TIA asks for $$$ to protect baggage

TAMPA - Earlier this summer, a FOX 13 Investigation disclosed that baggage thefts at Tampa International Airport are among the worst in the nation.

Now, changes are being made. TIA is asking the federal government for money to help protect your luggage.

Back in June, we spoke with Bruce Mitchell, who lost $9,000 worth of photography equipment in his checked baggage on a flight from Tampa to Hartford. Mitchell was just one of the luggage theft victims we found while looking through police reports at TIA.

Authorities told us it is hard to know who is to blame when something disappears from a checked bag because it passes through so many hands.

Last year, airport police busted three baggage handlers and showed off all the loot. The men pleaded guilty to dealing in stolen property.

Now, the airport is asking the Transportation Security Administration for millions of dollars in stimulus funds for more cameras, in more places, to keep an eye on bags once they leave your sight.

When FOX 13 contacted the airport on Friday, officials did not share many details. They did say that the decision to apply for the grant happened just recently, when the airport learned the stimulus money was available.