Official TSA Form: "Unpredictable screening"
 

While going through security today, I saw an official TSA form in use that shows how inane their "layered security" is.

The form, marked "unpredictable screening" at the top, has two columns, one for passengers and one for carryons. There is a row for every 30 minute period of time that the checkpoint is open. There is one of two "unpredictable screening" methods for every 30 minute block of time. I could only read about halfway down the form but the rows continued almost all the way to the bottom of the sheet.

For passengers, there is either ETD of footwear or pat-down. Most of the rows were for the ETD of footwear.

For carryons, there is either ETD of a divested electronic device or another choice, I forgot what the other one was. There was an employee's initials for each 30 minute period showing that they, I'm guessing, just randomly selected one person during that time period and additional inconvenienced them by doing the operation indicated for that time period.

Yes, folks, this is going to catch the bad guys off guard. They might actually find a terrorist IF he happens to have something that would be caught by these additional screening procedures and IF he comes through at the right 30 minute period of time and IF he's the one they decide to apply another "layer" to.

Seems to me that if these things were necessary, they'd do it to EVERYONE ALL THE TIME. This is the equivalent of going on a skeet range, firing the shotgun, yelling "PULL" and then shouting "hit the bullet! hit the bullet!"

What's even more preverse is that the weak screener that left this form out for the public to see, made it known to anyone and everyone looking on top of the shroud that covers the exit chute of the X-ray machine while waiting for their stuff to come out exactly what happens every 30 minutes that is scheduled to be unpredictable. Only in a federal agency would they try to SCHEDULE UNPREDICTABILITY! Good to know that their layers are being exposed by poorly trained employees.

But then again, you don't professionalize until you federalize so I guess these are the most professional screeners out there!

6 Billion dollars a year and counting...

--PP

I am confused, was the sheet step up like a day planner so that the day was split into 30 minute blocks? Or was the sheet set up so between 1:00 and 1:30 there is to be a "random" and then between 3:00 and 3:30 another random?

I think I've seen this in action. At IAH the other day they were ETDing every computer that came through the checkpoint. Literally every third bag resulted in a call of "Bag check!" The TSAers seemed rather unhappy about it all.

It is extremely important that the TSA NOT be allowed to do anything that deviates from a set, publicly available policy. The traveling public needs to know exactly what to expect during screening and there should not be any surprises.

I find the surprise and outrage such continued inanity engenders ABSOLUTELY PREDICTABLE!

Still counting on you, TSA, to continue to make war on your brothers in arms...

I carry pretty much the same stuff +/- a few blank DVDs and notice that sometimes the laptop bag gets the treatment, sometimes the carryone (packed with an computer equipment) gets the treatment, and sometimes both get the treatment. Inconsistent at best and annoying when they yank a cable out from under something on top (good way to ruin an expensive cable).

As far as this being 'random' (reading off of a form) it isn't. Randomizing anything requires a lack of human intervention, except for perhaps pressing a button for a go/no go indication.

Why is it the TSA is completely incapable of thinking like a terrorist? I bet I could challenge everyone on this board to give it 10 minutes thought and then put forward an idea for a terror plot that took into account the TSA's "preparedness" and they'd come up with dozens of simple but terrifying ideas, none of which would be stopped by the shoe carnival or the liquids ban. I'd start with an attack on all the people standing in line with their shoes off and their laptops out. This is like a special target, prepared by TSA, gift-wrapped, and sent to OBL with a personally engraved invitation to attack, signed and SWAK by Kip Hawley.

I mean, I regularly fire people for not being creative and competent enough. If I were running a terror organisation, and my people couldn't counter the TSAs approach to "security", I'd fire the lot of them. It's brain-dead simple.

Any time you receive additional harassment without probable cause:

TSA Complaint Line 1-866-289-9673

Utterly amazing. All these self appointed security experts and none with a clue about security. Gee am I glad that none of you are in charge of security anywhere, we would all be speaking Farsi and stoning those with a beer in their fridge.

Unpredictable screening is not supposed to be unpredictable for the TSA, its supposed to be unpredictable to the public and the terrorists. You didn’t know what was going to happen until after it was happening. You cannot prepare for screening that you cannot predict. At best you can prepare for everything you can think of and hope that the TSA has not thought of something else.

Not be allowed. Hmmm, interesting thought. And just how are you going to accomplish this important task?

Ahh, and this is the very quintessence of unpredictability. He can see the forrest, but complains that the trees are in the way. Good job Angry.

Because that is not what the TSA is there for. We have other government agencies that specialize in this, and they work together with the TSA and other agencies to make up the entirety of layered security.

As for Spiff’s comment, well all I can say is bring it on dude. We love the calls.

The ignorance displayed in this thread is absolutely amazing. You folks complain about security, yet completely miss the intent of the programs and then make our point by complaining about the unpredictability of programs that are designed to be unpredictable. Congratulations folks. If I thought that the traveling public was smart this group would be cause to change that.

Wow, TSORon, you are one beligerent, small-minded security circus ringmaster! A fine mix of arrogance combined with clear stupidity. And gotta say, the ignorance displayed on this board has gone up significantly since you began to post here. Think I see a correlation there.

Can you explain again, with your patented no back-talk disdain for facts, how carrying large sums of cash through a domestic airport is illegal?

so VideoPaul saw a tsa procedural from which if we asked to see (or something similar), we would be told that it is ssi so with that, i would make this incident public by contacting the tsa, the local media your 'lected official (complete with airport name, date time screening lane and anything else to identify "this flaw" ;)) cuz afaic, you saw something which could "compromise 'skewrity" :rolleyes: and let the tsa deal with it as with all the eff-ups they do and have made public, i say the more the merrier.

Wow, in addition to the ability to predict threats by the use of magic, we now have someone who claims to me a mind reader. You have no idea who knows what about security. What is quite evident is that while you may be employed by the Terrorism Sponsorship Agency, your posted scientific knowledge about security-related items is laughable, at best. You do excel in fearmongering and exaggeration, but have shown no discernible knowledge about security by any metric. Even by the TSA's joke standards, your posted information is far below average.

I couldn't care less what "unpredictable" screening is. It should not be happening in any location that claims to be part of the United States. It will be a beautiful day when the TSA is destroyed, its scumbag "leaders" sent to prison, its collaborators exposed and publicly humiliated, and the Fourth Amendment restored.

Have no fear, they'll continue to be made. Congress, airlines, and even Comrade TSA's complaint line.

Your "unpredictable" programs are a disgrace to the United States. You might as well be making similar statements about people complaining about how disgusting Communism is - just because it lives up to its name. Oh, wait. That's exactly what the TSA is.

first off, and i'll try and keep it simply so not to have this thread head off to omni but, "it ain't just farsi"...it could be french, spanish russian, german, chinese, japanese, swiss, swedish and also good old fashioned plain american english (remember timothy mcveigh...he was red white and blue but 14 years ago today, he was a terrorist none the less)

as to "unpredictable screening being unpredictable to the public", yes i do agree with that but in VideoPaul's case, he saw the schedule as it was left out in "plane" sight" so the unpredictability pooch is thus screwed

Angry about the inconstancy of the bag inspections? Nope. Angry about the fact they toss the contents of my bag then say "you can go now" without repacking my bag the way it was packed in the first place. TSA aren't LEOs so I demand that my carry ons be repacked properly once TSA has pawed through them in a feeble attempt to make me feel safe.

I feel less safe knowing TSA is on the job. At least before 2006 I could properly secure my luggage against theft. TSA made my belongings less secure by their 'layered' toilet paper security than before 9/11.

If you want to make wise acre comments about people being stupid, I can bring up 23 + years of USAF security police/air police mistakes as a shining example of their intelligence. Do you really want to go down that road?

This was the most amazing part of it--this form was left our where anyone over five feet in stature could easily see at least the top half of it (I couldn't read past halfway down clearly) including someone whose intent was more than to point out the farcical waste of money that is the TSA. Where was this screener trained? What's lext, leaving the SOP book out for us to leaf through it? How about a SPOT training manual on the wall at the secondary moat?

You don't professionalize until you federalize!

And TSO Ron's comment about "keep the complaint calls coming, we love them!" seems to indicate that the TSA takes complaint calls about as seriously as they do actual security threats. But, they are keeping us safe from water that was bought at less than 400% markup rates outside the sterile area, thats for sure!

Remember, these "professional, federal" screeners are the BEST there is! They are HIGHLY trained in security (except, of course, at keeping procedural paperork out of eyeshot of the broadcast media) and are not loosed on the unsuspecting traveling public until they are READY to do their jobs! Which, apparently, includes leaving stuff out that probably should not be public knowledge.

Now, anyone want to guess which highly effective checkpoint this was at? I'm quite certain the TSA doesn't care.

--PP