TSA's new security strategy

[mb1k]

Seriously, where the f$&k do they find these idiots?

Does anyone have a copy of the Navy/Marine Corps Times where a retiring Gunny wrote in about his TSA application/interview process? Basically he has a heavy security background; embassy, MP, etc... He spoke of going into the interview and being questioned by a bunch of wet behind the ears college NSPS/GS paper pushers. Interview wrapped up and they said they'd be calling him.

He goes to the outer office to complete some ppwk. This takes some time, when out from the interview room squeals a 20-something girl. She basically comes out and asks another employee what the job she just got hired for mean. Basically she just got hired for the same job the soon-to-be retired Gunny was interviewing for and she had no idea what is was, and more importantly had no experience. The job was something like Security Supervisor or Manager for the TSA.

That's who's running the TSA.

 

[A4sForever]

Does anyone have a copy .....

Your anecdote is NOT a-typical, unfortunately.

I was "involved" w/ some of the early FFDO pilot program features and requirements, and as a result, I became conversant and involved w/ aspects of the FAM (Air Marshal) program, as well.

I tried to recommend a former SEAL friend, a retired Master Chief, and another gent -- all of whom had serious security credentials -- to the FAM program. They were all bright boys, fit, and had the head and the ability to excel at the job.

All were "denied" as they had no college degree.

And yet, on one of my flights, I had to tell a "college educated" FAM to go change his shirt as the pistol on his belt was "printing" through his Polo shirt. College boys are great.

I weep for the future ...

 

[wink]

Negative.

http://www.tsa.dhs.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1880.shtm

Military personnel in uniform, with a valid military ID are not required to remove their footwear unless it alarms the walk through metal detector.

My bad. I forgot that. But you can forgive me because airline personnel in uniform with ID DO have to take their shoes off. Stupid rules anyone?

If the woman had any sense at all, or ever paid a lick of attention to anything in her life, she could tell the difference between a pair of dress shoes and steel toe boots. She could have also opened up her eyes to the fact that my uniform has about 15 other metal objects on it, and taking rubber and leather shoes off are not going make one bit of a difference in what that machine picks up.

If she had known her policy and paid attention to what her eyes and ears were telling her, I would have just gone straight to the secondary screening.

Well it appears to me she knows her procedures better then you after all. Once you alarm on the walk through they have to ID all the sources of the possible alarm. Now that means shoes. So, once you alarm the shoes go through the X-ray. The X-ray is the most accurate way to inspect the shoes. Why not use it. Since you are a security expert I am surprised you didn't know that the threat from shoes is not just from metal. In fact, they are looking for more then metal. Thus, having your shoes hand wanded is not a very effective tool. That is why everyone else's shoes must go thru even if they are all rubber athletic shoes, or yes, flip flops. All she was doing was isolating a possible source of the alarm and allowing her colleague to look for non metal prohibited items. Give it a break. There are stupid TSA rules and less then stellar TSA personnel. You are entitled to be frustrated but consider, if she was extra thorough on you (and that is what it was, erring on the side of caution), then she will probably be hard on the next guy that may be a real threat. Does it matter if she is a dope blindly following orders or super intuitive? You don't want to destroy what enthusiasm or pride in their work these people have left. If they didn't care, instead of 50% of the test weapons getting through 75% would. That make your happier?

 

[HAL Pilot]

The TSA came into our crew lounge the other day and started checking badges. They were starting to write up a bunch of pilots who had their badges on their jackets that were hanging off the handles of their roller bags. "Supposed to be wearing them at all times". The Chief Pilot asked them if he should hang his off his dick while showering in the locker room (ex-Army guy) then called the head TSA guy at the airport. The head TSA guy had to come to the lounge and call off his attack dogs who then tried to argue with him about it.

TSA does not follow it's own rules. I've been in uniform with a HNL SIDA badge & Hawaiian pilot ID and denied entry at HNL security numerous times despite explaining to them that I was the pilot of the flight and not the pax. I've then had to either get a supervisor, go to another security gate or walk way out of my way to a door where I can swipe myself through with my SIDA badge. Once when I swiped myself through, the TSA agent that denied me at the security counter saw me and called the cops (who laughed and sent me on my way).

I agree with Wink that TSA sees a lot of idiot pax daily and it's a tough job that 90% try their best to do right. But the other 10% are idiots and like everywhere, it's the idiots you remember.

BTW, back in 2002 when I was furloughed, I applied to the TSA and was offered a supervisor position. I turned it down because the process was so f'ed up that I was sure the job would be too. Plus the interviewers were a bunch of prima dona assholes who were sure they were the next saviors of mankind. Full of inflated egos and actually said the TSA was the ONLY agency preventing another terrorist attack. They said everyone else - military, CIA, FBI, etc., - was ineffectual and they were the only effective defense for America. And they really believed it. Scared the shit out of me.....

 

[HAL Pilot]

...airline personnel in uniform with ID DO have to take their shoes off. Stupid rules anyone?

No we don't. I never do. must be TSA not following its own policies again...

 

[Bevo16]

Well it appears to me she knows her procedures better then you after all. Once you alarm on the walk through they have to ID all the sources of the possible alarm. Now that means shoes. So, once you alarm the shoes go through the X-ray. The X-ray is the most accurate way to inspect the shoes. Why not use it.

They didn't use it. I knew it was pointless with all of the metal on my uniform so I kicked off my shoes, walked through the detector...BEEEEP..."Sir, you are going to have to go over to that area for a secondary inspection"....walk back through the metal detector to pick up my shoes..BEEEEP....walk to secondary inspection area....BEEEP... My shoes never went through the x-ray.

Since you are a security expert I am surprised you didn't know that the threat from shoes is not just from metal. In fact, they are looking for more then metal. Thus, having your shoes hand wanded is not a very effective tool. ?

Then why x-ray them only after they set off the metal detector? Sorry, that is totally counterintuitive.

You are entitled to be frustrated but consider, if she was extra thorough on you (and that is what it was, erring on the side of caution), then she will probably be hard on the next guy that may be a real threat. Does it matter if she is a dope blindly following orders or super intuitive? You don't want to destroy what enthusiasm or pride in their work these people have left. If they didn't care, instead of 50% of the test weapons getting through 75% would. That make your happier?

I have been around long enough to know when someone is being a bitch simply because they can, and when someone is just trying to do a good job. This was the former. She thought it was funny to humiliate a member of the military in public. No, I don't feel better about it.

The funny think is that this was only one of three examples of TSA SNAFUs while I was on one trip. In Memphis, I made it all the way through security with a boarding pass to San Diego with the name "Stephen Smith" on it. My name is not even close to Stephen Smith, and I was flying to Colorado Springs. Neither of the 2 TSA agents who checked the pass against my Military ID noticed that the names did not match. Don't ask me how I got Mr. Smith's boarding pass, I don't know. My best guess is that it was stuck in the self service machine at the check in counter and I got it by mistake and left my pass behind.

The other one is pretty minor, but stuck out in my mind due to the screw up in Memphis. The first agent that checked my ID and boarding pass in Portland was checking the passes with her left hand and sending a text message on her cell phone with her right hand. I am sure that she was REALLY focused on her job, and her supervisor was obviously really focused on her.

Feel worse?

 

[BACONATOR]

They really need to start taking this kind of shit out of these moron's pay. The TSA is a worthless organization and a waste of money to give (only the dumbest) Americans the ILLUSION of security.

Most of the "agents" I've seen are severely overweight, cross-eyed, bumbling retards who actually have trouble speaking, thinking and walking at the same time.

Now, as for another topic, I found this quote interesting:

"The brilliant employees used an instrument located just below the cockpit window that is critical to the operation of the onboard computers," one pilot wrote on an American Eagle internet forum.

Ever wonder why the mod-squad and websan are so eager to delete posts and lock threads relating to mishaps etc? That's the last thing we need is to have a reporter write:

"ENS Motballie, an F/A-18 Naval Aviator, wrote on an internet forum that space aliens are the cause of the latest mishap".

 

[HAL Pilot]

Ever wonder why the mod-squad and websan are so eager to delete posts and lock threads relating to mishaps etc? That's the last thing we need is to have a reporter write:

"ENS Motballie, an F/A-18 Naval Aviator, wrote on an internet forum that space aliens are the cause of the latest mishap".

Exactly. Thanks for reinforcing this.

 

[Harrier Dude]

The TSA is a worthless organization and a waste of money to give (only the dumbest) Americans the ILLUSION of security.
Most of the "agents" I've seen are severely overweight, cross-eyed, bumbling retards who actually have trouble speaking, thinking and walking at the same time.

This is the crux of the matter. Aside from a large amount (or an extremely powerful form) of explosives, weapons are now pretty much worthless on a plane from a terrorist perspective. Unless they can kill everybody on the plane and break into the cockpit, they're done.

9/11 happenned because our previous doctrine/procedures dealing with hijackings. The idea was to give them what they want and get the plane landed safely. It hadn't really occurred to us that the hijackers wouldn't want to land before. We got caught with our pants down, and that trick won't work again. It's a one trick pony. United 93 proved that.

All of these futile attempts at finding weapons (which evidently aren't even very effective) are just a waste of time, money, and resources. If 30 people on board had K-bars and .45's, the other 100 would stomp the shit out of them before they'd let the plane be taken over again. Several of them would be shot or stabbed, but it's better than flying into a building.

Look at Richard Reid. He got a beat down from some middle aged sky-waitress when he tried to light his shoe on fire.

Is it really worth it to take away toenail clippers from little old women?

All that TSA does now is give us the impression that we're doing something, ANYTHING, to stop terrorism. The reality is that they do not appreciably contribute to safety/security.

 

[Picaroon]

I don't know anyone who thinks that all of the security at airports is worthwhile. And you guys (generally smart and knowledgeable people) don't seem to think so.

So why is it that way? And will it ever change?

Also, I've always found the TSA people at PHX to be professional. I remember there's this one older guy who I've seen a few times checking IDs and he's the coolest--always friendly and starts up brief chats while he checks the ID. Just my experience at that airport.

 

[A4sForever]

...."ENS Motballie, an F/A-18 Naval Aviator ...

Are you gonna lay a bet and give odds on that .... ????

 

[BACONATOR]

Corroborating and expounding on Ottowrote8's point

Very well said.

 

[Harrier Dude]

I don't know anyone who thinks that all of the security at airports is worthwhile. And you guys (generally smart and knowledgeable people) don't seem to think so.

So why is it that way? And will it ever change?

Also, I've always found the TSA people at PHX to be professional. I remember there's this one older guy who I've seen a few times checking IDs and he's the coolest--always friendly and starts up brief chats while he checks the ID. Just my experience at that airport.

PHX sucks. In fairness, it wasn't really the TSA folks fault, at least at the checkpoint level. I waited in line for an hour and a half at security because they only had 1 line open for several hundred people. The guy working the gate can only work so fast, no matter how stupid his job is.

The airport itself is just generally a clusterfuck.

 

[AJB37]

Are you gonna lay a bet and give odds on that .... ????

I'd bet it doesn't happen... I believe he is BDCP for SWO, not aviation... but if somebody wants to bet it does happen, I'll take that game.

 

[BACONATOR]

I'd bet it doesn't happen... I believe he is BDCP for SWO, not aviation... but if somebody wants to bet it does happen, I'll take that game.

My point was the media likes to make shit up and assume crap, so an applicant for SWO becomes an F/A 18 pilot.

I am sure A4s knew that...