At this point I pretty much live on my iPhone. My wife has no cell at all but she sends me iMessages from her iPad. Yes i can live without my phone at work, I just like having it on me. I found a company that will remove your phones camera for $19. When i start on June 3rd I will ask security specifically what i have to do to be allowed to bring in my iPhone.
If you're on AT&T, the store on Broad Street can disable the camera using parental controls, and write a letter for security. Bring it to the gate, they will inspect it and give it a sticker. You're good to go. I'm not saying the policy makes any sense whatsoever, but that's what the policy is. My 4S is disabled this way, and is allowed in all of the facilities (I'm in three of the four on a regular or semi-regular basis).
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Also, if you remove the case, you have to go back to security and get a new sticker put on the new case, so get whatever case you want to keep (if you're in the trades or deck plate engineering, an Otterbox, Lifeproof or the like might be a good idea).