But the website is out of date

Some Feedback for Bart the TSO
@Bart - if you want some feedback, here is some from me. Now, I don't dislike anyone (including the TSA) and I agree that we should have some security at the airports. That being said, no agency, police, FBI, or TSA, can prevent EVERY bad thing from happening.

At the airports, why can't we have metal detectors, dogs that can detect explosives, and the use of wands as a secondary search? Also, the airlines could maybe look at the travel records and background of people on the no-fly list. If someone has been to Yemen or some other "terrorist" country 50 times in the last year, has had lots of money activity in a bank account that is suspected to have terrorist ties, they are a member of some rebel islamic extremist group and they have a webpage stating that they hate americans, then yes, we could perhaps profile that person. I don't think people realize that profiling is not just based on skin color, it can be used to track other criteria that the average innocent Muslim passenger is not going to be involved in.

Yes, sometimes the terrorists might use sleeper people or people we would not suspect but hopefully, we can stop them another way. If someone bad were to get on a plane and try something, the passengers would fight back and some may even die "heroically" fighting the bad guy. Didn't that already happen on one of the 9/11 hijacked flights? You hear stories of people who risk their lives to rescue other people. Don't the police and firemen do that every day? There is no such thing as 100% absolute security.

The risk of dying in a terrorist attack is not that large when compared to other risks such as dying in a car accident, a tornado, an earthquake, a flood, or from a horrible transmittable disease, etc. The police can not prevent all murderers from killing people. The government can not possibly prevent all terrorist attacks. Does that mean that we should all live in fear and over react? Why can't we just live our lives and not live in fear? Aren't we supposed to be the land of the brave and FREE?

@Bart - the next time you see one of your tso's "yelling" at a passenger, put yourself in our shoes and try to see how we feel. We don't know the rules (such as what is allowed, private room searches, what kind of touching we can expect). It's not a fun "game" to play when we don't even know what is expected of us. Most of us are just scared of the tso's. Lots of people do not want a stranger touching them or looking at them naked. I think many children would be freaked out by the new procedures. Our country is filled with smart people and universities, I'm sure someone can invent a non-invasive machine that can detect explosives without it being so offensive or contain radiation or microwave waves. The metal detectors worked amazingly well for the past 10 years after 9/11!!!!!

Thank you, Bart. Maybe you can be the one person who might be able to make a difference. I wish you a good day.

Yes, I tell them to not get into any arguments or discussions with passengers. If a passenger objects to going through the AIT, then respect that decision but give them a clear explanation of the pat-down that they will have to undergo so that they make a well-informed decision. I'm all for no surprises, and I tell my officers that it is well worth the time and effort to explain this upfront.

If, however, they object to having to undergo the pat-down, I tell them to notify the supervisor and to not get into a urinating contest with the passenger.

The rest of it is purely your baggage to deal with.

If I were King for the Day, I would employ all screening assets for various situations. I believe we could have what would amount to Level 1 screening for everyone, and go to Level 2 screening for certain situations that require increased screening. I'd do away with random screening. Either we did it right at the checkpoint or we did not. Following up with additional screening at the gate is a waste of time, IMHO. I'd rather the personnel used at the gates be at the checkpoint to be more responsive to bag checks, passenger screening, etc. I'd do away with BDO voodoo, but would integrate some of the techniques as part of the regular screening process. I'd allow liquids, gels and aerosols aboard, but with additional screening.

The AIT does not emit unsafe doses of radiation. However, I agree that it should not be the primary screening method. But it is a screening method that we should use under certain circumstances (e.g. the Level 2 screening method). Believe it or not, there are some people who prefer the AIT to the WTMD, and they should still have that option (people with hip replacements or other similar implants can screen through without any additional hassles). TSA is looking at a process that would eliminate the image officer at the AIT station. I don't know if it will ever come to fruition; however, it would involve a screen visible to both screener and passenger that basically shows an outline avatar of a human shape with areas highlighted that need to be searched. The computer basically does all the "viewing" and "decision-making."

I am not in favor of profiling for many reasons. However, (and I've said this to a manager who freaked out when I said it), if Osama bin Laden were to clear security, then we shouldn't have a problem allowing him aboard. He may be a wanted terrorist, but on that day, he didn't have a bomb or any other weapons on his person. He was just another passenger. (No, I'm not advocating that bin Laden be allowed on board; my point is that our job is to make sure no dangerous objects are brought on board. It's up to the FBI or CIA to capture/arrest bad guys.)

I'm not a big fan of the TDC; however, I believe TSA ought to man the checkpoint at the initial entry point. I do agree that we ought to tone down a lot of the hooplah that goes on at the TDC simply because it's nothing more than a huge administrative process that keeps some bureaucrat somewhere happy but does little to truly enhance security. There are other efforts more worthy of our time and your taxpayer dollars.

Did I surprise anyone?

Sickened. Pointless.

Bart, that's wonderful that you instruct your workers to not argue with the passengers when they opt-out. I hope they listen to you. In America, we're into having freedom so Bart, thank you for telling your workers to let us choose. If the TSA doesn't want people to opt-out, then they shouldn't offer it.

Most people have no problem with the old version of the pat-down used as secondary screening, esp. after alarming a metal detector multiple times.

Seriously, what was wrong with the old version of the pat-down? We had metal detectors and old-version pat downs for so long and you know what, it worked!!

The US government is in serious debt, other countries can no longer absorb our debt, the government should cut down on spending before we're really broke and become a third world country in terms of our economy. Lol, I guess this isn't an issue with the TSA but more of an issue for the government. Mr. President, how about using the money to take HELP your people instead of spending millions and millions of dollars on expensive body scanners. Many people can barely afford gas for their cars let alone even afford to fly. The old method (metal detectors and wanding) worked just fine, now use that money to help your people.

Note - I'm not a fan of either political party so please don't turn this into a political debate. Can anyone not see that this body scanner money could be used in so many other ways?

Many of us have been saying the same thing for years now. Sadly, our elected officials are only thinking of the next election cycle, not about what is good for the country.

Well, there are many Americans simply struggling to find work or are surviving from pay check to pay check. I see it all around me. Meanwhile, people like Chertoff, Napoliatano, and Pistole are flying around in their private jets (and not subject to the same security screenings), getting rich off of the scanner machines. The money use for these machines could instead be used to help people and the economy. What is happening to America?

Well your students don't get it and the teacher has failed.

To be fair ... is it the fault of the teacher when the student doesn't learn? There's shared responsibility all around.

Full disclosure: I'm a teacher. I'll admit I'm not perfect ... but, then again, neither are my students.

Can you explain why Congressman Mica questioned TSA during recent Congressional hearings just why TSA Airport Security Screeners confiscated the Congressman's small cuticle scissors recently?

What is it about these SOP's that seem so difficult to implement in the field?

Fair question.

Either the students lack intelligence to learn that particular information, or there is a communication barrier, the material is not clear, or the teacher can't teach. Perhaps some of all of those reasons. I'm sure there are other reasons.

What is clear is that TSA is not getting the training job done very well.

I was an instructor during my military service career. I had one person who I had tried everything I could think of to teach one point. I finally cracked the barrier by sketching a diagram of a fairly complex system and for some reason the light came on. The learning curve went up drastically after that moment for that person. In fact he became an instructor some years later.

Yeah, what's up with LittleSheep carrying around the constitution and basic human dignity? Weird....

I'll admit I'm not perfect, too.

One of the things that cannot be addressed inside a classroom setting are all the dynamics that occur on the floor ranging from disagreeable passengers to demanding airport executives who speed dial the FSD whenever the line appears longer than reasonable. (By the way, one of my pet projects I'll do when standing in line to the movies, at the grocery store, etc. is note the waiting time before attended to, serviced, etc. and compare that to the average wait time at the airport, but I digress.) Point is that there are a host of factors that cannot be addressed in a lesson plan.

The real issue is the distinction between training, which lays the foundation for implementing the SOP, and leadership, which ensures that the SOP is carried out effectively. What I've observed about government service is that it encourages management and mistakenly calls it leadership. I learned all about leadership in the military, and TSA sorely misses the boat. But I think that applies to any large corporation be it private or government.

At my airport, we've implemented some initiatives to bridge the gap between what's taught in the classroom and what's actually implemented on the floor. But there are a lot of intangibles that affect how decisions are made and procedures are carried out. It's something that needs to be worked on continuously; there's never a point when one can sit back, pat oneself on the back, and be satisfied that the goal has been met.

If you want to have a truly honest discussion, then you would admit that there's a difference between the instruction given at the service schools, which are doctrinally-based, and the unit-level SOPs at the line units which are situational. The first thing most First Stripers tell the FNGs is to forget all the hogwash they learned in school and pay attention to how it's really done in the trenches. TSA tries not to be that way, but I would be naive to say that it doesn't happen. Of course it happens.

So I guess all of your students ended up as Soldier of the Quarter, made the NCO ranks on the first attempt and walked away with all sorts of medals and awards? No troops who washed out or had any disciplinary problems whatsoever because of your perfect instruction?