Airport Chain of Command for Security Issues
 

I ran into a nasty little situation where I asked a TSO to call his supervisor, and he said I would have to step aside and wait 20-30 minutes because 'they were all in a meeting'. I wish I knew a list of titles of people required to be on call at the airport, so I could be an IKWYRT (I Know Who You Report To).

I would like to assemble a hierarchy, a list of titles and employees, that you can ask to be called to the checkpoint when an issue arises. I know there are also airport and airline security people that can be called, and I would like to merge them into the list at the appropriate levels. I will start the list using my bet guesses, and if people can post additional or corrected info, I will integrate it into this first post, and possibly into the Glossary:

Level 1 - Initial Contact
TDC (Travel Document Checker) Verifies that ID matches boarding pass
TSO (Transportation Security Officer) Basic entry-level screener
? BDO (Behavior Detection Officer) Wanders around and looks for 'suspicious' pax

Level 2 - Supervisors immediately available at each checkpoint
LTSO (Lead Transportation Security Officer, aka "two-stripers") Level 1 Employees will call these more experienced employees over when they are not certain how to do their job.
? STSO (Supervisory Transportation Security Officer, aka "three-stripers", aka "sups") This is the first real level of supervision and authority among TSOs.

Level 3 - People who should be nearby (in the terminal?)
LEO (Law Enforcement Officer) Real officer with arrest powers, not a TSA employee
?GSC = Ground Security Coordinator (airline employee responsible for security in their area)

Level 4 - Airport-Level Authority
BAO = Bomb Appraisal Officer - on-call at the airport to resolve any explosives question

Level 5 ??

Level X - Issues escalated after the event
1. TSA website
...
99. TSA Administrator (John Pistole)
100. DHS Secretary (Janet Napolitano)

I need Help placing or explaining these employees:
TSM = Transportation Security Manager
AFSD-LE = Assistant Federal Security Director for Law Enforcement
AFSD-O = Assistant Federal Security Director for Operations
AFSD-S = Assistant Federal Security Director for Screening
AFSD = Assistant Federal Security Director
DFSD = Deputy Federal Security Director
FSD = Federal Security Director
TSA Ombudsman?

Ask for a LEO, if that is the excuse, the supervisor will be along quite a bit sooner that you were told.

You were lied to and should have said so. Calling a checkpoint worker a liar to his/her face pretty much guarantees a supervisor will materialize. Instantly.

Hah! Seems like that could backfire a little too easily. It seems like half of the stories are about cops who ask the TSA how to do their jobs.

I was thinking that there might be some sort of, "Well we better call ABC, so they can shut down this checkpoint/terminal/airport, because a they shouldn't be operating without an XYZ supervisor."

I like it! I actually filed a complaint about the underlying issue and the fact that a TSO lied to me. The issue was addressed, but not the behavior. I was pondering filing another separate complaint about the lying.

Isn't that internal to TSA employees?

So, we're supposed to think service to the flying public is part of the TSA charter? Wow, I'm surprised. I thought hindrance was their specialty.

There are a couple separate aspects. Here they are in order.

1. TSA
TSO (grunt, 1 bar)
LTSO (lead, 2 bar)
STSO (supervisor, 3 bar)
de facto senior STSO (one of the STSOs at the checkpoint with seniority)
TSM (suit, probably in charge of at least 2 checkpoints + more, may or may not be present / available)
AFSD, DAFSD, DFSD, etc - middle management
FSD (top suit, in charge of everything TSA at the airport)
Area Director (supervises most of the state)
Regional Director (supervises several states)

Separate:
Ombudsman (resolves issues, from HQ)

TDCs are usually TSO; BDOs are probably LTSO (there's a tenure requirement to apply for BDO training); BAOs are also. Those are job descriptions, not ranks.

2. Law

Ranks vary by department. Usual is paramilitary, approx:
Officer
Lieutenant
Captain
Sergeant
Major
Chief

Highest plausibly available at any given time is the Watch Commander, who is probably a Sergeant.


Highest plausibly available are:
Senior STSO (will still have grunt mentality)
TSM (probably won't be available outside M-F 9-5, and will probably take time to get)
Airport watch commander (make sure *you* call them, not the TSA)
TSA Ombudsman (M-F 9-5, press as if you're a TSA agent and they can give authoritative statements of policy)

Hypothetically. But their number is 877 266 2837, and they're generally much more well informed about policy and less assholish about making up random .....

Generally.

Level 5 ??
TSM = Transportation Security Manager
TSDM = Transportation Security Duty Manager
AFSD-S = Assistant Federal Security Director for Screening
DFSD = Deputy Federal Security Director
FSD = Federal Security Director

Regional Federal Security Director
John Pistole
Janet Napolitano

Great thread... love it. saizai has corrected most of what you're looking for. Also note that STSOs are "optional" and if there is no STSO present, an LTSO performs the duties of an STSO.

If I have time, I'll make an org chart for you all. ;)

--Jon

Just keep in mind that if you go to any TSA cretin, regardless of rank, you will still be dealing with the most bone-crushingly stupid mouth breathers in the US. Pigs dont do logic and reason.

I'll hold off on discussing TSA because others already have, buy I will discuss how my airport was structured from an airport security/LEO side.

1. Officer/Patrolman - essentially the airport's beat officer who will almost always be your first point of contact.

2. Sergeant - supervisory officer. Generally we had 2-3 per shift. If you asked for a "supervisor" this is what you got.

3. Lieutenant - shift commander. 1 per shift. For us he/she was usually out and about doing police things. You could request him or her, but it could take some time for the Lieutenant to show up.

4. Major - manager. We had 2 on the force. One responsible for standard ops and one responsible for the nonstandard stuff (SWAT, EOD, VIP security, etc). Hit or miss as to whether you could get one if requested.

5. Chief - pretty self-explanatory. Probably not going to get him to show up at a scene unless something has gone drastically wrong.

6. COO - PD reported through the chief operating officer's office, but our COO was never going to overrule a decision by the chief.

7. CEO - self explanatory. Same as COO regarding overruling Chief.

We also had Public Safety Officers - non-LEO security personnel who were responsible for security operations that don't require an LEO (sterile exits, vehicle ramp access checkpoints, etc).

Generally our LEOs were reasonable people. Not going to threaten arrest for not obeying a TSO and the like. In fact, most of our LEOs actively hated TSOs.

There were other areas of the security apparatus as well, such as surveillance, dispatch and the like but their interaction with the public was extremely limited.

Can you all simplify it for us (I'm thinking of wallet-sized, laminated card)

1. TDC or TSO gives you crap, ask for _____________ (full title as well as the acronym for each)
2. ____________ gives you crap, ask for ______________________.
3. ____________ must be available or checkpoint must be shut down.
4. ____________ must be available or airport must be shut down.

Cali

http://bit.ly/tsarights :)

Kind of. TDCs are usually TSOs, but they can be LTSOs and STSOs as well, if need be. They can even be BDOs. The training for it goes all around, in most cases.

BDOs are not LTSOs. It's actually two separate rank structures, one following along a technical track (top), and one on a management track (bottom).


..........................._MTSO -- ETSO_
........................../.......................\
TSO (D) -- TSO (E).........................TSM
..........................\_LTSO -- STSO_/


(let's just hope that formatting holds~)

It's basically arranged by payband. A newly-hired TSO will be on the D payband, and one that's been there for a few years on the E payband. At that point, it splits for further, competitive promotion. They have one stripe on their epaulet.

Master-TSOs are things like BDOs, and equipment maintenance technicians (or so I'm told; in HSV, the only MTSOs we have are the BDOs). You're correct in that it's a job title, but their rank is, technically, MTSO. They have two stripes on their epaulets.

Lead-TSOs are a rank up from the TSO. They handle rotations and breaks and lunches and the like. They're also usually the first to respond if a TSO requires the presence of a supervisor. They have two stripes on their epaulets.

Expert-TSOs are the BDO supervisors, and, maybe, Training Instructors and things of that nature. At least, in HSV our Training Dude is an ETSO. On the off-chance he actually does wear a uniform and not a polo shirt and khakis, then his epaulets have three stripes. So does the chief BDO guy.

Supervisory-TSOs are a step up on the management track from LTSOs, also with three stripes on their epaulet.

BAOs exist outside of the chain of command.

So how do you tell the difference between an MTSO and a LTSO? Or a ETSO and a STSO? You can't, really; not simply by looking at their uniform.