Originally Posted by PHLbuddy (Post 12224584)

As I went through the checkpoint yesterday at one of my favorite airports, a woman bypassed a long line of passengers waiting to send their bags through the xray. Instead, she walked behind the set of tables leading to the xray, placed a handbag in front of all the other bags, then walked all the way around and entered the metal detector after flashing her badge. The screener behind the xray monitor barked out the requisite code for a weapon. A supervisor came over, patted the screener on the back, then warmly greeted the so called screen test person (apparently they were old friends). After completingsome paperwork, everyone went on their merry way.

1) Is this REALLY the screening test TSA performs to ascertain the quality of screening?
2) What logic does it make for the screen test person to be so obvious?

Originally Posted by We Will Never Forget

It was probably just a local test, which has nothing to do with the Red Team.

Originally Posted by sbm12 (Post 12224763)

LEO?

What makes you think this was someone testing the screener?

Originally Posted by HSVTSO Dean (Post 12224793)

Agreed. Though I've never heard of them using a gun in a local test bag, before. Of course, it's not conclusive that there was a gun, either.

Originally Posted by LoganTSO (Post 12225427)

However, the test form has a check block if the STSO observed that the TSO was aware of the test.

Originally Posted by We Will Never Forget (Post 12224784)

It was probably just a local test, which has nothing to do with the Red Team.

Originally Posted by Tom M. (Post 12225571)

Amazing, absolutely amazing....

If they are aware of the test, it isn't a test. At best it is training.

Originally Posted by Bart (Post 12227404)

Red Teams and TSIs don't test in this manner. Without knowing all the facts, looks to me like it was a training exercise.

I don't see anything wrong with this.

Originally Posted by Boggie Dog (Post 12225783)

Or it could be a test with the outcome predetermined.

What better way to improve screening scores?

Originally Posted by Bart (Post 12229449)

Ever hear of crawl, walk, run?

Originally Posted by Bart (Post 12229574)

It's a training term used by the Army, especially in Special Forces, I'm not surprised that you're not familiar with it.

Originally Posted by Bart (Post 12229449)

Ever hear of crawl, walk, run?

Originally Posted by Bart (Post 12229641)

There's no excuse offered. Seems that you just want to quibble. Well, I'll lay it out for you in terms you can understand, cupcake. After an officer has certified for the checkpoint, the training continues. That officer is qualified to make independent judgments in accordance with the standards laid out by the Aviation Transportation Security Act passed by Congress in 2001. The challenge is to improve that officer's proficiency starting from a baseline. This is done a number of ways, and I can only speak about how I do it at my airport. However, in this specific example, from what I read, it seems as though this was the "crawl" phase for that particular officer, and subsequent tests should be more challenging.

A good trainer needs to be able to determine the trainee's level of proficiency and adjust from there. Otherwise, that trainer shouldn't be training people.

What surprises me is that no one has taken the perspective of applauding the effort to improve screener proficiency through training. The critics have come up with their own version of how they would do it, but I suspect that they've never been responsible for training a workforce. Or, if they have, then either they forgot it or are just taking pot shots at TSA because to admit a good effort would go against their silly anti-TSA agenda.

It's clear where you stand.