say! This guy stole the iPad. Period. You also seem to be implying that his "mistake" was taking something easy to track. Wow.

AngryParsley 14y ago
No. I'm saying not only was his action inexcusable, wrong, and illegal, it was also stupid. I'm not sure why people downvoted me and replied with such stern disagreement. I used as many hedge-words as I could ("slightly incorrect", "isn't quite as bad", etc) and was describing my subjective impression. In no way did I blame ABC for the loss of their iPad, and I called the TSA agent's action inexcusable. We're on the same side here.
- scott_s 14y ago
  Don't worry, I assumed the same thing you did about his actions, and I think it's important to make what he did clear.
13rules 14y ago
What an outrageous thing to say! This guy stole the iPad. Period. Seriously. If someone leaves their car running on the street that's a stupid thing to do, but does it give anyone permission to steal it? "Oh look ... I 'found' this car." Finder's Keepers applies to a $5 bill you find on the sidewalk with no one around, not iPads.

danilocampos 14y ago

> taking a lost item isn't quite as bad as actively stealing. This isn't a thing where the TSA guy saw a pack of tissues left on a bench and pocketed them for himself. This is a thing where travelers are forced to separate even from valuable items under stress from travel, family and time constraints. So the default assumption when you come across an expensive item like an iPad is "this must belong to someone." You know they're coming back for it, either in person or by phone.

AngryParsley 14y ago
I'm not saying that theft by finding isn't bad, just that it's not quite as bad as normal theft. It is still pretty damn bad. Consider these options: Option 1: TSA agents steal things from your bags. Option 2: TSA agents steal things that you forget at the checkpoint. Both options suck, but option 2 doesn't suck quite as much. That's all I'm saying. I'm not defending the guy. It's just that the headline made me think #1 was the case, but it turned out to be #2, and #2 isn't quite as bad as #1. Of course, both are inexcusable, illegal, and wrong.
- 13rules 14y ago
  Well, here's an "Option 1" for you then ... "Pythias Brown, a former TSA officer at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey who admits he stole more than $800,000 worth of items from luggage and security checkpoints over a four-year period" $800,000!!! http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/convicted-tsa-officer-reveals-secrets-thefts-airports/story?id=17339513 http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/convicted-tsa-officer-reveals-... This was so ridiculously easy that the only way that he got caught is that he got VERY lazy, and didn't remove the CNN stickers from a camera he stole from a CNN producer's luggage. Others that worked with him seemed to know about it — one co-worker even warned him, "They were talking about you in the office. Be careful." But no one did anything. Absurd.