Ysitincoach

I don't think they're better utilized at these events at all.

In fact, the Secret Service Uniformed Division isn't very fond of them. It's more of a baby sitting, even so far as a liability having them on site. When it comes down to it, it's all political window dressing. Makes the screeners feel important, makes their managers feel like they've impressed someone in Washington, and infruriates people on these boards, so Mission Accomplished.

slidergirl

Perhaps they are two of the "highly trained" BDOs, on the lookout for those micro-expressions that tell them they've found a bad, bad person...

mikeef

Gratuitous comments about San Francisco aside, it's nice to see a potential Congresscritter talking about the TSA.

Mike

JoeBas

I love the look on the face of the actual LEO in the background...

"Dafuq are they doing there?????"

tinman435

Well as one can see in the photo, they are not near an entrance. I guess they are doing their usual job of standing around doing NOTHING!

Im suprised that the secret service allows/trusts people who have not had a backround check to screen the public who are entering the event.

Caradoc

They appear to be outside the barricades. Perhaps the Secret Service made a good call and told them to go be nuisances of themselves somewhere NOT near an entrance.

corporate666

It's quite an insult to the LEO's, I imagine.

Those LEO's will have quite a lot of training and experience. The Secret Service guys will have even more.

And then the TSA guys. A hair above minimum wage, a few "orientation" meetings, and a booklet to read and they are there too?

What an insult. Like asking an undergrad paralegal from the local correspondence community college to "assist" some Harvard Law hot-shots in a Supreme Court presentation.

TheRoadie

Perhaps the LEOs see them as phaser-fodder red shirts? Identifiable to dim-witted bad guys as the ones to take out first.

halls120

I wish TSA would issue their personnel brown shirts to replace the current blue.

That way they would be following in the footsteps of their European predecessors.

I_Can_Fly_US_Airways

Please accept my apologies. I should not have insulted the good hard working people of Walmart like that...

mahohmei

Take a close look at the TSA clerks in that picture: they're wearing ID cards on retractable reels.

I'm not claiming to be an expert in law enforcement, but if I recall correctly, LEOs and security guards typically wear nothing that could be used to strangle them--the best example of this is wearing clip-on ties instead of traditional ties, for the obvious reason that it'll pop off if someone grabs it in a confrontation.

Along those lines, I'd think that LEOs and security guards would stay well away from using retractable reels of any type, especially clipped so close to the neck on the shoulder strap.

Of course, I'm also assuming that (1) TSA clerks are LEOs or security guards, and (2) that they'd actually engage someone as a real LEO or security guard might have to.

Wally Bird

The TSA workers at checkpoints (airport or elsewhere) are not guards and certainly not law enforcement. They have no powers of arrest or detention and are not legally empowered to initiate physical engagements (well, apart from the frisks ).

The ID lanyards or whatever they are called are probably a job lot form China. Please do not suggest strangling TSA workers. @:-)