We have to make a differentiation between "honest" thieves and dishonest TSA.
An honest thief does not have permission to open your luggage. He does not have X-ray to prescreen luggage for valuables. He does not have a key for your luggage by law.
TSA has all these things.
Unfortunately, as we can read again and again, HR at TSA doesn't screen the employees as well as they screen the luggage for valuables. The procedures in place are also ridiculously low-key. More on that later.
There are two things you want to achieve with theft protection measures: 1. Deter a potential thief because it would be too much hassle to open your bag. 2. Alarm you when the bag has been opened.
Mellonc, that is the important part about the safety alert locks or zip ties. They let you know if someone (ANYONE) opened your bag. Ordinary TSA locks won't do that. You find your lock still in place, you go home, you open the suitcase, stuff is missing. But now any accusations you might have don't carry much weight anymore because you could have taken out these things yourself or just claim they were in there.
Read the sticky on top of this forum. In it there is also a link to theft protection of luggage. Good tips in there.
As far as the TSA note they put in there is concerned, it is an insult in my eyes. By comparison, in Germany they put a two page note in there. It details the laws governing the search of your belongings. It gives you a numer and address for complaints. It gives you the full name and signature (!) of the person who searched your bag and the full name and signature of the supervisor. In addition it tells you what they were looking for, what caught their eye and if they took anything out or how you could get it back.
Now that is a decent standard operating procedure. ^
As opposed to the US American SOP where an SOB might be stealing from you, while such an activity is facilitated by the law and procedures in place, to then figuratively show you the finger by putting a non-descript slip of paper in your bag to tell you that you just got screwed.
Till