# Oddball question **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 4, 2020, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddball-question/845920 "2020-01-04T05:17:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddball-question/845920/1 "2020-01-04T05:17:01Z")
My husband suffered a broken leg about 4 months ago. Treatment included implanting a metal rod the length of his tibia. Now, he’s facing jury duty in the not-too-distant future, and we’re wondering if that metal in his leg is going to be a significant problem as far as security goes. Is there some needed medical documentation he should have with him? ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddball-question/845920/2 "2020-01-04T05:47:55Z")
Of course every jurisdiction can have their own rules, but you don’t need to provide anything to the [TSA](https://www.tsa.gov/travel/special-procedures?field_disability_type_value=3%20) when flying. > [@TSA website](#): > > **Implants & Internal Medical Devices** > > **Inform the TSA Officer** > Inform the TSA officer that you have an artificial knee, hip, other metal implant or a pacemaker, defibrillator or other internal medical device. You _may_ provide the officer with the TSA notification card or other medical documentation to describe your condition. > > **Screening** > Advanced imaging technology can facilitate your screening and reduces the likelihood of a pat-down. You should not be screened by a walk-through metal detector if you have an internal medical device such as a pacemaker. Consult with your physician prior to flying. > > If you choose to not be screened through the advanced imaging technology or you alarm the walk-through metal detector, you will undergo a pat-down screening instead. emphasis mine - ‘may’, not ‘must’. Of course, if security objects, it’s his get-out-of-jury-duty free card. 🙂 On a somewhat related note, what happens come October if one gets federal jury duty but doesn’t have a Real ID (or passport)? Since you won’t be able to enter a federal building w/o that, does that mean those people can’t do federal jury duty? ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddball-question/845920/3 "2020-01-04T07:47:32Z")
The one time I had jury duty here, we were told to tell the security guys if we had any metal in our bodies. Nobody did. I imagine they’d wand your hubby or do some kind of pat-down. But to be sure, you could just call and ask. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddball-question/845920/4 "2020-01-04T11:23:46Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > On a somewhat related note, what happens come October if one gets federal jury duty but doesn’t have a Real ID (or passport)? Since you won’t be able to enter a federal building w/o that, does that mean those people can’t do federal jury duty? I’ve wondered about things like this. I’m not planning to get my Real ID until 2022 when my current driver license expires, since I don’t envision needing it. But the rules I’ve been reading (remember, we had a thread about it recently) suggest that some people will have a difficult time scrounging up the required documentation. For example, people who have changed their names (case in point: Women who have married several times) need to provide a complete chain of name change documentation leading from their birth certificate to their current name. Some people are saying they don’t have that complete documentation. It looks to me like some people won’t have their Real ID for one reason or another, and will henceforth be relegated to second-class citizen status. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddball-question/845920/5 "2020-01-04T13:40:34Z")
I’ve been in this exact same situation, although probably in a different jurisdiction. This is a non-issue. Your husband will pass through the metal detector at the courthouse entrance. It will beep. Your husband will inform the officers doing security that he has some metal in his leg. They’ll go over him with a handheld wand, they’ll satisfy themselves that there’s nothing suspicious going on, and he’ll enter the courthouse. That’s all there is to it. It isn’t going to be an automatic pass for jury duty. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddball-question/845920/6 "2020-01-04T14:41:47Z")
Huh. I went through a metal detector last week to attend a courthouse wedding and completely forgot the metal plate spanning three vertebrae in my neck, plus the ten screws and four little retaining plates. It didn’t pick them up. Since the implant is bigger than a small knife, I guess they can’t detect small metal weapons. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddball-question/845920/7 "2020-01-04T15:03:11Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > It didn’t pick them up. Since the implant is bigger than a small knife, I guess they can’t detect small metal weapons. I do event production; I worked when the Pope was in Philly a few years ago. Approx 36 hrs before the main event we were doing our thing when another company was setting up the dozen + metal detectors at each entrance. It was funny to watch them dial them in. A woman with a knife strapped to her leg would walk thru, it would beep (or not), they’d adjust the sensitivity & she’d walk thru again. She walked thru each detector about 8-10 times until they dialed it in just right then move 3’ to their right & start all over on the next one. When we want thru one to the inner circle, I had a [commercial food product with some foil in the wrapper](https://www.balance.com/-/media/balancebar/shared/confirmation-modal/contactthankyou_image_new.png) in my pocket; that set off the alarm. So it absolutely depends how the machine is set as to what it may/not pick up. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/22080_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddball-question/845920/8 "2020-01-04T16:38:35Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > Huh. I went through a metal detector last week to attend a courthouse wedding and completely forgot the metal plate spanning three vertebrae in my neck, plus the ten screws and four little retaining plates. It didn’t pick them up. Since the implant is bigger than a small knife, I guess they can’t detect small metal weapons. My husband has 4 screws holding together one ankle. First time after the surgery, they set off the metal detectors. When he told the screeners what it was, they claimed it couldn’t be that, and they wanded him. And his nekkid, scarred ankle set the wand off. I guess they believed after that, since they let him fly. On the other hand, the multiple hunks of metal in his spine and neck never set off anything. Maybe the type of metal? Maybe the sensitivity of the equipment? Maybe it’s all just random?? I surely feel secure… ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddball-question/845920/9 "2020-01-04T17:25:34Z")
I hope he makes it through the detector. Jury duty is quite entertaining. Better than cable TV. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddball-question/845920/10 "2020-01-04T18:52:34Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > I’ve wondered about things like this. I’m not planning to get my Real ID until 2022 when my current driver license expires, since I don’t envision needing it. But the rules I’ve been reading (remember, we had a thread about it recently) suggest that some people will have a difficult time scrounging up the required documentation. For example, people who have changed their names (case in point: Women who have married several times) need to provide a complete chain of name change documentation leading from their birth certificate to their current name. Some people are saying they don’t have that complete documentation. > > It looks to me like some people won’t have their Real ID for one reason or another, and will henceforth be relegated to second-class citizen status. We just had a thread on Real ID here [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=887284](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=887284) ---
**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddball-question/845920/11 "2020-01-04T21:43:10Z")
I’ve never had any problems with the titanium screws in my skull. I have no idea how any of it works.