I’ve been reading reports of the tens of thousands of pocket knives, scissors, and fingernail clippers being confiscated at airport security checkpoints. Of course, if you have a valuable knife, you always have the option of not boarding your flight while you return home, or maybe mail it to yourself. But I have an image of piles and piles of cheap fingernail clippers and hundreds of semi-expensive Swiss Army Knives. Maybe they should sell postage-paid envelopes at the checkpoint to allow people to send the contraband home, rather than just confiscate them.
So just where do these knives, scissors, etc. end up? Do we have any airport security people here on SDMB who might know the score? I have a vision of someone selling huge piles of this stuff out of their car trunk. If someone tosses them in a dumpster, someone will know about it and fish them out.
A couple of years ago I was flying back to the US from Britain. They stopped me at the check-through and confiscated my Krazy-Glue. It was still in its unopened blister-pack.
“Why?” I asked. I imagined they had visions of me Krazy-Gluing the flight attendants into a daisy-chain.
“It’s an irritant,” they replied. I had no trouble bringing it into the country, you know. I just couldn’t take it out.
They gave me a receipt and told me that I could claim it at the airport, as long as I didn’t try to take it out of the country. I imagine that’s what happens with confiscated knives, too.
Clearly it’s not worth reclaiming 2 ml of glue, even if I wanted to or could. Maybe I could give it to some Briton I knew.("Hello, Nigel? Yes, the trip back to the US was fine. I landed an hour ago. Say, did you need some Krazee Glue? I know where you can get some.)
The punchline: They didn’t do anything about my Boy Scout knife,which was in the same briefcase.
IANALawEnforcementProfessional, but my semi-educated WAG is that they are all auctioned off from time to time, along with other booty (cars confiscated from drug dealers, etc.) at those police auctions that happen every now and then.
A similar thing to what happens when the police confiscate things but make no arrest - they are either thrown away, auctioned, or very often (according to the police officer and sherriff’s deputy I knew) taken home for their personal use. I’m quite certain that the relatives of airport security officers are going to be receiving quite a few Leathermen for Christmas this year. :rolleyes:
I’d like to know why they just don’t issue a claim check, put the item in some box (with the other items) that eventually makes it on the plane (hopefully in a very secure locked place). This would be for items of value only, of course.
You then reclaim it at the security desk at the arrival airport.
I used to fly a fair bit on business, I always took my briefcase as hand luggage and this would always contain my Swiss army knife and a (cheap fake) leatherman pliers tool.
I don’t suppose that would be allowed any more.
Hey, now… under ordinary circumstances, that’s be a good start for a porn movie…
And here we have a tube of Krazy Glue. We’ll start the bidding at twenty cents. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
Pepper Mill’s opinion of why they confiscated my Krazee-Glue: “Somebody had to glue something.”
You don’t necessarily have to abandon it. You can always check it.
Most airports have a shop in the unsecured section that sells packing material. On one occassion when I naively thought I could get through security with a harmless but large metal object, I went back and bought a box, cut it to wrap around the thing, taped it together, and went back to the counter to check it. I suspect you could just buy a large padded envelope or small box for your pocketknife and it would travel fine.
Or you could impose on kind and skillful counter staff. A couple of months ago I forgot to put my knife in my checked bag and realized it on the way to security. I returned to the counter and handed it to the woman who’d checked me in. My luggage had already disappearred down the conveyor. She assured me she’d get it in my bag, and I pretty much gave it up for lost. On arrival, my knife was tucked inside the zipper pocket of my bag. Kudos to Continental for going above and beyond for customer service…
I just saw a news report on this here in Tampa. In TIA (Tampa International Airport) they reported that knives, box cutters and any sharp objects that were confiscated were sent over to the Sherrif’s dept. where they were destroyed on a monthly basis.
That glue story is crazy, Cal. 
On a not very related note, I was checking out the rules on what you can bring into Japan, and I discovered, to my astonishment, that it is illegal to bring Vicks nasal inhalers into the country. It is assigned to the same category of “stimulants” as amphetamines and cocaine. Bizarre.
TRUE STORIES
When we were kids coming back from Disneyland and got on the plane for home, my brother packed in his carry-on a plastic toy sword. It was a complete laughable fake with a white plastic blade with a huge ball on the tip. Nonetheless it was illegal to bring it aboard the airplane. So we walked to check the sword in as baggage and they gave us a huge box to put it in. Here the 1-foot long sword was put in a box designed for a set of golf clubs.
My brother struck again and bought a mechanical electronic dinosaur called Zoids in England. It wasn’t assembled, but airport security demanded that he put it together and show its operation before we could go through. He we were waiting for my brother to construct the massive stegosaurus so that we can get on our flight.
I was stupid and packed a gold ankh necklace bought at the British Museum in my luggage. Sure enough my luggage was tampered with and the ankh stolen.
When U.S. Police or other law enforcement types confiscate something from the general public, it generally suffers one of these fates:
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It’s considered evidence in a criminal prosecution, thus it is cataloged and retained for use at the trial. After the trial most evidence is kept for a number of years, then destroyed.
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It’s an item of some value OTHER than as a criminal tool, e.g. a car, cash, real estate, bicycle, etc., which is auctioned off with the proceeds generally going to the local municipality (or police dept.)
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It’s an item which may be used to promote some sort of criminal mischief (gun, knife, explosive) or is illegal for the general public to own in any case (illegal cable box, pirated copies of software, etc.), in which case it’s generally destroyed.
Yes, some items do wind up as souvenirs to the law enforcement people. However, I strongly suspect the airport security types will soon have all the nail clippers and Scout knives they want. Since there is not much of an aftermarket for used nail clippers, and hardly much more of one for used penknives, I suspect most of these will eventually be destroyed.
Canada routinely confiscates handguns from Americans who don’t realize they aren’t allowed to bring them into Canada. Canada does NOT give you the option of saying “ooops” and mailing it home. Neither do they generally arrest the carrier, they just take the gun, wish you a pleasant stay, dismantle the gun and melt the parts.
Likewise, about 15 years ago I was educated by a stern NY State Police officer that the butterfly knife I purchased legally in North Carolina was NOT considered an acceptable travel accessory in New York State. I was yelled at, threatened with arrest, and told never again to pull such a stunt in their state. As the officer unlatched the clasp and opened it up, his eyes got wide and I could almost see the cartoon dialogue bubble over his head reading “Wow! Cool, man!” I am certain it became either a memento or a present for a younger relative of his.
Like I said, these items generally fall into one of the three categories above.