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USA Today on TSA's new badges

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Old Jun 16, 2008, 8:30 am
  #1  
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USA Today on TSA's new badges

Front page of today's edition
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/fligh...a-badges_N.htm

Clearly this guy still hasn't visited the TSA's blog or he'd see that the badges are a sore point w/the traveling public, too.
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Old Jun 16, 2008, 8:43 am
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Maybe passengers should be issued badges too!

That should provide a level of comfort....
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Old Jun 16, 2008, 8:51 am
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The attire aims to convey an image of authority to passengers, who have harassed, pushed and in a few instances punched screeners. "Some of our officers aren't respected," TSA spokeswoman Ellen Howe said.
A.J. Castilla, a screener at Boston's Logan Airport and a spokesman for a screeners union, is eager to get a badge. "It'll go a long way to enhance the respect of this workforce," he said.

That's because respect is EARNED, not rammed down our throats, you bumbling morons.
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Old Jun 16, 2008, 8:57 am
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Just wanted to point out one more thing:

Do these idiots realize that all the efforts they put into that "calming" experience they have setup at BWI gets completely trumped by these intimidation tactics?
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Old Jun 16, 2008, 9:00 am
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"It'll go a long way to enhance the respect of this workforce," he said.
I am afraid it will take more than a badge to get some TSOs to treat passengers with respect.
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Old Jun 16, 2008, 9:01 am
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"Some of our officers aren't respected," TSA spokeswoman Ellen Howe said.
Ever wonder why, Ellen ? ƒ
Airport screeners will get badges after finishing a two-day training program covering issues related to badges as well as how to talk to passengers in a calming manner.
Two days training on how to pin your badge on the right way round ? Yeah, and learn how to talk down to passengers even more. ƒƒ
"We coupled the badges with the communications training to make it clear to our officers that they're there to facilitate our passengers," Rossides said.
Facilitate our passengers. Is that even English ?
She said the TSA has no interest in giving screeners law-enforcement power.
No, sorry Gale. I don't believe you.
A.J. Castilla, a screener at Boston's Logan Airport and a spokesman for a screeners union, is eager to get a badge. "It'll go a long way to enhance the respect of this workforce," he said.
No, it will make you even more despised and ridiculed. By me, anyway. ƒƒƒ
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Old Jun 16, 2008, 9:08 am
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Last edited by CAAC; Mar 25, 2011 at 9:05 am
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Old Jun 16, 2008, 9:24 am
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The badge is a fundamental LE tool...not really sure how such a tool fits in with the duties of most TSO's. Would be interested in hearing whether the LEO's on this board are of the same sentiment of those expressing concern in the article posted by the OP
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Old Jun 16, 2008, 9:37 am
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Originally Posted by ButIsItArt
The badge is a fundamental LE tool...not really sure how such a tool fits in with the duties of most TSO's. Would be interested in hearing whether the LEO's on this board are of the same sentiment of those expressing concern in the article posted by the OP
Most of the LEO's I've talked to, and other TSO's are just waiting for a moronic TSO to use their badge improperly. I know other posters on here have expressed that same concern.
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Old Jun 16, 2008, 9:55 am
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Allow me to be the first to paraphrase it: "Badges? We don't need no badges..."

How much does this re-uniforming/re-branding cost?

Ciao,
FH
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Old Jun 16, 2008, 9:57 am
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Originally Posted by Cee
Most of the LEO's I've talked to, and other TSO's are just waiting for a moronic TSO to use their badge improperly.
One of the thoughts that came to my mind stems from my own experiences of riding the Metro every day, very often with a TSO in uniform also in the same car. WMATA has its own police force, and AFAIK TSA has no jurisdiction on the Metro. And with TSO's having to surrender their badges when off duty, it would imply that their use of the Metro carries no further obligations. However, suppose either a rogue TSO starts flashing a badge in the Metro, or the reverse, a good TSO coming off his/her shift at DCA witnesses a crime on Metro property, but has no authority to respond with force, even though protecting WMATA pax and property could be construed to be broadly within TSA's scope of authority? That could get messy
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Old Jun 16, 2008, 9:58 am
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Funny how the screeners in nearly every other country don't need badges or Brown-Shirt style uniforms.

But then again, screeners in those countries are not led by morons like Chertoff and Hawley nor do they (with the exception of the morons in the UK) tend to invent really stupid risk avoidance rules that cause much of the disrespect experienced by the TSA screeners.

What an embarassment to the United States of America.
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Old Jun 16, 2008, 10:19 am
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Originally Posted by ButIsItArt
One of the thoughts that came to my mind stems from my own experiences of riding the Metro every day, very often with a TSO in uniform also in the same car. WMATA has its own police force, and AFAIK TSA has no jurisdiction on the Metro. And with TSO's having to surrender their badges when off duty, it would imply that their use of the Metro carries no further obligations. However, suppose either a rogue TSO starts flashing a badge in the Metro, or the reverse, a good TSO coming off his/her shift at DCA witnesses a crime on Metro property, but has no authority to respond with force, even though protecting WMATA pax and property could be construed to be broadly within TSA's scope of authority? That could get messy
I had to go back and read the above article, because your statement that the TSO's had to surrender their badges when off duty was a new one to me. Maybe I missed it, but I read it that the TSO's were "barred from wearing them" when not working. Slight difference. (Not that if matters much, it still means that they are not to be abused). Anyway, I ride the train to and from the airport sometimes. Full uniform, but usually covered up with a sweatshirt. I consider myself just a regular citizen, and as a citizen I have gotten involved in certain situations on the train. On one instance, I was riding in a car with two young (12-13 yrs) girls. There was a much older punk (20-ish) making rude/gross/uncomfortable/obscene comments to them. Even tho I was in uniform (covered up) I sure wasn't gonna watch those girls start to cry. Was I a rogue screener? Or just an adult (yuck! I hate that word to describe myself) stepping in to help out the girls? I didn't have to use any force, I am not a big person by any means, but if the kid turned out to be crazy...I would have defended myself.
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Old Jun 16, 2008, 10:26 am
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Originally Posted by Cee
Most of the LEO's I've talked to, and other TSO's are just waiting for a moronic TSO to use their badge improperly. I know other posters on here have expressed that same concern.

That's exactly the way my current leo buddies feel & we've talked about it.
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Old Jun 16, 2008, 10:31 am
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Maybe they'll have Eric Cartman come by and give them some pointers on how to use their badge.
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