Howdy to all fellow travellers, both frequent and occasional. . . .

I am a TSA officer, and have served the travelling public for nearly a year now. I chose this profession because service to others is much higher on my Maslow's pyramid than making boatloads of money. So far, my experience with TSA has been quite an eye-opener and I don't regret my career decision in the least. The majority of travellers I see on a daily basis are responsible, supportive and even a pleasure to work with.

I have reviewed quite a few of the posts on this website that relate to TSA and airport security, and with few exceptions I don't see much in the way of replies from the "other" side . . .i.e. TSA itself. This post is not intended to be all-inclusive or comprehensive, but hopefully helpful to those of you who find going through the security checkpoint an unpleasant experience.

Why are we screening you, the passengers, in the first place? The name of this forum says it best - safety and security. I will grant you, not all TSOs are equally effective in achieving these goals. Like any other organization one will find both good and bad workers in TSA. This does not negate the fact that TSA is dedicated to ensuring that a repeat of 9/11 never happens on U.S. soil again. Keeping that in mind, everything we do in the screening process is focused on security first, passenger flow second.

Yes, believe it or not, one of our primary goals is also getting passengers through the checkpoint as quickly as possible to ensure they board their planes on time. Every day we have to achieve a balance between protecting passengers and moving them through the line quickly and efficiently. Next time you are standing in the line and it slows down, observe WHY it has stopped. It isn't because the TSO is "pawing through" a passenger's bag, it is because the passenger had gels, liquids, or aerosols in their bag that needed to be removed. The TSO would love nothing more than to find nothing of interest in that bag and send the passenger on his or her way. It is frustrating to have to wait while bag checks are conducted (I know full well how it feels - I travel frequently too), but I would ask you not to direct your ire at the TSO doing his or her job but at your fellow passenger who either forgot or intentionally tried to "get over on the system" by bringing prohibited items through the checkpoint. While I am on this point, allow me to address another issue - the dreaded zip-top bag. This bag was DHS's way of allowing the travelling public to once again bring liquids through the checkpoint. I find it ironic that we seem to get more complaints about this little sandwich bag than any other issue. By putting your travel-size liquids in the bag and setting them out for the X-ray operator to see speeds up the process for YOU, because the operator sees liquids on the X-ray, looks down and sees the bag, and is able to quickly assess that bag and determine at a glance that the items are all of the proper size. Assuming that your bag doesn't have any other liquids, gels or aerosols inside, you will be quickly on your way with no delays. To be honest folks, if it were up to us, there would be NO liquids, gels or aerosols allowed through the checkpoint. This concession was made to make your travelling experience easier, not harder. Keep in mind too the whole reason that this restriction arose in the first place . . .terrorists in London who were planning to carry liquid explosives onto aircraft.

I mentioned pulling IDs out of the wallet. While this may seem like yet another annoying procedure, it is necessary for several reasons. First and foremost is to examine the ID for possible tampering or counterfeiting. I am not an expert in detecting forgeries, but I am able to see if a driver's license has been tampered with, or if it looks like it was printed on a home computer. I also have to check the expiration date, and many times the license is expired but has an extension sticker on the back. Larger airports have either contractors or volunteers who perform this security step, but many smaller airports like the one I work in does not, thus the need for TSA to perform this security step.

I saw a post mentioning missing locks on bags, and another one concerning checked baggage in general. I handle (and open) a large number of bags on a daily basis, and have only had a few examples where the lock needed to be cut. The proper procedure for dealing with locked bags is as follows:

TSA approved locks are opened with the corresponding key and relocked after the bag is screened. Non-TSA locks require us to contact the owner and either borrowing the key from them and returning it after screening and relocking the bag or having them unlock the bag if possible. Most airports have what is called an "in-line system" which sends checked bags down to a central screening area which is not accessible to the passengers, so the key-fetching method is required. If we are unable to locate the passenger, then the supervisor is called over to cut the lock. After screening the bag, the lock pieces are taped together and placed in the bag with a TSA notice. Cutting a lock is the absolute last option, and one that no TSO wants to exercise.

There are more issues I could cover, but I will save them for future posts. I look forward to serving you, my fellow travellers, as I endeavor to ensure all your trips are SAFE and smooth ones.

BigDogBart