Originally Posted by rw55
The reason for following an SOP, instead of a supervisor exercising "discretion," is the likelihood that the people who wrote the SOP thought of something that doesn't occur to the supervisor. Another poster rased the sharp object question, but that may not be it.
I'm not asking for a reason for following the SOP. I'm asking for a reason of why the SOP is the way it is. Shouldn't the people enforcing the rules understand them?
And saying you won't believe it unless one of the TSA supporters gives you a reason is like saying a cop shouldn't enforce a speed limit unless he can quote you the traffic death statistics that were used for the 35 mph limit.
I never said I didn't believe them unless they gave me a reason. I've asked for two things -
Proof that SOP is what they say it is.
For them to show some understanding of why the rules are the way they are.
And cops use discretion ALL THE TIME. That's why everyone who speeds doesn't get a ticket. Or sometimes you get pulled over but don't get written up. Discretion is pretty much the foundation of any uniformed cops job.