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"If you've seen our SOP, we have a problem . . ."

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"If you've seen our SOP, we have a problem . . ."

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Old Jul 15, 2008, 9:37 am
  #16  
 
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Originally Posted by exerda
Indeed. As if some critical national intelligence "secret" would be entrusted to the thousands standing around at the nation's airports.

The TSA's SSI isn't even a classification scheme. At best, it's a type of sensitive information, like the stuff marked "FOUO" by other agencies (DoD, etc.)
FOUO? For our undershorts only? Like "don't read it but stuff it where the sun don't shine"?
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Old Jul 15, 2008, 9:41 am
  #17  
 
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Originally Posted by IslandBased
FOUO? For our undershorts only? Like "don't read it but stuff it where the sun don't shine"?
For Official Use Only - not classified, but sensitive information that should not be released to the general public. Basically, labeling something as FOUO exempts the document from general FOIA-release guidelines.

ETA - FOIA= Freedom of Information Act
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Old Jul 15, 2008, 9:43 am
  #18  
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Originally Posted by IslandBased
FOUO? For our undershorts only? Like "don't read it but stuff it where the sun don't shine"?
"For Official Use Only": a dissemination marker applied to unclassified, but sensitive, information (SBU). That marker has different meanings in different organizations, but in general, it can serve to exempt so-marked material from the FOIA and also is supposed to keep you from doing things like sharing it with the media, dumping it in an open trash can, etc.

Personally, I would agree that SSI is something the TSA should stuff where the sun don't shine, folded up with many corners sticking out first, of course...
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Old Jul 15, 2008, 9:49 am
  #19  
 
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Originally Posted by exerda
"For Official Use Only": a dissemination marker applied to unclassified, but sensitive, information (SBU). That marker has different meanings in different organizations, but in general, it can serve to exempt so-marked material from the FOIA and also is supposed to keep you from doing things like sharing it with the media, dumping it in an open trash can, etc.

Personally, I would agree that SSI is something the TSA should stuff where the sun don't shine, folded up with many corners sticking out first, of course...
So many acronyms, so little time. Thanks for rescuing me from that bit of confusion. Perhaps, however, you have hit on the SSI reason for banning sharp objects.
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Old Jul 15, 2008, 9:52 am
  #20  
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Originally Posted by wiredboy10003
Does that mean that there are only a handfull of people in the world who know their SOP? Or is it known by every single TSO? If it's not known by TSO's, then they're all acting blindly, forced to do stuff for a reason they don't know.
It had better be known by every TSO! But obviously, it's not (or at least not consistently practiced). If we have 46,000 current screeners, add to that 6 years of rapid turnover, and the contractors the are hired to do our SOP tests every year....there are a lot of people who know the SOP.

Originally Posted by exerda
Indeed. As if some critical national intelligence "secret" would be entrusted to the thousands standing around at the nation's airports.

The TSA's SSI isn't even a classification scheme. At best, it's a type of sensitive information, like the stuff marked "FOUO" by other agencies (DoD, etc.)
Agreed.
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Old Jul 15, 2008, 9:54 am
  #21  
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Originally Posted by IslandBased
So many acronyms, so little time. Thanks for rescuing me from that bit of confusion. Perhaps, however, you have hit on the SSI reason for banning sharp objects.
I don't know if it is true or not, but at one time I had heard it was the flight attendants union that wants to keep the ban on small knives and sharp objects. Has anyone else heard this, or know if it is true?
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Old Jul 15, 2008, 10:09 am
  #22  
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Originally Posted by fedup flyer
Did he really us the phrase "Our SOP is a national intelligence secret"?

Laughable.
Ssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Top secret: the emperor has no clothes.
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Old Jul 15, 2008, 10:14 am
  #23  
 
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.

The reason the supervisor said you wouldn't be going anywhere that night was because he really wanted to know what the "real" SOP was.

He would have taken notes and mumbled something like "so that's what we're really supposed to be doing."
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Old Jul 15, 2008, 10:21 am
  #24  
 
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Originally Posted by Cee
I don't know if it is true or not, but at one time I had heard it was the flight attendants union that wants to keep the ban on small knives and sharp objects. Has anyone else heard this, or know if it is true?
True enough!

The link is from a couple years back, so maybe the FA union realized how ridiculous this was making them appear. You still see the occasional crew luggage with a sticker with scissors on a logo and a red circle with the prohibited band through the killer scissors.

Fair warning: TSS regulars might want to take a lude before reading this... all the villains are mentioned Markey, Kip, Hillary, and Alaska's Stevens fixing to legislate carry-on limits .
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Old Jul 15, 2008, 10:25 am
  #25  
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Originally Posted by Cee
It had better be known by every TSO! But obviously, it's not (or at least not consistently practiced). If we have 46,000 current screeners, add to that 6 years of rapid turnover, and the contractors the are hired to do our SOP tests every year....there are a lot of people who know the SOP.
That was my first thought. Does that mean that anyone who had ever worked for the TSA and knows SOP is never again allowed to travel?

(Cee's exit interview) "We're sorry, Cee, you can quit, but then we'd have to shoot you. Or you can't ever travel again. You choose."

Mike
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Old Jul 15, 2008, 10:28 am
  #26  
 
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Originally Posted by Cee
I don't know if it is true or not, but at one time I had heard it was the flight attendants union that wants to keep the ban on small knives and sharp objects. Has anyone else heard this, or know if it is true?
The Association of Flight Attendants - CWA still has the website titled: Leave All Blades Behind.
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Old Jul 15, 2008, 12:30 pm
  #27  
 
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Originally Posted by wiredboy10003
...Or is it known by every single TSO?...
And are they forced to look at the Men In Black flashy thing to forget it when they leave the TSA? It's not like they're required to have clearances to work as TSOs.
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Old Jul 15, 2008, 12:46 pm
  #28  
 
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Originally Posted by pbz
Ssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Top secret: the emperor has no clothes.
ahh but that's just the carve-out secret. The real secret is the emperor doesn't know he has no clothes...THAT information is SCI
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Old Jul 15, 2008, 8:53 pm
  #29  
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Originally Posted by PTravel
The supervisor said, "'SOP' stands for 'Standard Operating Procedure.' If you've seen the actual SOP we have a problem. Our SOP is a national intelligence secret. Have you ever seen it?" I didn't laugh . . . really . . . and said, "No, I've never seen the actual SOP. I only know what I read on the TSA website and in the media." He said, "Okay, that's good. Otherwise, you wouldn't be going anywhere tonight."
PTravel, a tip of the hat for your exemplary coolness in the face of idiocy.

You should really consider posting this tale on the TSA blog. I'd love to see how they explain away these idiots.
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Old Jul 15, 2008, 9:08 pm
  #30  
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So it is for official use only, like Montana's 2008 to 2010 training and exercise plan?

http://dma.mt.gov/DES/Training/MT%20...2010_FINAL.pdf

Or maybe the OIG's TSA National Deployment Force Audit, also marked FOUO:

http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache...lnk&cd=1&gl=us

I like the GAO's review of transportation security for a little light reading:
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08456t.pdf
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