3:06pm: Hotline with Dave Weekley

W.Va. TSA officers share stories from Presidential Inauguration

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Transportation Security Administration officers from five West Virginia airports say their experience at the Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C. was slightly different compared to their every-day work.

“It was a constant rush,” said Jason Wilburn, who is used to working with smaller crowds as a TSA officer at Charleston’s Yeager Airport. “The prohibited items list was a little different, so we were looking for different items that we don’t normally look for.”

Nearly 1,000 TSA officers from 50 airports nationwide were in Washington to assist with security for the Inauguration last month. There were nine TSA officers selected from West Virginia.

“In the conference room beforehand, it was like a sea of blue. I’d never seen that many TSA personnel since I’ve been working for them,” said Rodney Courts, TSA officer at Huntington Tri-State Airport.

On Friday, the officers met at Yeager to talk about their role in security efforts.

Courts said they screened spectators at one of the checkpoints at the National Mall.

“I’d be afraid to guess how many people went through,” he said. “I’ve heard anything from 40,000. It was basically wide open.”

Sharon Milks, TSA officer at Yeager, was nearby and said she got caught up in a protest.

“They were next to us, but they were quiet and just walking. Then all of a sudden they decided they were going to start chanting and the protesters decided they were going to rush the gate,” Milks told MetroNews.

Milks said she knew crowds would get rowdy, but she didn’t expect to be in the middle of it.

“I wasn’t expecting to get caught up in it. We knew there was protesters there, but we were trying to stay away from them because we were told by Secret Service to stay away from them and let them handle it,” she said.

Guidelines were more strict when it came to the list of items a person could or could not bring through security, Courts said.

“One of the biggest things that shocked me at first was they didn’t allow e-cigarettes to come through. They had to discard them or take them back. Several people were offended by that,” he said.

Courts said all fruit had to be discarded. Liquids were allowed through the gate as long as it was not in a glass bottle or can. Baby strollers were allowed through. Bicycles were not.

“Some things were different, a little more stricter, but other things that were laxed, so it makes you appreciate a small airport,” Courts said.

President Donald Trump took the oath of office that day, but, unfortunately, Courts said they weren’t able to see him.

“A lot of people ask — did you get to see the President? Not unless you saw him on TV. We could hear part of the speech, but we were so far back. We just wanted to make sure everything was safe and secure, but if you think about it, you’re part of history,” he said.

TSA officers traveled to D.C. from the following West Virginia airports: Yeager Airport, Raleigh County Memorial Airport, North Central West Virginia Airport, Huntington Tri-State Airport and Greenbrier Valley Airport.





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