Watch your wallet, belongings when you are told by security personnel at Los Angeles International Airport to put your stuff through the scanner/x-ray machine. My 19 year old daughter just returned from Germany to LAX. Before boarding her onward SouthWest flight, she had to go through the security check point at that terminal. The security (Leigh Hunt Corp.)had her put her purse through the scanner. On the other side of the scanner, two kids, 12 & 15, were "selling candy", at 2 am. They had been let through by the security. They snatched my daughter's purse - with her tickets, all her money, passport, etc. right after they passed through the scanner/detector The kids dashed off, my daughter & a security person persued them. The kids were caught, just around a corner, but they had no purse, no money! The kids were arrested. My daughter checked the garbage cans and found her purse and its contents, but none of the $600. cash she had. A "cleaning lady" approached my daughter and said she found some cash in the garbage, a couple hundred dollars. The police kept the money for evidence. The theft was caught on video. This happened 2 weeks ago. My daughter still has NONE of her money and probably won't see any of it for at least 60 days, when this goes to court. It could take 6 months! The kids were released to their parents. My daughter goes on to New Zealand in 2 weeks with no money. The kids are claiming that part of the money found was theirs - from selling candy?!

Question - Why are these kids allowed past security check points to "sell candy"? Is security somehow responsible for this situation? If so, what can be done? I e-mailed Lax, and never heard from them. Southwest Air says they have nothing to do with their security checkpoint. LAPD says they can't give her any of the money because its evidence. Southwest gave me a disconnected number for the security, Hunt Leigh, Leigh Hunt? The "cleaning lady" may be tied into this "ring". What can you do when the security has you put all your stuff through the detector, and "little felons" are waiting anxiously on the other side of the "money machine"?

-- johan (reisch@c-zone.net), December 23, 1999

Answers

Short version: without past moral education and current social and economic opportunity, people are as selfish and opportunist as any other animal. We're all just a paycheck - or three meals - away from being those kids.

-- Servant (public_service@yahoo.com), December 23, 1999.

my ex once had airline tickets STOLEN right out of his hand in an airport. he was holding the tickets as he was standing in line and bingo--a guy ran by and grabbed them as he ran. so obviously airports are the pits for theft.

-- tt (cuddluppy@nowhere.com), December 23, 1999.

And some people can't understand why we (at least some of us) think that the world is headed to hell in a handbasket. Any bet that the girl never gets her cash back? That it gets "lost in the shuffle"?

-- Billy Boy (Rakkasan101st@Aol.com), December 23, 1999.

Why are these kids allowed past security check points to "sell candy"?

Assuming they are black or hispanic, they can do anything they darn well please. To believe otherwise would be racist. Don't you watch TV?

-- Anonymous99 (Anonymous99@Anonymous99.xxx), December 23, 1999.

"LAPD says they can't give her any of the money because its evidence"

Why doesn't she just write them a check and take the cash?

-- Mark Hillyard (foster@inreach.com), December 24, 1999.