FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Airport Chain of Command for Security Issues
Old Mar 31, 2011 | 7:00 pm
  #7  
saizai
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Join Date: Dec 2010
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Originally Posted by janetdoe
I wish I knew a list of titles of people required to be on call at the airport, so I could be an IKWYRT (I Know Who You Report To).
There are a couple separate aspects. Here they are in order.

1. TSA
TSO (grunt, 1 bar)
LTSO (lead, 2 bar)
STSO (supervisor, 3 bar)
de facto senior STSO (one of the STSOs at the checkpoint with seniority)
TSM (suit, probably in charge of at least 2 checkpoints + more, may or may not be present / available)
AFSD, DAFSD, DFSD, etc - middle management
FSD (top suit, in charge of everything TSA at the airport)
Area Director (supervises most of the state)
Regional Director (supervises several states)

Separate:
Ombudsman (resolves issues, from HQ)

TDCs are usually TSO; BDOs are probably LTSO (there's a tenure requirement to apply for BDO training); BAOs are also. Those are job descriptions, not ranks.

2. Law

Ranks vary by department. Usual is paramilitary, approx:
Officer
Lieutenant
Captain
Sergeant
Major
Chief

Highest plausibly available at any given time is the Watch Commander, who is probably a Sergeant.


Highest plausibly available are:
Senior STSO (will still have grunt mentality)
TSM (probably won't be available outside M-F 9-5, and will probably take time to get)
Airport watch commander (make sure *you* call them, not the TSA)
TSA Ombudsman (M-F 9-5, press as if you're a TSA agent and they can give authoritative statements of policy)
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