Originally Posted by
SFOSpiff
I can appreciate and respect your recognition that such problems can exist but it needs to spread to the rest of TSA. If TSA claims that touching breasts and genitals is not authorized as part of the administrative search, then a TSO who does touch a breast (and I don't mean clumsily, by accident, I mean a clear molestation) not only needs to be fired, but needs to have their administrative search immunity retroactively revoked, and charged with sexual assault.
What has made TSA's actions so repugnant on this issue is a combination of "that can't happen, because it's against the rules" (so's theft, btw) and "we can do whatever we want."
And where in TSA regulations does it say that individual airports can invent their own procedures? Oh, right, it's possible it doesn't, but SSI and all that.
Which is why I'd even settle for an independent "rule arbiter" on hand at every airport to keep TSOs honest. This person would be appointed by GAO or another non-DHS body, have access to all permissible TSA search techniques and could be called when a pax cries foul. The TSA can tell the pax "oh, it says we can randomly change the rules" but if the rule arbiter says "no, that's specifically prohibited" then TSA must relent.
That way SSI may be kept just that but there will be an impartial body available to keep TSA in check.
It'll never happen, but I think in reality it satisfies the supposed need to keep the actual procedures secret.