Okay folks, I'm back. I don't post here on these topics regularly because I honestly just get mad if I think too much about what the TSA is doing. I'll even confess that I found some of the terms used here to describe the TSA (thug, nazi, jackboot, etc.) to be a bit extreme. No more. I have to share a recent experience @ SEA with you all, because it crossed several red lines. The story is long, so if you don't have time to read it all just read the summary I'm putting first.

Summary:

* More inconsistent shoe policies
* I don't have a problem with secondary search if I set off the magnometer. I think it's fair game at that point. But if I don't alarm, leave me the hell alone
* Don't threaten to deny me boarding!
* Don't deny my right to express my opinion of your asinine procedures!


Coming through to finish off my 35 segments (AS promo) this past Friday night, I set my stuff on the belt, having already divested myself of anything and everything metallic. I passed through the magnometer and did not alarm, so I made for the x-ray belt to collect my laptop before it careened down the rollers (which I hate to see happen). I was blocked by an agent, who informed me that I had another chance to "remove articles" and walk through again. Puzzled (since I didn't beep) I asked why, and he repeated himself, his vagueness not helping my puzzlement. As I continued to express my confusion, he finally clarified what he wanted: the removal of my shoes. At this point, I'm calm and cooperative, and really trying to understand what he wants. Now that I do understand, I remind him that I did not set off the magnometer, and this is when he calls his supervisor.

The supervisor comes over and asks what the problem is, and responds to my protestations about having cleared by saying that a secondary screening can be triggered by visuals as well (knew that, but ). I'm wearing cargo pants, a long-sleeve t-shirt and sneakers, for the record. At this point I expressed to her my frustration that every TSA checkpoint is different and that there is no standard. Her response was that she was only concerned with SEA (a cop-out when confronted with logic, IMO). Now, I'm not acrimonious but I am frustrated.

Here's where it gets interesting: the supervisor goes away, and I am given the wand treatment by another agent (who I haven't said a word to thus far). I say to him (politely) if he would like a small suggestion from a traveler standpoint. He responds very hatefully that no, he would not like one (nice customer service attitude) and calls the same supervisor back over. She asks what the problem is, and I explain that I was merely offering a suggestion, to which she also responds hatefully. The secondary screener mumbles something about how I must not want to fly tonight, and the supervisor then asks me directly if I want to fly. Needless to say, I'm a bit taken aback and after a few seconds have to supress the urge to scream at them (and yes, I did supress it). The supervisor starts talking to the secondary about me not being cooperative in the search (a total lie) and asks him several times if he is comfortable continuing (she asked it like I had threatened the guy's life or something). She also makes a comment to me about calling the Port Authority Police.

The supervisor then tells me to "be quiet and let him finish the screening". Now I've really had it, and tell her forcefully that I have every right to express my opinion. I am almost shaking with rage at this point, but don't dare ask for their names to report them, because I'm sure that she'll call the Port Police and have me miss my flight, so I get my stuff and head off to my gate.

I am going to get their names when I go back through this Friday, and I am going to write them up. I will write to my Congressman, and I will write to the editor of my local paper. Before, I was willing to sit back and b*tch about the TSA on forums like these. Now, I will actively work toward their end. These people are drunk with power, and clearly enjoyed dangling the threat of denying me boarding when I challenged their procedures.

This is obviously a one-sided perspective of the incident. Even if I was perceived to be verbally combative, I never intimated any sort of threat and cooperated fully with the search, only dissenting verbally. These people are un-American, they are a threat to civil liberties, and they must be stopped.


[This message has been edited by ender83 (edited Dec 16, 2003).]

If everything you have stated is true, then I say you do everything in your power to have those two removed and TSA with it. I've gotten to a point where I'm tired of TSA as a whole to.

Yeah, like I said, it's my perspective, but I certainly think it's true! Thanks for your feeback.

To add some balance to my own experience, I had a TSA in PDX last week give me a second chance to go through after I did alarm (belt). I took the belt off and made it through okay the second time, which was great because I was in a big hurry. It was nice to see some common-sense exercised for once. I don't know why, but it seems that the majority of TSA employees that I encounter are the power-hungry type who will not stand to be challenged (and no, I don't make it a habit of challenging every one). It is the people who belong to this culture in the TSA who must be rooted out. Failing that, I say shut the whole thing down.

all is lost

[This message has been edited by Fenito (edited Dec 21, 2003).]

I wonder if the camera's are finally working in Seattle. They weren't a few weeks ago when someone swallowed cocaine and died.

Perhaps one of our TSAers can share with us whether or not they are subject to sanctions - in other words, what would happen if passenger complaints about a screener's attitude accumulated? Are there a series of disciplinary actions ranging from verbal warning to immediate discharge?

If there are repeated offenses by one screener, it will start with a verbal warning from the Supervisor. Next will be a write up and a talk with the screening manager. Now I've seen these two things happen and the person in question become a lot better.

But on a third offense, I think it's either suspension and then possible termination.

All I know, is that what Ender83 typed does make my blood boil. And it's one of the reason I've decided to leave TSA as a whole. Stupid stuff like this seems to happen a lot because we hear about from passengers everyday at my airport.

That's just it; stories like these have been prolific since the creation of the TSA. Like I said before, I think it's something in the culture of the agency (top-down) that makes certain people act like this.

I live in the Seattle area and I do a lot of travel. Sometime I purposely not go home just to avoid going through the Seattle airport. I've been through a lot of airport and most of the airport security staff are good people doing their job.

I am thinking is it because of the overcast weather in Seattle that makes the TSA people get into a clouded mood and pass that on to the people?

It seems to happen in a lot of the bigger airports. I've noticed that a lot of posts against TSA center around major hubs.

Maybe policies in these places are made to make things quicker and easier for the TSA staff, not taking into consideration that passenger may not like it, then again they have 30min to 1 hr waits. Again, I can't say for sure since I have no real idea how these airports run, which is pretty sad in an agency thats supposed to be consistent across the board.

"I think it's something in the culture of the agency (top-down) that makes certain people act like this."

You proably are right. I know are management at my airport when it first rolled out was constantly there briefing us on how we were doing the country a great service, etc.. It would honestly hype up a lot of the screeners and if they had people question them, they got honestly upset, including myself for a time.

But slowly since the roll out the management has pretty much stayed alway from the airport and really hasn't said much to us the screeners. If they have something they want us to know, it's usually delivered by a screening manager.

Stuff thats usually said through someone else, is either going to come across wrong or be said with a lot of suger on top of it. We don't usually get pats on the back like we used to, instead we get grief.

And it's caused a lot of screeners to take a real look around them and see that TSA isn't what it's supposed to be. A lot are applying for different jobs outside the TSA, or just quitting altogether to get alway from it.

But this might just be my airport, and maybe the bigger airports have management more involved because it can't afford to be out of the loop like some of ours is. And with it might come a attitude that some of the screeners are superior to the passengers.


This is just a idea really though.

Let's not get caught up in broad generalizations here. Yes, very bad experience and those involved in any wrongdoing should be disciplined. However, to fixate this anger on all TSA employees is akin to profiling. Not all white folks live in trailers, not all black folks are drug addicts, not all Asians drive badly, and not all Mexicans are illegas. Do you get my drift? Not all TSA employees behave like this.

I agree with you urlbuster, not every screener acts like this.

But the fact that there are so many different accounts and having seen a few at my airport, there's enough that something should be done.



[This message has been edited by screenerx (edited Dec 16, 2003).]

Yes-- SEA is bad. I believe ender83's story and have encountered similar situations myself at SEA. They are all really bad there.

Just remain calm and don't be afraid to be speak up to the *******s working there. Don't let them **** with you.

Go directly to the Screening Manager in cases such as these. It's not worth talking to the people at the WTMD or the wand wizards. Get their names and go right to the SM. Also, phone in a complaint to the toll-free TSA hotline 866-289-9673. Give the agents' names to all parties concerned, as well as your general dissatisfaction with the screening practices employed by that airport.

The more people who speak up, the more likely it is we will get this harassment to stop.

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"Give me Liberty or give me Death." - Patrick Henry