Checkpoints and Borders Policy Debate - WZVN-TV: 5 TSA employees removed from duty @ Southwest Florida International (RSW)

Politico's Burgess Everett has breaking news about an incident at an unspecified Florida airport:

Politico:
John Mica tells TSA to come clean about airport 'meltdown'
6/1/12 10:35 PM EDT (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0612/76974.html)

A short quote:

Rep. John Mica accused TSA on Friday night of keeping the press “in the dark” about an incident that may indicate a “dramatic meltdown of TSA operations” and a “significant system failure” at an unspecified Florida airport.

“I am calling on TSA to make details of this latest meltdown public, and disappointed they would try to keep the media in the dark about this latest system failure that is once again embarrassing to that agency,” the Florida Republican said.

An aide to Mica said the House Transportation and Infrastructure chairman received information of “proposed disciplinary action,” but declined to comment further. Background on a news release from the committee said the incident “may involve a substantial number of TSA employees, including high-ranking airport security officials.”

The article also includes a TSA statement that implies that TSA employees are actually being fired over this incident.

TSA has begun the process to fire five (5) TSA employees at Fort Meyers' Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW):

WZVN television:
5 TSA employees removed from duty at RSW
Posted: Friday, June 1, 2012 9:15 PM EST
Updated: Friday, June 1, 2012 9:16 PM EST (http://www.abc-7.com/story/18681393/5-tsa-employees-removed-from-duty-at-rsw)

A short quote:
According to the TSA, an investigation determined that some of the employees did not follow the proper procedure for applying random, supplemental screening procedures during an isolated period last year.

The TSA ensures that all bags and people were screened and travelers were never in danger.

There you have it, folks -- even TSA admits that travelers are never in danger when its proper procedures are ignored.

TSA has begun the process to fire five (5) TSA employees at Fort Meyers' Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW):

WZVN television:
5 TSA employees removed from duty at RSW
Posted: Friday, June 1, 2012 9:15 PM EST
Updated: Friday, June 1, 2012 9:16 PM EST (http://www.abc-7.com/story/18681393/5-tsa-employees-removed-from-duty-at-rsw)

A short quote:
According to the TSA, an investigation determined that some of the employees did not follow the proper procedure for applying random, supplemental screening procedures during an isolated period last year.

The TSA ensures that all bags and people were screened and travelers were never in danger.

There you have it, folks -- even TSA admits that travelers are never in danger when its proper procedures are ignored.

what random procedures did they not apply? didn't ring enough chimes during random gropes?

Q: What do you call 5 TSA employees fired at one airport?

A: A start, but not nearly enough.

Five down, 60,000+ to go.

Five down, 60,000+ to go.

This behavior does in no way reflect on the other, fine TSA employees, for they commit other crimes.

"TSA holds all of its employees to the highest professional and ethical standards and has a zero tolerance for misconduct in the workplace,”Now where have I heard this before? :rolleyes:

Now where have I heard this before? :rolleyes:

"If you say it three times, it must be true" :rolleyes:

Three times TSA, not Ad nauseam....

I'd like to think that perhaps this episode and some of the others we've witnessed (an airport that allegedly was going to terminate employees for failing to screen a relatively small number of random bags) is part of a larger effort to start cleaning up some of the agency's problems.

Unfortunately, there still doesn't seem to be any attempt to offer the pax viable real-time support from an unbiased source when things go haywire at the checkpoint.

Here's a "Good Catch" article from Tuesday:

WINK News Now:
TSA finds loaded handgun in suspect's bag at RSW
May 29, 2012 at 1:01 PM (http://www.winknews.com/Lights-Sirens/2012-05-29/TSA-finds-loaded-handgun-in-suspects-bag-at-RSW)

A short quote:

LEE COUNTY, Fla.- The Lee County Port Authority detained a 59-year-old man at the Southwest Florida International Airport on Sunday after TSA officers found a firearm in his bag.

Michael Anderson was arrested on charges of carrying a concealed weapon.

The incident appears to have happened on May 27, 2012, since RSW is listed in the "Firearms" table (JPG) (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZxRQW9Adf3I/T8kX7t5jvbI/AAAAAAAABCc/PW23uzjAQmo/s1600/Gun+Numbers+6-1-12.JPG) in the weekly Blogdad Bob update: Blogdad Bob - Friday, June 1, 2012 (http://blog.tsa.gov/2012/06/stunningly-smart-disguise.html)

Good work, Blogdad Bob, for posting that table as a JPEG -- as you know, the search engines cannot text data when you post it as graphics.

The employees were dismissed for not conducting random, supplemental screening operations during 2011.

This reads like they weren't doing name game or gate checks...that they truly were Thousands Standing Around.

Hm... let's examine the Telephone game being played by the news organizations here:

The Politico article says "The employees were dismissed for not conducting random, supplemental screening operations during 2011, according to NBC2."

This makes it sound like they were not conducting the searches they were supposed to be conducting.

But the NBC2 article's exact words (repeated verbatim in the ABC7 article) are "According to the TSA, an investigation determined that some of the employees did not follow the proper procedure for applying random, supplemental screening procedures during an isolated period last year."

This is an entirely different proposition. Not following proper procedure for applying random searches could mean a LOT of different things - including selecting only attractive females for pat-downs, or perhaps "profiling" only people with certain skin tones or certain ethnic appearances, or even targeting only people who failed to respect TSA's authoritah.

So, I'm wondering if maybe some of the blatant abuses of authority and knowing departures from proper procedure that we've heard reported here on FT over the last few years have finally caught up with at least a few bad apples.

Hm... let's examine the Telephone game being played by the news organizations here:

The Politico article says "The employees were dismissed for not conducting random, supplemental screening operations during 2011, according to NBC2."

This makes it sound like they were not conducting the searches they were supposed to be conducting.

But the NBC2 article's exact words (repeated verbatim in the ABC7 article) are "According to the TSA, an investigation determined that some of the employees did not follow the proper procedure for applying random, supplemental screening procedures during an isolated period last year."

This is an entirely different proposition. Not following proper procedure for applying random searches could mean a LOT of different things - including selecting only attractive females for pat-downs, or perhaps "profiling" only people with certain skin tones or certain ethnic appearances, or even targeting only people who failed to respect TSA's authoritah.

So, I'm wondering if maybe some of the blatant abuses of authority and knowing departures from proper procedure that we've heard reported here on FT over the last few years have finally caught up with at least a few bad apples.

Or perhaps male screeners objected to groping male pax, so only female pax were selected for gropes.

Someone registered a complaint, and it seems highly unlikely to me that it was a pax, particularly because this appears to have involved multiple TSOs over a period of time.

TSA HQ has to assure us that safety was never compromised, since apparently this took place over a period of time and the screeners were still actively employed until recently.

I'm a bit skeptical when TSA (only in recent months) suggests that terminations are being processed. Supposedly 28 screeners were going to lose their jobs in HNL, but the last report I saw said that most were appealing that decision. Let's not forget that the BUF BDO who escorted drug dealers past security had already been terminated once before being rehired.

The change in language in the press releases is interesting, however. We don't seem to be hearing as much about 're-training' these days, and a willingness to even suggest that TSA might consider terminating a TSO is unusual, to say the least. In the past, no matter how egregious the offense, TSA would never go farther than saying that the TSO was no longer with the agency.

This behavior does in no way reflect on the other, fine TSA employees, for they commit other crimes.

I think they having a criminal background check. They didn't passed the background check.

Another article, this one from Matt Grant at Fox-4 (WFTX-TV):

Fox-4 (WFTX-TV):
TSA investigates RSW employees
TSA employees disciplined at Southwest Florida International Airport
Jun. 2, 2012 (http://www.fox4now.com/news/local/156871575.html)

A short quote:

"TSA holds all of its employees to the highest professional and ethical standards," said TSA spokesperson Sari Koshetz in a statement, "and has zero tolerance for misconduct in the workplace."

Sari "zero tolerance for misconduct" Koshetz was the TSA spokesperson who was threatening mainstream media about not covering the viral YouTube video showing that the nude-o-scopes are competely worthless:

TSA Out of Our Pants:
BREAKING: TSA Threatens Mainstream Media Not To Cover Story
March 8, 2012 (http://tsaoutofourpants.wordpress.com/2012/03/08/breaking-tsa-threatens-mainstream-media-not-to-cover-story/)

So...they firing 5 TSA screeners from airport? Why? Is that inappropriate behavior at RSW. They can't go through the scanner. No one would putting everyone into the scanner. This is unacceptable for the behavior. Leave the passengers alone! Nobody who doesn't want go through the scanner. This must remove all scanner out of airports immediately.

Joe Myxter at MSNBC adds some new details:

MSNBC:
Dozens of TSA workers fired, suspended for screening violations (http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/04/12051630-dozens-of-tsa-workers-fired-suspended-for-screening-violations?lite)

A short quote:
The Transportation Security Administration fired five employees and suspended 38 others [emphasis added] on Friday for violating security procedures at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Fla.

I think the 38 suspensions had not been mentioned before. In addition:
The security workers violated protocol by willfully not performing random checks, TSA found in an investigation. The violations occurred over a two-month period in 2011, TSA spokesman David Castelveter told msnbc.com.

The incidents happened in 2011, so it has taken TSA at least six months to take action.

On NBC Nightly news right now...lead story.

It would be great if the TSO who hired on last year and reported on this was actually a roving 'secret shopper' sent to evaluate from the inside what actually happens at an airport.

I wonder if inside reports of misconduct by fellow TSOs that are submitted to the 'system' are given any more attention that reports from pax, or if they are ignored as well.

Unfortunately, this almost certainly means stepped up 'random' screenings for all of us pax.

Unfortunately, this almost certainly means stepped up 'random' screenings for all of us pax.

Guaranteed.

It also means that any situation where "judgement" is called for will be met with the most restrictive, passenger-unfriendly decision possible.

I would really really like to think that the TSO who allegedly 'blew the whistle' was a 'secret shopper'.

Perhaps if every TSO suspected every other TSO of watching and being ready to 'see something, say something', we'd start to see a bit of self-policing in the ranks.

The discipline on this should go all the way to the top. It would also be interesting to see how the actual numbers fall out after 6 months - sounds like a real house-cleaning now, but not so impressive if those fired are reinstated (like the BUF BDO was) and those who are suspended successfully challenge their suspensions. I wonder how many of the HNL workers are still on the job. One of them was a manager who was previously fired. He was a supervisor when he was originally fired. He sued and was rehired as a manager and given $500k back pay. Others who successfully appealed their firings included (no surprise) two supervisors and a lead - guess the buck doesn't really stop at the top with TSA.

In the meantime, I wonder what it is costing taxpayers to cover bringing in screeners from other airports to cover the shortage of workers? If I read it correctly, none of the suspended workers are suspended immediately - they have time to challenge (successfully) their suspensions. Also not clear is whether or not these suspensions are with or without pay.

Gannett's Ledyard King provides some more interesting details in this article in the Federal Times:

Federal Times:
TSA disciplines 43 screeners over lax security
By Ledyard King, Gannett Washing Bureau
Last Updated:June 5, 2012 (http://www.federaltimes.com/article/20120605/DEPARTMENTS03/206050301/1001)

A short quote:

The 43, a combination of front-line screeners and supervisors, represent about 15 percent of the roughly 280 TSA employees at the airport. The number of workers involved makes it one of the largest disciplinary actions TSA has taken in its 10-year history, TSA spokesman David Castelveter confirmed.

Click the link and read the full article - it includes an explanation from Billie Vincent, a former security director for the Federal Aviation Administration, explaining why TSA's failing to do the random checks was a security failure.

Gannett's Ledyard King provides some more interesting details in this article in the Federal Times:

Federal Times:
TSA disciplines 43 screeners over lax security
By Ledyard King, Gannett Washing Bureau
Last Updated:June 5, 2012 (http://www.federaltimes.com/article/20120605/DEPARTMENTS03/206050301/1001)

A short quote:

The 43, a combination of front-line screeners and supervisors, represent about 15 percent of the roughly 280 TSA employees at the airport. The number of workers involved makes it one of the largest disciplinary actions TSA has taken in its 10-year history, TSA spokesman David Castelveter confirmed.





Click the link and read the full article - it includes an explanation from Billie Vincent, a former security director for the Federal Aviation Administration, explaining why TSA's failing to do the random checks was a security failure.

My favorite quote from the article:

Castelveter said it's important to note that every person who flew through the airport was screened.

"It's the random secondary [check] that did not happen," he said. "At no time was a traveler's safety at risk and there was no impact on flight operations."

So why do we have random secondary checks?

"The security workers violated protocol by willfully not performing random checks,"

You cannot screen less than zero or more than 100%, and the number groped must be a whole number, but zero is a valid random number.

I know, such math is too high level for TSA management to understand.

Here's another good article:

WPEC-TV CBS12 News:
3 TSA workers at Fort Myers airport fired, disciplined
Tuesday, June 5 2012, 06:45 EDT (http://cbs12.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_733.shtml)

A short quote, showing how Rep. Mica is using this incident to publicize himself:

But Florida Congressman John Mica has written a letter to TSA administrator demanding more answers.

Rep. John Mica: If necessary we'll subpoena the documents and find out who knew about what, when and why it took a year, a year to take, disciplinary action.

This is just the latest embarrassment for the TSA. Last year, 48 screeners in Honolulu were either fired or suspended for improperly checking bags. In Newark, 10 workers were punished accused of stealing or sleeping on the job. Last week in San Diego, a man fresh out of jail boarded a flight to Los Angeles - without a ticket - before getting caught.

Rep. John Mica: TSA cries out for reform, totally out of control. This nonsense with TSA has to stop.

The TSA made similar mass firings in the past year in cities such as Honolulu and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Three articles from WINK News Now:

WINK News Now:
TSA disciplines dozens of workers at SWFL International
Jun 04, 2012 at 10:42 PM (http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2012-06-04/TSA-disciplines-dozens-of-workers-at-SWFL-International)

and

WINK News Now:
Fort Myers TSA workers fired, disciplined
Jun 05, 2012 at 1:04 PM (http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2012-06-05/Fort-Myers-TSA-workers-fired-disciplined)
A short quote, showing that these 43 workers are not just a few bad apples:
The 43 disciplined workers, a combination of front-line screeners and supervisors, represent about 15 percent of the roughly 280 TSA employees at Southwest Florida International Airport.
and

WINK News Now:
Official: TSA replacement workers in place at RSW
Jun 06, 2012 at 10:20 AM (http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2012-06-06/Official-TSA-replacement-workers-in-place-at-SWFIA)
A short quote, that describes the suspension punishment:
A spokesperson for the TSA emailed us this statement: "Those proposed for removal or suspension will have seven days to reply. The suspensions will be two weeks. We have brought in employees from other airports to cover so that there will be no affect on operations."

Three articles from WINK News Now:

WINK News Now:
TSA disciplines dozens of workers at SWFL International
Jun 04, 2012 at 10:42 PM (http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2012-06-04/TSA-disciplines-dozens-of-workers-at-SWFL-International)

and

WINK News Now:
Fort Myers TSA workers fired, disciplined
Jun 05, 2012 at 1:04 PM (http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2012-06-05/Fort-Myers-TSA-workers-fired-disciplined)
A short quote, showing that these 43 workers are not just a few bad apples:
The 43 disciplined workers, a combination of front-line screeners and supervisors, represent about 15 percent of the roughly 280 TSA employees at Southwest Florida International Airport.
and

WINK News Now:
Official: TSA replacement workers in place at RSW
Jun 06, 2012 at 10:20 AM (http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2012-06-06/Official-TSA-replacement-workers-in-place-at-SWFIA)
A short quote, that describes the suspension punishment:
A spokesperson for the TSA emailed us this statement: "Those proposed for removal or suspension will have seven days to reply. The suspensions will be two weeks. We have brought in employees from other airports to cover so that there will be no affect on operations."

I would like to see the TSA spokesperson tell us what effect the cost of temporary TSOs from other airports will have on the taxpayer's wallet.

15% of the screeners at one airport in no way reflect upon the other 85% who worked side-by-side with them and either didn't know or didn't care that they weren't doing their jobs...

On the other hand, I have to say, I have a LOT more sympathy for these people who were, in essence, doing exactly what I've been wanting for nearly two years - not victimizing people at random by subjecting them to invasive and abusive screening methodologies without warrant, probable cause, or articulable suspicion.

As cynical as I am, I have to wonder how many of these "random" screenings were skipped due to laziness or apathy, and how many of them were skipped because the screeners actually have a conscience, and it visited them in the middle of the night and taught them the true meaning of the words "freedom", "liberty", and "dignity".

Fox 4 Now News is reporting that "union officials are now fighting the punishment, saying nearly 20 of those workers were simply following orders of their supervisors":

Fox 4 Now News:
TSA workers challenging suspensions at RSW airport
CREATED 5:11 PM (http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2012-06-19/RSW-leaders-react-to-TSA-investigation)

My prediction is that the union will win because TSA has publicly announced that it had taken adverse action against its RSW supervisors.

Fox 4 Now News is reporting that "union officials are now fighting the punishment, saying nearly 20 of those workers were simply following orders of their supervisors":

Fox 4 Now News:
TSA workers challenging suspensions at RSW airport
CREATED 5:11 PM (http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2012-06-19/RSW-leaders-react-to-TSA-investigation)

My prediction is that the union will win because TSA has publicly announced that it had taken adverse action against its RSW supervisors.I'm sorry but the" I'm just following orders is a crock" as I can see the prosecution asking questions like the following to/of the TSO's/defense

If you were ordered to jump off a bridge, would you?

If you were ordered to rob a bank, would you?

If you were ordered to lie, would you?

Oh and one more question-do you know the meaning of "you to the left and you to right?"

"TSA holds all of its employees to the highest professional and ethical standards," said TSA spokesperson Sari Koshetz in a statement, "and has zero tolerance for misconduct in the workplace."

Sari "zero tolerance for misconduct" Koshetz was the TSA spokesperson who was threatening mainstream media about not covering the viral YouTube video showing that the nude-o-scopes are competely worthless:

TSA Out of Our Pants:
BREAKING: TSA Threatens Mainstream Media Not To Cover Story
March 8, 2012 (http://tsaoutofourpants.wordpress.com/2012/03/08/breaking-tsa-threatens-mainstream-media-not-to-cover-story/)

I guess the TSA definition of "misconduct in the workplace" is limited to "letting anyone not working for the TSA find out about people not doing their jobs..."

Did anybody else notice that they blurred out the faces of the clerks but not the faces of the passengers??? I wonder if the TV station did it on their own for their own reasons or if Sari "suggested" it???

Wow. 36 employees have been recommended for suspension. The FSD is on a two week unpaid suspension, and the A-FSD has been recommened for a suspension. And 5 are in the termination process.

Seems like a lot of mess, for not doing random supplemental screening during the late shift over a few months, effecting a few hundred (additionally searched) pax. Smells of something much bigger, and they just choose this to shake the boat up a bit. Or is this a new (and aggresive) zero-tolerance policy?

I'm sorry but the" I'm just following orders is a crock" as I can see the prosecution asking questions like the following to/of the TSO's/defense

Hi goalie,

Remember, these TSA employees that are being punished for not harassing passengers with random searches.

The union can argue that the lower level employees ("one-stripers") would have been written up for insubordination if they had performed the random searches that their management was instructing them not to perform.

I am pretty confident that the arbitrator(s) will agree with the union and the suspended one-stripers will end up being paid for the time they sat at home.

The News-Press (http://www.news-press.com/) (a Southwest Florida newspaper) has published a piece by Robert S. Cohen, Federal Security Director (FSD) at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) and Punta Gorda (PGD) Airport... here is the link:

The News-Press:
Federal Security Director Robert S. Cohen:
Security has evolved at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW)
10:09 PM, Sep. 17, 2012 (http://www.news-press.com/article/20120918/OPINION/309180009/Robert-S-Cohen-Security-has-evolved-Southwest-Florida-International-Airport)

A short quote:
Sept. 17 marked the 10th year since the Transportation Security Administration assumed responsibility for aviation screening operations at Southwest Florida International Airport, one year and six days after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Then, as now, the dedicated men and women of TSA in Southwest Florida are committed to providing both world class security and world class customer service to the traveling public.
and
The TSA work force in Southwest Florida remains as dedicated to the safety of the traveling public in 2012 as when we first began screening passengers in 2002. We look forward to strengthening our community partnerships, as homeland security begins in the hometown.

The News-Press (http://www.news-press.com/) (a Southwest Florida newspaper) has published a piece by Robert S. Cohen, Federal Security Director (FSD) at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) and Punta Gorda (PGD) Airport... here is the link:

The News-Press:
Federal Security Director Robert S. Cohen:
Security has evolved at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW)
10:09 PM, Sep. 17, 2012 (http://www.news-press.com/article/20120918/OPINION/309180009/Robert-S-Cohen-Security-has-evolved-Southwest-Florida-International-Airport)

A short quote:
Sept. 17 marked the 10th year since the Transportation Security Administration assumed responsibility for aviation screening operations at Southwest Florida International Airport, one year and six days after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Then, as now, the dedicated men and women of TSA in Southwest Florida are committed to providing both world class security and world class customer service to the traveling public.
and
The TSA work force in Southwest Florida remains as dedicated to the safety of the traveling public in 2012 as when we first began screening passengers in 2002. We look forward to strengthening our community partnerships, as homeland security begins in the hometown.RAH! RAH! RAH! - USA! USA! USA! - SHEEP! SHEEP! SHEEP! :rolleyes:

I think I'm gonna be ill