I'm not trying to throw the TSOs at OMA under a bus - I've been through there many times before the AIT system was installed and they'd always been professional and courteous. This was the first time I'd noted a delay, barkers and general aggravation with the staff. For those unfamiliar, OMA terminals are small enough to where there usually isn't waiting or related stress at the CP. It's been one or two lines/WTMD at B gates - now split between the AIT system and one WTMD. The CP used to remind me of a muni airport.
I'm honestly a little surprised at the replies regarding the contact with my "sensitive areas" (as a BOS TSO described it). At the time it seemed somewhat of a side note of an overall process that was mildly unpleasant and uncoordinated. The contact was surprising but not traumatizing. I assumed that at least a few other people here might have received attention that was similarly intimate through opt-out, random or unresolved WBI.
Note: I might have somewhat of a thicker skin than others after suffering routine indignities in the military. My drug test each 90 days required a uniformed minder at arms length watching the process in graphic detail. These TSA patdowns (really rubdowns) don't seem bad in comparison. However, it's obvious that others can have a huge problem with this treatment and I don't blame them. I opt-out because I have 4th amendment issues with the feds doing mass imaging (strip searches). The body groping isn't much better. WTMD is sufficient for everyone else going in so I'm not pleased with this unusual attention for choosing not to play.
I don't hold a grudge against anyone directly (including Mr. Gruff) but I'm very concerned that the TSA organization as a whole is acting without accountability to anyone. It's been pointed out that my TSO seemingly bypassed several procedures and broke policy with the (lack of) communication and the manner in which the search was conducted (what was touched & front vs back of the hand). However, as almost anyone can attest there are often disparities with TSA policies/procedures between airports. (Keep your pass out, put it away, shoes on the belt, shoes in the bin, route people to AIT or turn it off, how/why a patdown is done, whatever). Either these differences are intentional (keep people guessing what the procedure of the day will be) or it reflects a lack of standardization and training. Having to complain to the TSA about the TSA seems counterproductive.
I'm pretty sure my experience was a simply a result of poor training/procedures - they had no place to put me when I opted-out and it seemed to cause a break down in processing (at least with the imager). If I was a large guy the WTMD line would have been blocked as well. I wouldn't consider a criminal complaint for the body contact just because this TSO sucked at his job - I put the blame squarely on TSA itself. As I mentioned before I didn't think it was punitive for opting out; I just don't think he knew what he was supposed to be doing. There are supervisors there and that see what's going on each day so my feeling is that training/procedural problems are structural within the organization. I don't think it's unique to any single airport. TSA as a whole has no accountability or metric for quality and success - and that's quite unacceptable. And all they want is more money to keep growing larger.
I'll be fair and say that most inconsistencies in procedures don't seem harmful to travelers (opt-out groping aside), but they do reflect in the quality of the organization as a whole. Most of my encounters are unremarkable. However, TSA quality is one of the reasons I'm never surprised when I read of
firearms disappearing from TSA secured areas.