Some cop set up this shot hoping journos would publish feel-good stories unencumbered by context on exactly why it’s legal for cops to seize cash from travelers, and whether that law is ethical as it was written or how it is actually enforced. Because Ballentine is a good dog!!

• Who is doing the praising, and why?
• Who did the finding, and why?
• According to the story, the person with the cash was not charged. Why was the cash seized anyway?

Laws vary by state, but in general if you buy a plane ticket you agree that you will declare any large amount of cash you’re carrying with you. If you don’t declare the cash, cops can take it, on the assumption that anyone carrying undeclared cash must have acquired the cash illegally. (In some states, cops have to return the money after a certain amount of time if they can’t link it to a crime.)

Here’s a much better work of journalism, which documents the progress of a lawsuit in which cops seized about $80,000 from her father’s life savings. “Retiree’s $82,000 seized by feds at airport to be returned, but lawsuit continues” (The TSA agreed to return the funds after several months, but offered no apology or explanation.)