Sorry if this doesn't belong here so mods feel free to move if needed.

Today I was talking to a friend and somehow the TSA came up and I had a sad realization. In the fall of 2004 I went to see President Bush speak when we has in town and I went through less screening (only a WTMD and quick hand inspection of my camera) than when I flew to PHX for vacation earlier this summer. Another sad thing is unlike the a lot TSA screeners the Secret Service screeners were fast, efficient, and somewhat friendly. Of course if anyone had tried anything during the presidential visit they'd ended up with more holes in them than Swiss cheese....

It's the difference between trained professionals and random people hired to look like they're trained professionals (not saying anything about the agents themselves, just the agency).

Yea, how can you really compare secret service screeners to tso's? lol

And there was no terrorist attack?
UN F* BELIEVABLE!
All those terrorists must have been on vacation that day!
but wait...
TSA tells us that they're regrouping, hiring babies and grandmas and people with missing limbs and are showing up at airports all over the country on "trial runs"
Be very very quiet, were hunting tewwowists!

I agree. This strikes me every time I'm in the White House or dealing with SS agents from satellite offices. Efficient, professional, and cordial with no hidden agenda.

I hear ya.

I've gone through less security to get to my job when I worked with Plutonium. No lie.

+1 ^

Exactly. It's been a while, but when I used to occasionally visit the Y-12 plant security was invariably, thorough, efficient, polite and professional - and less intrusive than the best TSA experience I've had. Of course, the people in charge of security for DOE are serious professionals. That makes for a world of difference between them and TSA.

Easily: Secret Service agents are professional, polite, efficient, and use security techniques proportional to the risks they are attempting to mitigate. TSA screeners are none of these things.

I'd also add that Secret Service agents have been through psychological screening as well, so they've probably managed to weed out all (or most) of the pedophiles and sexual deviants from that organization-- so one not need worry about having one's genitals squeezed unless there's a valid reason for doing so.

I'd further add that Secret Service agents have actually been through rigorous training, and that high school drop-outs won't likely be found within the ranks of that organization-- another two key differences between the Secret Service and TSA.

I don't fly that often so I have far less TSA exposure than most, if not all, of you - and yet I found the security for the Vancouver Olympics was more efficient and professional than what I've seen at airports...and I was setting off the WTMD every single time I went through due to metal on my clothing and on my ID lanyards.

The only time I was "hassled" was when I brought a tool pouch through; I usually left it on-site but had taken it home in error the night before. When it showed up on the x-ray the screener called out, "He's got tools!" and I was treated to a fast and polite conversation with a supervisor who asked me why I had the tools, listened to my explanation, and then passed me through.

Of course, I'd already had to pass a security check to get my access credentials so that might explain why I wasn't interrogated, and it might have helped that there was a list of rules and regs (including a specific section on "tools of the trade" and what you could bring in with justification) which we were all required to read before we started working there.

I apologize for the post and run last night.

The reason I found it "sad" was because I'd almost expect a more rigorous screening to be in the same room as the president than to get on an airplane. Hell I might almost (note I said almost) accept the use of the NoS or "enhanced pat downs" (if warranted by the WTMD alarming) because there are constant credible threats made against the POTUS all the time. The other thing is that while the secret service agents were undoubtedly looking at each and every person that passed through the screening area as a potential threat to the president you didn't get that feeling at all because the agents were polite and professional. I can't say the same for when I pass through a TSA checkpoint no matter how friendly the TSOs are. I realize that comparing the average TSO to a SS agent assigned to the presidential detail isn't a fair comparison but the higher ups at DHS may want to look at how the secret service screeners do their job and learn from it or at least train their front line people to stop treating every damned person as a criminal until there's real evidence that they are.

I would beg to differ with you on this post since the DNC came to Denver and TSA had to conduct A LOT of the screening. First of all none of those people that came to the political events had 3 carry on pieces of luggage/personal items. If the airlines would allow banning of carry on luggage you would see wait times at the check points drop to less than 5 minutes.

But didn't you have plenty of background checking before the fact?

I can go in secured areas at my job also but have a through background check and I have to scan a card and my iris, same as my military id, they just didn't issue me that because I want to shop at the base exchange.