Originally Posted by cardiomd

I already do have several interesting videos from airport travels this year - one of a gate agent going berserk on a passenger while a bunch of people watch, but she sees me and then becomes nice halfway through the video, pretty funny. I have two others of TSA agents appearing to sleep (or actually sleeping) on the job, and one sleeping in the terminal, really amusing.

I also have a primarily audio recording of a pilot going on a SWA type rant in a tram taking us to terminal, I was the only passenger on the tram with a bunch of crew, again, last flight of the day. I got a few shots of his face but I don't know who it was. It was height of unprofessionalism. Yuck. But, hey, I forgive the person, they were just probably blowing off steam. In a sense I feel a bit privileged to know what they really think about their job and politics, etc, but he was totally out of line.

I've thought about posting some of them, but decided against it, partly because the agents are easily identifiable. In one case I'm pretty sure they would come after me too, as I was identified as recording and yelled at by the screener as I got out of there. It's also kind of obnoxious to record like this, and quasi-legal.

The funny thing is, I don't necessarily want TSA screeners to get fired for sleeping, etc. As evidenced by some of the TSA agents who post here (and if you have had a conversation with any of them), they are generally not the brightest bulbs, and the change must come from above, not from the agents themselves. For all practical purposes there are an infinite supply of low qualified screeners, so when you fire one, you just get another who is marginally less qualified.

Moreover, I DON'T want the agents to take their job too seriously. Overzealous TSA agents = more harassment for innocent people. We should be encouraging CIVILITY and REASONABLENESS, not "HEROISM" by the TSA screeners. Imagine the most gung-ho TSA agent:

Ooh, that guy moved sideways to pick up his dropped wallet when exiting the terminal TERRORIST TERRORIST!!!

Oh no, I dozed off for 10 seconds can't be sure TERMINAL DUMP, TERMINAL DUMP!!!

Such an agent would probably get praised for his "honesty," "integrity," and "commitment to the job."

No thanks.

Originally Posted by Global_Hi_Flyer

Well, if they're underworked, then TSA will simply create more crap for the travelers to deal with and assign the screeners to foist it upon us. Can you say "gate grope for every flight"?

Complaints that they're standing around will simply mean more hurdles for the traveler as agencies never really cut staff.

Originally Posted by mikeef

The original article seems to be gone, but I can guess at what it says.

I believe that you have hit on the point with this quote. If the two were to have a sit-down, I believe that Pistole would include all of these "supplementary" duties in his list of what is necessary.

Look, I'm not the guy who does the scheduling, so I don't believe that one or two anecdotes is enough to say that "Thousands Standing Around" is true. But, from several observations, it does look awfully suspicious.

Mike

Originally Posted by SATTSO

Part of the problem is that the passengers see a "blue shirt" and think screener. Not everyone you see is certified to screen. As such, they have their duties, and you will not see them screen. Are they working? That is another question

Internally, many at TSA want the various positions to wear different uniforms, so that there will be less confusion as to what employee is a screener and what employees are not, such as BDO, or the other various non-sceening positions there are (yes, there are others). But I do not believe this will happen (unless Congress passes that law and removes the uniform requirement).

Now, that is not to say there are not some lazy people standing around at TSA. We all know there are, and we know TSA as an organization is not alone in this - but we are very much in the public eye, both physically while at our places of work, and in the media. And probably more so than any other agency/company.


And there are other things to consider, but, oh well.

Originally Posted by Boggie Dog

OK, I'll bite, what other non-screening positions are there at a TSA checkpoint that would be filled by people wearing the standard TSA uniform?

Originally Posted by Lara21

And that more than likely is SSI.

Originally Posted by greentips

A former TSA official was quoted as saying if the TSA went to risk based security they would need a smaller workforce, but went on to say that such an approach would be politically unfeasible.

Originally Posted by SATTSO

Now, that is not to say there are not some lazy people standing around at TSA. We all know there are, and we know TSA as an organization is not alone in this - but we are very much in the public eye, both physically while at our places of work, and in the media. And probably more so than any other agency/company.

Originally Posted by halls120

An internal government review of the most serious threats to aviation security conducted during the Bush Administration was rejected and suppressed by Chertoff and Hawley because the study reached the obvious conclusion that the in-terminal Kabuki theatre was useless in addressing the real threats to aviation security.



The problem isn't the fact that some of your colleagues are lazy. The problem is that the entire premise of how TSA is currently staffed and operated is false. Lax gate security wasn't the cause of 9/11. Your entire "layered defense" has been set up to reassure the public that their government "is doing something," when in fact, you all ought to be members of the Screen Actors Guild, because you're just acting at providing security.

Originally Posted by Boggie Dog

So just when is that document going to be made public? Taxpayers paid for it, we should know what it contains.

Originally Posted by Tom M.

I took 4 flights recently. On two of these flights, TSA agents were on the jet way to the plane ostensibly to check ID's of passengers boarding the plane. On both occasions, the agents just stood there talking to each other.

Originally Posted by halls120

It isn't going to be made public because Chertoff and Hawley suppressed it, unless someone at DHS or someone who served in the Bush NSC posts it on the Internet.

Originally Posted by halls120

It isn't going to be made public because Chertoff and Hawley suppressed it, unless someone at DHS or someone who served in the Bush NSC posts it on the Internet.

Originally Posted by jkhuggins

Would FOIA be applicable here?