TSA training instructor charged with bribery
 

Well, now we know one reason some of the machine operators don't know what they are doing, it only costs $200 to pass your certification without actually passing the test

From
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/br...139446358.html

TSOs had to receive passing grades on the annual tests in order to continue in their jobs as passenger and baggage screeners.

The charging document said that between August and October 2011 Gilliam took a $200 bribe in exchange for ensuring a passing grade on the mandatory, annual certification exam by taking the test for a payee.

and of course


A spokeswoman for the TSA was not immediately available for comment.


Bob will be working overtime this weekend

Uh-oh....who's going to 're-train' the trainer?

"How to take bribes and not get caught, Part I" - wonder if this course will be offered at the local junior college as part of the new TSA-sponsored curriculum. :td:

Here, I'll do it: "The actions of a single employee do not reflect on the 40,000 dedicated and TSOs who protect the traveling public..."

Seriously, there should just be a button that somebody can push to send out that statement every time the media calls about a TSO accused of a crime.

Mike

If there were any justice, his new cellmate would take on that particular task.

Cellmate? Nonsense. The trainer will just get some remedial training and be back in the classroom by tomorrow.

Mike

That's why I had the caveat, "if there were any justice..."

We're all too aware that TSA employees get light sentences when they're caught, like the two that got a mere six months for stealing $40,000.

PHL again. Another example of the fine work done by the screeners there. :rolleyes:

They're just trying to catch up to their neighbors at EWR.

Mike

Every single person he's recertified should have to be certified again.

No more like terminated with prejudice for cheating.

Well, it does take times to circle the wagons.... :rolleyes:

Bit of an update from the Washington Post

A TSA official said both people had been suspended indefinitely, pending the outcome of the investigation.

LMFAO - actually that is not appropriate - no pun intended - how about ROTFLOL?

Actually it reminds me of a comment a former boss of mine once said. He said "If you pay peanuts, you end up with monkeys"

But if you solicit and hire monkeys, they're not going to become tigers if you dress them up in uniforms and give them all huge pay raises and a union.

TSA is the gift to the world that just keeps on giving.
Each day there is a new absurdity to contemplate.
I've given up on Kafka!
This is way more entertaining.

How is this not a direct threat to aviation security? :rolleyes:

Bribery charges? How about Conspiracy to Defraud the Government as well? For those of you who love to write your Congress critters, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU SHOULD BE OUTRAGED ABOUT. The is a malicious violation of the public trust that also theorectically endangered countless lives. (Assuming they are convicted)

They do make reasonable clowns, though.

Enlarging mine: Like I said in my post right above yours.....it does take times to circle the wagons ;)

When knowing the first question TSA investigators will be asking is how do we transfer fault to the public supports the circling wagons theory.

Or he'll take the same approach he used with the Fayetteville incident (explosive missed in bag during bag check).

He'll ignore it completely.

Update from Philly.com

A training instructor with the Transportation Security Administration at Philadelphia International Airport pleaded guilty in federal court today to taking a bribe from a security officer.

Shannon Gilliam, 29, of Sharon Hill, potentially faces four to 27 months in prison under advisory sentencing guidelines.

There are a few more details in the plea documents, it appears that the agent who was paying for the instructor to take the test (after failing twice) got cold feet and told his supervisor about it all.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20...be_at_PHL.html

At least additional court costs won't be stacked onto the waste of money thus far incurred.

The SENTENCING for this criminal was today.

I want to vomit! This criminal was sentenced to "house arrest" today. He should be serving hard time! He put the Public at a tremendous risk.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pe...probation.html

His reprehensible defense attorney said that he was "depressed" (boo hoo!) and merely committed a "situational crime"
Whoever was responsible for this sentencing committed a crime against the traveling public.

Lets not go overboard, here. I agreement with you that the guy should be doing hard time (I'd say about 6 months seems appropriate) but no planes fell oil of the sky. The risk, despite what the fear mongers would have us believe, is minimal, not "tremendous".

The problem is that the TSA likes to play it both ways.

Someone got an item past their prodigiously ineffective Maginot line? Not a threat.

Someone got caught with something totally innocuous-yet-prohibited that doesn't pose a plausible threat? Goes on their "Good Catch of the Week" list.

Grandma has to have her underwear sniffed, toddlers have to hobble through the metal detector without their braces, and little girls with cerebral palsy have to be humiliated at the checkpoint because the claimed threat is so high.

But a screener who bribes their way past their own tests? Meh. Not an issue.

+1

A screener who brings a loaded gun to work? Not an issue.

A failure to detect a couple bricks of nasty in a bag that's already been pulled for a check? Not to worry, one of the other 19 layers protected us.

The interesting one is dozens of people not 'randomly' screened after passing regular screening.

Dangerous? Absolutely not, 19 other layers of security protected them, no one was in jeopardy at any time. However, 5 people have been fired and a couple dozen more suspended and the taxpayer is footing the bill to bring in outside screeners from other airports because of a months-old entirely trivial incident when, according to the TSA, no one was ever in danger at any time. :rolleyes:

I do hope this trainer is disqualified from future employment with TSA. I understand financial difficulties and depression and all, but when you are on the front lines of the war on terrorism, risking your life every day to ensure the safety of our flying citizens, there's just no room for error. Zero tolerance at the checkpoint should extend to the employees.

FIRST.

The FIRST report of theft, misbehavior, molestation, general thuggery, etc. should be from the other TSA employees at the checkpoint, not from the public.

If they want respect, they should be worthy of it.

Currently, they're worthy only of derision.

Well, I got close, anyway.

Mike

totally agree!!!
 

and of course I'm sure we'll have that statement by Mr. Scumbag Director "that this in no reflects the 1000's of professional..." as nauseum BS he loves to spew.

HE needs to be fired & this agency needs to be closed!!!

Well, maybe the TSA spokesperson could modify the standard boilerplate to more accurately reflect the truth:
"While the actions of a few 'bad apples' do not reflect on the thousands of professionals who do continue doing their job while failing to 'see something, say something' when it is one of their own, the actions of the few 'bad apples' do reflect on the many managers and high-level officials at TSA who refuse to address or even acknowledge the problem."

...and if the TSA can't even SPOT and get rid of the known bad apples in their ranks, why should anyone believe they can SPOT a random terrorist going through one of their checkpoints?

Philadelphia Inquirer: TSA moves to fire 7 Philly (PHL) workers for misconduct
 

An update from Peter Mucha:

Philadelphia Inquirer:
TSA moves to fire 7 Philly workers for misconduct
Posted: Fri, Jun. 15, 2012, 1:30 PM

A short quote:
and