Originally Posted by
average_passenger
Some Feedback for Bart the TSO
@Bart - if you want some feedback, here is some from me. Now, I don't dislike anyone (including the TSA) and I agree that we should have some security at the airports. That being said, no agency, police, FBI, or TSA, can prevent EVERY bad thing from happening.
At the airports, why can't we have metal detectors, dogs that can detect explosives, and the use of wands as a secondary search? Also, the airlines could maybe look at the travel records and background of people on the no-fly list. If someone has been to Yemen or some other "terrorist" country 50 times in the last year, has had lots of money activity in a bank account that is suspected to have terrorist ties, they are a member of some rebel islamic extremist group and they have a webpage stating that they hate americans, then yes, we could perhaps profile that person. I don't think people realize that profiling is not just based on skin color, it can be used to track other criteria that the average innocent Muslim passenger is not going to be involved in.
Yes, sometimes the terrorists might use sleeper people or people we would not suspect but hopefully, we can stop them another way. If someone bad were to get on a plane and try something, the passengers would fight back and some may even die "heroically" fighting the bad guy. Didn't that already happen on one of the 9/11 hijacked flights? You hear stories of people who risk their lives to rescue other people. Don't the police and firemen do that every day? There is no such thing as 100% absolute security.
The risk of dying in a terrorist attack is not that large when compared to other risks such as dying in a car accident, a tornado, an earthquake, a flood, or from a horrible transmittable disease, etc. The police can not prevent all murderers from killing people. The government can not possibly prevent all terrorist attacks. Does that mean that we should all live in fear and over react? Why can't we just live our lives and not live in fear? Aren't we supposed to be the land of the brave and FREE?
@Bart - the next time you see one of your tso's "yelling" at a passenger, put yourself in our shoes and try to see how we feel. We don't know the rules (such as what is allowed, private room searches, what kind of touching we can expect). It's not a fun "game" to play when we don't even know what is expected of us. Most of us are just scared of the tso's. Lots of people do not want a stranger touching them or looking at them naked. I think many children would be freaked out by the new procedures. Our country is filled with smart people and universities, I'm sure someone can invent a non-invasive machine that can detect explosives without it being so offensive or contain radiation or microwave waves. The metal detectors worked amazingly well for the past 10 years after 9/11!!!!!
Thank you, Bart. Maybe you can be the one person who might be able to make a difference. I wish you a good day.
If I were King for the Day, I would employ all screening assets for various situations. I believe we could have what would amount to Level 1 screening for everyone, and go to Level 2 screening for certain situations that require increased screening. I'd do away with random screening. Either we did it right at the checkpoint or we did not. Following up with additional screening at the gate is a waste of time, IMHO. I'd rather the personnel used at the gates be at the checkpoint to be more responsive to bag checks, passenger screening, etc. I'd do away with BDO voodoo, but would integrate some of the techniques as part of the regular screening process. I'd allow liquids, gels and aerosols aboard, but with additional screening.
The AIT does not emit unsafe doses of radiation. However, I agree that it should not be the primary screening method. But it is a screening method that we should use under certain circumstances (e.g. the Level 2 screening method). Believe it or not, there are some people who prefer the AIT to the WTMD, and they should still have that option (people with hip replacements or other similar implants can screen through without any additional hassles). TSA is looking at a process that would eliminate the image officer at the AIT station. I don't know if it will ever come to fruition; however, it would involve a screen visible to both screener and passenger that basically shows an outline avatar of a human shape with areas highlighted that need to be searched. The computer basically does all the "viewing" and "decision-making."
I am not in favor of profiling for many reasons. However, (and I've said this to a manager who freaked out when I said it), if Osama bin Laden were to clear security, then we shouldn't have a problem allowing him aboard. He may be a wanted terrorist, but on that day, he didn't have a bomb or any other weapons on his person. He was just another passenger. (No, I'm not advocating that bin Laden be allowed on board; my point is that our job is to make sure no dangerous objects are brought on board. It's up to the FBI or CIA to capture/arrest bad guys.)
I'm not a big fan of the TDC; however, I believe TSA ought to man the checkpoint at the initial entry point. I do agree that we ought to tone down a lot of the hooplah that goes on at the TDC simply because it's nothing more than a huge administrative process that keeps some bureaucrat somewhere happy but does little to truly enhance security. There are other efforts more worthy of our time and your taxpayer dollars.
Did I surprise anyone?