RussianTexan

I was washing my electric car this morning at a car wash when I saw that the car in front of me was owned by a female TSA worker. It was the first time I had ever seen such a predator outside of their natural habitat & it ENRAGED ME!!!!! I couldn't control my emotions. I was actually rather taken aback by my own reaction.

Have you ever seen a TSA worker outside of the airport? How did you react?

wormhole

One lives across the street from me.

Ocn Vw 1K

Please follow the thread as it moves to the appropriate forum dedicated to airport security matters. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

Westcoaster

i was just finishing up pumping my gas at Costco when the car at the pump ahead of me left. At this point I would have expected the car waiting behind me to go around me and use the forward pump. (It's the Costco way.) But it didn't. Oh well. There was no one else waiting so I took the time to put my credit card away and look around for materials to clean off my windshield. After a couple minutes the lady from the car behind me came up to my car window and demanded to know whether I was done. She had on the familiar blue shirt and acted as though she expected me to immediately drive off.

I tried to point out that the forward pump was wide open so she could use it whenever she was ready. But she didn't want to hear it and stormed back to her car. Her car was a normal size and there was plenty of room to go around me so I took the time to finish my business and then left. Not sure what her problem was.

Edited to add: As for my reaction? I was proud of myself for not reminding her that she was not at the airport and didn't have any special power here. (Isn't there a line from the Wizard of Oz something like that?)

misterfuss

I don't work for the TSA, but I do have a job with public contact and I wear a uniform. I usually wear my uniform TO work and have no problem running errands in it. If I stop to put gas in my car or wash my car, I don't see that as a problem.

Now if I saw a pilot at a bar in uniform having a drink, I would have a problem with that.

Westcoaster

It was fine that she had her uniform shirt on. But you'd think that when your uniform makes you pretty recognizable to the public when you are off duty you would act in a way that would make your employer proud.

LtKernelPanic

I work retail and have seen a three striper in the store a few times. One morning while I was checking on an item for someone on the phone she asked if I could help her. I told her it'd be just a moment but It took an act of God to keep from grabbing my walkie and calling "Female assist!" to whatever department we were in. Glad I didn't because when I flew a couple weeks later she was the TDC.

HawaiiTrvlr

Now, that's funny. If only you would have done that and somehow videotaped it. It would be the hit of YouTube.

FlyingHoustonian

Not to get too off topic but nearly every flying squadron in the United States Air Force has a bar...in the squadron usually with a kegerator.
Not to mention the few o'clubs that are still popular. You will see pilots in uniform drinking there on a weekly basis or I presume you just meant commercial?

Fredd

I suspect she was "on assignment" and annoyed that you blew her cover.

Imagine the havoc if a terrorist launched an attack in the midst of a Costco gas station queue.

It's probably on the list of places where we can expect to be groped in future by the boys and girls in blue.

TheOneTheOnly

I see them periodically when riding MARTA, which makes sense since MARTA runs directly to the airport. Though if they ever try and sit next to me, the seat will be taken; I'll get up and stand at the other end of the car if they insist and won't be afraid to tell them and anyone in earshot why I'm moving if someone asks.

Wally Bird

You're a better man (person?) than I.

A blueshirt being obnoxious outside the airport would have received a withering tongue-lashing from me ^ .

FliesWay2Much

You can't turn the obnoxiousness on and off, so you know this is exactly the way she acts at the airport. I wonder how close she came to playing the "federal officer" card on the OP???

FliesWay2Much

I occasionally see them on the DC Metro -- probably on their way to & from DCA. As far as I can tell, they are not harassing Metro riders other than by being there in uniform.

Go to their HQ across from the Pentagon City mall and you'll see packs of them coming and going -- a lot of whom are standing around smoking.

WillCAD

Back in 2010 I had dinner at an Outback Steakhouse, and the folks at the next table were close enough that I could hear their whole conversation without eavesdropping. It was a TSO and her mother, having a nice social dinner together. When I realized that she was a TSO, I stuck up a civil conversation with her and found out that she was an LTSO from DCA. We particularly discussed the despicable violations of scope and grope, which were still fairly new at the time. I shot down every argument she made - in a polite, friendly, non-confrontational manner, using info I've learned from FT. I never mentioned FT, however; I have heard that some TSOs recognize the site's name and immediately get confrontational when they find out you're a member here, and I didn't want to test that.

It turned out to be a pleasant encounter. I don't think I convinced her of anything; she was most definitely an AFS type. But I think I may have made her think a little more analytically about the carp she was being asked to foist upon the innocent traveler, and maybe that was the beginning of wisdom for her. We can only hope.