

Report: TSA employee misconduct up 26% in 3 years - tocomment
http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/31/travel/tsa-misconduct/

======
doktrin
Anecdotal gripe : the amount of self-important power tripping and vicious
snickering among TSA agents has been getting worse as of late.

I feel as if I can't walk through a security line without overhearing one of
their staff berating some other traveler for offenses as minor as expressing a
wish to walk through the X-Ray instead of the 3-d scanner, or for not taking
their liquids out of a bag (a rule which is arbitrarily enforced at best).

I typically sympathize with positions and roles who are entrusted with
security, and where success may be measured by a lone failure rather than
otherwise sustained competency (much like a sysadmin). However, given what I
perceive to be a pattern of escalating negative experiences this report does
not surprise me in the slightest.

~~~
JPKab
The TSA's hiring process is guaranteed (at least from my wife's personal
experience with it here in DC) to hire shit-bags.

My wife, after being a stay-at-home mom for years, wanted to get a job while
going to college part-time. She applied and was eventually offered a job by
the TSA at DCA airport.

Upon looking at the hours, it was completely, utterly unworkable. Rather than
a 40 hour a week job, they offered her 20 hours a week, which is reasonable,
but get this: the 20 hour a week job had a schedule that completely changed
week to week. This means that a person can't have ANY, and I mean ANY other
responsibilities/jobs/schoolwork while working as an entry level TSA employee.
She was told this was the standard in hiring new TSA workers. No wonder the
lines are always staffed by people who, predominantly (with a few memorable
exceptions), have a shitty work ethic, bad attitude towards customers, and
poor problem solving skills.

In other words, the people who can't get/hold a job anywhere else end up at
TSA.

~~~
rdouble
Not to defend the TSA, but most part time hourly jobs have variable schedules
like that. I've even worked high paying sysadmin jobs that were like that.

------
jmharvey
You can prevent the TSA from rifling through your checked baggage outside of
your presence (and helping themselves to whatever they want) by flying with a
gun: [http://lifehacker.com/5448014/pack-a-gun-to-protect-
valuable...](http://lifehacker.com/5448014/pack-a-gun-to-protect-valuables-
from-airline-theft-or-loss)

Probably just about the only instance where having a gun can actually thwart a
corrupt government official.

~~~
rdl
I usually cheat and just carry a stripped lower receiver if I'm not going to
be carrying at the destination. I avoid going to NYC to the extent possible,
too, though. The TSA people sometimes lol. The ones who handle guns also seem
to be the best ones at the airport, and especially at Seattle, I like talking
to them (someday when I get my manufacturer FFL I hope to show off some hot
title II stuff there)

Tempted to start carrying an 80% lower, which is tech I ally not a firearm, to
be even safer. Should still be able to get firearm service at the tsa for it.

~~~
jlgreco
This gives me an idea:

There might be a market for cheap-as-hell injection molded lower receivers,
not really good for any sort of shooting at all, to be sold to travelers so
that they can be "technically" carrying a gun. It would be considered
disposable so they could just crack it in two and throw it away at their
destination (or perhaps have the shops that sell them also buy them back). I
figure injection molded plastic would be sufficient, as plastic lowers have
already been demonstrated.

It would only work to and from certain states of course. There are probably
problems with selling and buying them back _in_ airports, so disposal in some
states may be a problem. If you are flying Kansas<->Vermont or similar it
could probably be made to work though.

~~~
lightbritefight
If I'm not mistaken, you can use a flare gun and get the same kind of service.
This is a fine, nominally non lethal option if you still want the same
assurance as a gun, but don't care for the whole lethal weapon aspect of it.

------
coin
> Their job is to keep air travelers safe in the wake of the September 11,
> 2001, attacks

Not true, their job is to make people feel safer in the wake of September 11,
2011 attacks

~~~
blackaspen
Emphasis on the "FEEL" is needed here.

~~~
DamnYuppie
Agreed.

Its also a works program for the incompetent.

------
thex86
Like Uncle Ben said, "With great power comes great responsibility," the TSA
employees are exactly in that position -- they have the a great deal of power
at their disposal and they are not trained to control it. One can also argue
that they are just doing their job, but it's probably not as simple as that.
On multiple occasions when I had to deal with them (I forgot to take out a
water bottle of my bag), I have found them to be unnecessarily rude. It almost
seemed as if the TSA agent was enjoying it thoroughly. And I know this first
hand, having worked in a customer service position for many years, I can
probably smell it.

~~~
Terretta
Aside from the standard "customer service" jadedness, there's a class
stratification at play: people who have to take a TSA screener job to pay the
bills, versus people with enough income to fly. When you put an underclass in
control of the overclass, don't be surprised when they try to wield whatever
power they can, regardless of how disproportionate.

It would be an interesting experiment to staff a TSA gate with frequent fliers
selected "jury pool" style (say, one day of service for every 100k miles flown
annually), and see if both passenger and agent job ratings are any different.

~~~
mrtonykittens
I would be great at a job I knew I only had to perform for one day (or even
one week). I also wouldn't be terribly concerned with upholding rules and
laws, and just do it how I would want it to be done. Plus it would be fun and
different, almost like a game.

I can't believe we have juries.

------
beedogs
It's amazing the kind of shit people put up with in the US.

I'll remember to stare them in the face the next time a TSA agent touches my
genitalia as a precursor to being allowed to board an aircraft.

~~~
tylermac1
I've flown quite a few times in the last few months and have never had a TSA
agent overstep their boundaries when doing a pat-down. I've had nothing but
pleasant experiences going through security.

~~~
JamesArgo
>I've had nothing but pleasant experiences going through security.

Surely "pleasant" is too strong an adjective.

~~~
jlgreco
Maybe he enjoys being manhandled. Some people appreciate physical contact
anywhere they can get it.

~~~
tylermac1
I've never been "manhandled" by the TSA.

~~~
jlgreco
Well that certainly sheds some light on your _" nothing but pleasant
experiences"_, doesn't it?

If you've never had a pat down, then it should not be surprising that they
have never overstepped any boundaries during a pat down...

~~~
tylermac1
I have had pat-downs. Where did you get that I've never had a pat down? Pat
down != "manhandling"

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rdouble
Any time I check a bag, something is stolen from it. I guess I'm supposed to
be thankful the TSA has the consideration to leave one of those little "TSA
went through your bag" memos with a disconnected phone number to call to
report the missing items.

------
lnanek2
The actual report is here:
[http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-624](http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-624)

Apparently they did hire 3,200 more people as well. Although it does look like
the percent increase in misconduct is greater than the percent increase in
employees, new employees are often more trouble at the start and hiring
quickly often forces you to lower your standards.

I actually left a laptop in a stacked security tray a while back and the TSA
called me asking about returning it the next day and kept it at their offices
for me for the month it took me to get back from Asia for it. So there's
definitely some good people manning the line as well. I didn't expect to get
back something I made the mistake of forgetting.

------
mcculley
I've been explaining the declining TSA situation in terms of the broken
windows theory. Once an organization hits a tipping point where it is
universally despised and its primary purpose annoys people, good people will
leave and only undesirables will apply. This creates a feedback loop.

It will take fundamental changes to reverse this.

~~~
arkades
Respectfully, I disagree. The socioeconomic status of the sorts of people that
tend to despise the TSA, and the SES of the sorts of people that tend to be
front-line TSA agents are very, very different. Those self-same TSA agents
rarely fly (and thus bear no inconvenience), and are unlikely to have had the
benefit of the sort of education that leads one to (a) despise incursions
against civil liberties and (b) open opportunities for employment above that
of a TSA agent.

~~~
mcculley
I agree that there is not a good overlap between people employed by the TSA
and people subjected to the policies of the TSA. I'm less convinced that there
is a huge socioeconomic gulf between those groups. The cost of airfare
relative to overall cost of living has substantially declined in my lifetime.
I would agree with your assertion if the passengers of airlines were like they
were 20 years ago. But my contemporary experiences suggest that anyone who has
a salary of a TSA employee can afford to fly somewhere. I fly out of Orlando,
Florida and I don't see a huge difference between the clientele of Southwest
and the clientele of Walmart.

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aclimatt
Just to clear up a misconception I'm seeing, the TSA does not use X-rays
anymore, except maybe at very small airports (although I haven't seen one in
years).

The backscatter machines were replaced with millimeter wave scanners, which
are far safer and less intrusive than x-rays.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millimeter_wave_scanner](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millimeter_wave_scanner)

------
socialist_coder
The TSA stole a pair of $600 headphones out of my checked luggage. Fuck those
guys. I learned my lesson though, never check expensive things.

~~~
IvyMike
Your checked luggage is handled by a lot of non-TSA employees, too.

~~~
hga
But it can't be seriously locked anymore, or at least the TSA will cut your
lock if it's not one of the ones they have a master key for:
[http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/baggage-
locks](http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/baggage-locks)

There can't be very many master keys, and the payoff is so great for getting
copies....

~~~
chiph
Take a gun with you. Seriously. [1] If you check a firearm (whether a "real"
gun like a 9mm or a flare pistol), you have to check your bags. The
interesting point is that once you do this, you are required to use a lock
_the TSA does not have a key for_. There is also an increased standard of
accountability & custody, as your bag will only be moved by a supervisor.

[1]
[http://deviating.net/firearms/packing/](http://deviating.net/firearms/packing/)

~~~
gknoy
I realize this is a duplicate of what someone else posted above [1], but:

 __Be very careful that it is legal to carry /transport/own/etc that firearm
at your destination! __

For example, New York. Don 't bring one there. (I appreciate the tips from
other HNers in that regard, I had no idea.) I'm not sure exactly what it is
that is illegal in NY, in fact -- is it specifically airport related, or is it
general ownership/carry/transport?

1:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6135445](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6135445)

~~~
koenigdavidmj
It's possession of a pistol without an NYC pistol permit (costs about $340,
takes quite an effort to acquire, etc).

Theoretically there is a federal protection for possessing an unloaded weapon
locked in a case (with the ammunition in a separate locked case), provided
that you are simply passing through a place where it would be illegal (e.g.
flying from Seattle through NYC to Vermont, for instance) but the local
respect for that protection may vary. New Jersey, for instance, completely
ignores it (you will get arrested and charged, but that works as a defense to
the charge).

~~~
hga
" _[...] an NYC pistol permit [which] takes quite an effort to acquire_ "

As in, you won't get one without political pull. There are 50-60 thousand
currently outstanding, in a city of 8 million. Long gun possession licenses
are similarly restricted, or at least roughly as rare.

The Firearms Owner's Protection Act of '86 protections for interstate travel
are pretty much written with car travel in mind, and you can't really observe
all of them while carrying guns in luggage. And it was always an affirmative
defense (something you could only bring up while at court), but indeed New
Jersey was particularly obnoxious about it.

------
rayiner
I'm pro welfare, and jobs programs for poor people and old people, but could
we just pay them to sit at home instead?

------
elmuchoprez
I'd be curious how the misconduct numbers compare to other occupations granted
special access, such as police. That would help me understand if the problem
is specifically with the TSA or if the real issue is that granting anyone such
deep and unchecked access leads to misconduct.

------
gnu8
Simply arresting all of the TSA employees would go a long way toward making
air travel safer.

Why aren't TSA employees required to register as sex offenders?

------
tsax
Blame unionization. Why government employees are allowed to unionize will
forever remain a mystery, for non-cynical reasons that is.

~~~
mikeash
I can't think of a single complaint I have with the TSA, of which I have many,
which could reasonably be blamed on unionization.

~~~
tsax
Right because near-impossibility of firing someone, and the magnified
principal-agent problems of public sector managers negotiating with psu's
don't influence behavior in any way.

~~~
mikeash
My complaints involve their mission, their rules, their equipment, and their
techniques. None of which are exacerbated by unionization.

~~~
tsax
Formal spec vs delivered software - there's a similar case here. In any real
world organization, the formal written mission and rules are not exactly the
ones that are in operation. Unionization especially public-sector unionization
further disconnects employees from the rules and the techniques they are
_supposed_ to follow. Now this could go either way, but considering the
psychopaths and bums that the TSA hires, and the numerous cases we know of
theft, I would say that unionization makes things worse with the rules and
techniques.

~~~
mikeash
I've never encountered a situation where I was annoyed at TSA because they
didn't follow the "formal spec" properly, and wished they had followed it
better. In fact, quite the contrary: I have, very occasionally, had places
where the TSA let something slide that they officially shouldn't have, and
made my life slightly easier as a result.

I don't know why you have such a hard time believing me on this....

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znowi
Do they conduct body cavity search yet? I think Americans can very well adapt
to it.

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BadassFractal
As far as I can tell the only reason for TSA's existence is to give menial
jobs to people who are out of whatever menial job they were doing before,
likely because of automation or their services becoming unnecessary. Basically
a gov's artificial attempt at creating jobs. Tbh I'd prefer if they were just
given a stipend and allowed to stay at home, get their livelihood without
having to harass and steal in exchange.

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cafard
In Boston I forgot to take off my belt, so a) I got the pat-down, and b) my
belt and keys had to ride through the machine. The guy who did the pat down
was fine. The kid at the end of the conveyor had never heard the expression
"perv scanner" (which I used in explaining to my wife why I was still waiting)
but took no umbrage whatever.

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jawerty
It would be interesting seeing an experiment on how an increase in the media
can affect the overall morale of a certain profession. I highly doubt this
increase in misconduct has nothing to do with their negative attention over
the past decade.

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jmduke
Note that this is overall misconduct, not misconduct per employee. What has
happened to the TSA's budget (the majority of which is spent on staffing) over
the past three years?

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gbin
What do you think they are doing with the confiscated $100 perfume bottle you
bought at the duty free ?

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theorique
Two words: Pre Check

Seriously, this will change your life if you are a frequent flyer. Just get
it.

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Zigurd
I had a large check from a client lifted from my bag at a TSA checkpoint at
JFK. New York area airports have also been in the news for theft rings
operating in the checked baggage areas.

They need to streamline the passenger security checks so that you can keep
your bag under observation and reduce the time the TSA has access to it, and
reduce the TSA workforce so they can implement higher standards.

