Let's hope so

This happened at 1O5 about 5 years ago. A King Air came in and went through a guys plane but it was full of drugs. They got it right.

Tim

Reading even this article made me angry. And who is the information from? It sounds as if it's a statement from CBP, which amounts to a press release, rather than an empirical conclusion. "We understand that pilots are angry about these unnecessary and unwarranted searches, so let's quell the bitching by saying we won't do it as much." Pilot community chalks it up as a win. That remains to be seen.

Zzz wrote:Reading even this article made me angry. And who is the information from? It sounds as if it's a statement from CBP, which amounts to a press release, rather than an empirical conclusion. "We understand that pilots are angry about these unnecessary and unwarranted searches, so let's quell the bitching by saying we won't do it as much." Pilot community chalks it up as a win. That remains to be seen.

Yeah, it's a mixed bag. *If* their stat is legit (37% accuracy) then there is clearly something going on here in terms of just cause. But if they are full of crap...

I'm right there with ya Zane! Just thinking about it gets my blood boiling.
Glad to see a post like this from you rw2. Have to say I'm kinda shocked. Figured you'd be the guy backing the Feds. You usually seem to think anything they wanna do is ok and we should all quit crying about it. Welcome to the dark side of the crazy freedom lovers.

55wagon wrote:I'm right there with ya Zane! Just thinking about it gets my blood boiling.
Glad to see a post like this from you rw2. Have to say I'm kinda shocked. Figured you'd be the guy backing the Feds. You usually seem to think anything they wanna do is ok and we should all quit crying about it. Welcome to the dark side of the crazy freedom lovers.

Don't worry. I'm sure you would still find the vast majority of my positions distasteful.

rw2 wrote:

Zzz wrote:Reading even this article made me angry. And who is the information from? It sounds as if it's a statement from CBP, which amounts to a press release, rather than an empirical conclusion. "We understand that pilots are angry about these unnecessary and unwarranted searches, so let's quell the bitching by saying we won't do it as much." Pilot community chalks it up as a win. That remains to be seen.

Yeah, it's a mixed bag. *If* their stat is legit (37% accuracy) then there is clearly something going on here in terms of just cause. But if they are full of crap...

How many of that 37% were found due to "tracking suspicious flights" and how many from tips / inside information?

How many of that 37% were actual crimes that lead to convictions and how many were "disorderly conduct" or something made up on the spot to improve the statistics?

I just gotta say, all statistics are malleable and NO statistics, raw or manipulated, justify unconstitutional activity. If these searches are not constitutional, the issue is very simple. The same rules apply to us yahoos in airplanes as apply to us yahoos in cars.

flyingzebra wrote:. If these searches are not constitutional, the issue is very simple. The same rules apply to us yahoos in airplanes as apply to us yahoos in cars.

You probably don't want to wish for that. Law Enforcement has acquired all sorts of "tools" to get into your car without a warrant.

MTV

I kind of thought this was pretty cool when I read it, but I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt. I trust that their intentions were good (i.e. to catch the bad guys), but their method was flawed and they were made aware of it, so they adjusted their method to help ensure it doesn't continue to be a problem. Not that that excuses what happened in the first place and hopefully the over zealous person or persons responsible will indeed be held accountable and change their way... Ultimately, in the end, the proof will be in the proverbial pudding. We'll see?

Then again, maybe I just fell victim to the wool being pulled over my eyes and I should just brace myself for the next wave of rogue behavior??

CW

Z, press release likely. I attended a class for cops taught by a lady from the AMOC.
It was clear that they find this to be an exciting game to play. On our dime.

listen folks,,, those of us who live and fly near the border have learned... when we fly we are being tracked... landing at more than one airport here in san diego county and you are immediately under suspicion...I cite my posts regarding a friends flight two weeks ago when he was approached by a border patrolman at Jacumba airstrip....he was told he was being tracked and knew exactly what the flight path of the aircraft was and at what airports he landed at...so when they say they are altering their position I wouldn't put too much stock in it... Now in case you think I'm some sort of anti gov't nut case.. I am former SDPD and NYPD... my son is a homicide detective in the Bronx and I am very pro law enforcement but I know first hand how we can have our rights walked on and violated...I've had federal agents flat out lie about incidents I've been involved in... I was accused of Diving my airplane and attempting to hit a border patrol agent with my plane...a lie that any pilot knows would have resulted in my death as well as the agents....so when it comes to trusting fed agents i'm pretty skeptical...

Well Iceman, I am pretty sure you WILL be tracked from now on. Me too, I suppose.
They can stop me and chat anytime.... I might enjoy seeing what they are flying that day too. But, if they send a dog up my paint job... it is going to get testy. And my tylenol isn't going to make any headlines.