Yes it's convenient but *NEVER* place valuables (wallet, watch, jewelry, money clip, etc) in the little bowl going through X-ray, zip them in your bag. If you're delayed due to body scanner alarm, that bowl comes out the other side without you. I've seen passengers just drop a money clip in there, and the agents on the other end would have no idea if another passenger grabbed it. Or, in this case, the agent. If they want to physically open your bag, you have to be present.
Funny, for some reason I never considered this. I mean, sometimes they touch everything...a little slight of hand and boom...you're fucked. Glad they got them.
Last month, someone made it past security with a gun at Tampa airport. They kept it quiet but clearly TSA is busy doing this shit instead of looking for weapons. Apparently the gun was spotted at the gate and he was stopped long before boarding. Source: my dad works there. (Not as TSA lmfao)
I had a Hasselblad lens stolen from my luggage at YVR, someone tried to sell it on CL, a few pawn shops and a camera store. Even with video, officials wouldn't do anything until Iwent to the media. Then, it mysteriously turned up in found property without an explanation.
Guys... these aren't cops. TSA training can be as short as 9 days and pay as low as $14.60/hour: https://www.tsatestprep.com/tsa-hiring-process/ TSA sucks, but the grunts aren't the real problem. They're a product of the system. Disgust is deserved but it should be aimed higher.
As a wider topic of the TSA being a shitty organization, yes. But these two individuals deserve disgust as well for not only their criminal behavior but eroding a public trust.
I get that some people struggle because wages are not just, but I will never understand why people steal from other people. My parents were robbed by break in and lost all their family heirlooms. Shit probably netted 600 bucks tops, but the loss was devastating for them. The violation lasted a long time. Fuck people who steal from other people.
We were told to not leave any American currency in our luggage, because it will be "confiscated". But if it makes you feel any better, I had my bag stolen in Germany and broke a pickpockets finger in London.
Unless the doctors are not on strike due to unfair conditions - which I completely agree with, considering Torries (equivalent of US Republicans) are doing their best to dismantle social health (by reducing the budget and understaffing) and introduce an insurance based system like the US.
If it's any reassurance, US TSA has never stolen cash from me, Germany was delightful, and so was London (save one jackass tearing down the sidewalk on a bike shouting obscenities at people).
Heathrow security racially profiled my Pakistani student when we were trying to fly back to the states after a educational trip to Spain. It was after they’d gone through security and they decided to pull him out of line as he was about to board the plane to pat him down and go through his stuff.
Usually they tear down the sidewalk and mug people. Was a big thing for a while. Was running one day when I came across a disabled lady who had been mugged like that. I guessed what had happened so tried to kick one off, as they went passed me.but sadly missed and couldn't catch up with them on e-scooters. Fortunately lots of people came to help her already. Little Duckers
Of course they were, the dumbasses entire working life was recorded for posterity. Ever wonder why the tellers at your bank don't pocket bills or customer deposits? It's not just because they're on camera the entire time they're there, it's because banks don't hire morons either.
Looks like they'll get out of it easy. Or one of them at least: "Gonzales's attorney Richard Cooper confirms that his client agreed to a deferred prosecution program, meaning if he completes the course, the case will be dismissed."
No mention of either being fired , just removed from the screening process. One of them got off light IMO “Gonzales's attorney Richard Cooper confirms that his client agreed to a deferred prosecution program, meaning if he completes the course, the case will be dismissed. “ try stealing $600 from a federal employee when you’re working. and see if you keep your job and get the case effectively dismissed ( after deferment )
TSA employees, despite being excepted service, have appeal rights equivalent to the Title 5 appeal rights available to most other federal employees. The article doesn’t say, but this may be pending MSPB action. The MSPB is kind of messed up due to lack of a quorum (thanks to that guy) and it can take years to resolve an appeal.
I always put my wallet deep in my carry on. Not gonna leave it out like that. Hell no. Anybody could be waiting at the other side of the XRay while I'm standing there in the machine.
It's not strictly, but if it has anything metallic in it, it will trigger the metal detector. My wallet has a little snap button for a pocket and some similarly have zippers. Generally though, you're requested to empty your pockets, and if there is an issue where you didn't take something out it can trigger them doing a longer search or holding you (not that they need any cause).
TSA and postal workers. The fuck happened to my three packages I sent from Japan to my parents in Wisconsin? You assholes made it so I don’t send care packages anymore. Snacks. Jerkies. Jams. All of it costs $70 to send and then it just disappears. Assholes.
In the early days of TSA, some young TSA kid tried to tell everyone in line at the airport that he was a "federal agent," and someone in line politely reminded him that his mail carrier is just as much a "federal agent" as he is. (That was before USPS was semi-privatized). Definitely not the best and brightest in those entry-level (and mostly unnecessary) government positions.
It's a cop-level power trip position without the danger or physical fitness requirements of being a cop. That's bound to bring in some... questionable people.
*sigh* Classified. But before the military camp, we're only allowed to check people's IDs and tickets, and make sure everyone follows the rules for machines.
Can't find a bomb, thwart a terrorist, or manage a line to save anyone's life, but can quickly find and confiscate money from passengers. Tell me again why we need them?
If that were a legit reason they would have been ousted when they failed to spot the shoe bomber, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the underwear bomber, or 95% of all fake bomb tests their own undercover agents use to test their security. They're a complete failure.
Well who's gonna confiscate your water, alcohol and shampoo? Cause, you know, some explosives can be in liquid form. Of course, most explosives are in solid form and according to this logic, anything that's solid should be confiscated, too. Anyways, take off your belt and very quickly put everything, separated, in this tray, then pack it all up real fast cause you're holding up the hour long line. No, we won't provide you with a table to do this while you're in the line. Boarded? Here's a knife.
Also, who's gonna search perpetually randomly chosen people with brown skin (aka People That Look Like Terrorists)? Oh and btw, you're only allowed one lighter. More than that could be dangerous. Surely every passenger having a single lighter poses no danger. It's clearly not enough to start a fire on board a plane or something. But! We'll remind you that this is a non smoking flight. As is every flight for the past 25 years or so. There. You feel safe now.
They are paid so little, it attracts really the bottom of the barrel people in US. Equivalent jobs in other countries are comfortably middle class. US TSA is basically poverty wages.
We don't. We didn't even need the Patriot Act that established this entire department. 9/11 was committed by the Saudis but we bombed Afghanistan and Iraq to enrich the military industrial complex. Hell Bush Sr put Saddam into power in the first place.
Yeah, but they replaced the people who dropped the ball. And then they continue to drop the ball even harder than the people they replaced. Last report I read they failed 95% of all bomb detections by their own department.
Talk about a career move gone wrong. I can only imagine what went through their minds when they saw that $600 just waiting for them in that wallet. Maybe it was a secret game of "finders keepers" they were playing and got a little carried away? Who knows! But hey, kudos to them for making the airport experience more memorable, I guess. Let's just hope they didn't spend it all on silly things like gum and candy.
Yeah, but they replaced the people who dropped the ball. And then they continue to drop the ball even harder than the people they replaced. Last report I read they failed 95% of all bomb detections by their own department.
Do you know what actually stops the next 9/11? The way they approach letting someone take over the pilot seat. The pilots are instructed to not allow anyone into the cockpit for any reason anymore during a flight. Everyone could be dying back in the passenger area and they will not budge. It used to not be that way, as it was always about appeasement of the person who was doing the hijacking. No pilot = no control over the plane = no more towers getting hit. Tell me again why the TSA exists.
They're failing worse than the security who let the terrorists through. They haven't done one good thing since their inception. However, they've leaked scanner nudes, stole property, allowed terrorists through -- including the Boston Marathon Bomber, failed at detecting 95% of their covert security tests to detect weapons and bombs, drastically mismanaged lines, helped smuggle drugs, and routinely target minorities for "random searches". Even some Republicans want them gone.
There have been several "undercover" ops designed to see how much stuff could be snuck through TSA checkpoints, and virtually everything got through. They were never really designed to keep us safe, just to make us feel like the government is trying to keep us safe.
It's also pretty difficult to compare before and after. Other than everything taking longer there's really only one major event involving airplane safety that happened before we went nuts with security theater. And the best security measure post 9/11 was re-engineering the cockpits to make breaking down the cockpit doors basically impossible without destroying the plane. Security theater < science.
It's never because of them. Every terrorist thwarting through airports has happened AFTER they got through TSA. Thank Sky Marshals, police, or random people -- never TSA. Hell, they let the fucking BOSTON BOMBER through their line. 95% of the time they can't even pass their own audits to detect bombs and weapons.
So the only reason that 9/11 happened is because the FAA playbook never accounted for suicide terrorists, only hijackers who wanted ransoms. That's why we messed up so bad because nobody ever secured cockpits, they just overpowered their way into the cockpit then took hostages and told people they would return to airport and get ransom, prolly why nobody fought back. The single biggest change was an update to the playbook to secure the cockpit before takeoff. (1/2)
And with that even if terrorist take hostages or whatever the pilots first priority is keeping the cockpit locked down and routing to the nearest airport, even if they kill everyone onboard because then they dont get control of the aircraft. You could argue that the TSA does a great job at limiting liquids which is needed in most cases for a bomb, so those two things together would make it very difficult to really do anything. Ultimately I doubt they would try the same thing twice. (2/2)
The TSA are a textbook example of security theater. They fail something like 60% of the blind tests, average 4 arrests per year, and are frequently caught posting personal data about passengers on social media. Yet $800M continue to be spent annually. Oh and air marshals take up a seat on a plane.
putcleverusernamehere
Yes it's convenient but *NEVER* place valuables (wallet, watch, jewelry, money clip, etc) in the little bowl going through X-ray, zip them in your bag. If you're delayed due to body scanner alarm, that bowl comes out the other side without you. I've seen passengers just drop a money clip in there, and the agents on the other end would have no idea if another passenger grabbed it. Or, in this case, the agent. If they want to physically open your bag, you have to be present.
Eridianne
Well you did the 'position of authority' part right, you forgot the 'no oversight' part that lets you do bad shit willy nilly
barnwolf
Having them work in pairs is probably meant to prevent stuff like this. You'd need two people willing to commit a crime then.
gryzlock
The airport is where there are most cameras... other than a casino.
QueefMalone
Funny, for some reason I never considered this. I mean, sometimes they touch everything...a little slight of hand and boom...you're fucked. Glad they got them.
Imsomewhatofaboobmyself85
How much has he stolen from other passengers?
IAmGodot
So do we think this is the first time they've done it or just the first time they got caught?
Lulabel73
Imagine working in security and thinking you’re not going to caught by security. How dumb!
Kieralynh
Last month, someone made it past security with a gun at Tampa airport. They kept it quiet but clearly TSA is busy doing this shit instead of looking for weapons. Apparently the gun was spotted at the gate and he was stopped long before boarding. Source: my dad works there. (Not as TSA lmfao)
DJOldguy
Any more shitty news out of Florida... And that's after all the protection given to cops by DeSatanist.
thatwoodguy
I had a Hasselblad lens stolen from my luggage at YVR, someone tried to sell it on CL, a few pawn shops and a camera store. Even with video, officials wouldn't do anything until Iwent to the media. Then, it mysteriously turned up in found property without an explanation.
voiceofnightvale
Taking Stuff from Americans
squigglebaketerraform
TSA is the reason I haven't flown since pre-9/11. (Well, ok, also the shitty airlines. And not having anywhere to go or any money to get there.)
TheRedBaron8
Fucking security kabuki.
DoIactuallyneedaUserName
This is what they got caught stealing this one time on this one video...
TacoFox
"we caught the terrorists" ...words never said by the TSA.
Snooj
The funny thing is that we literally don't even need these guys.
TuckerTheGuy
I never carry cash anymore.
clumsygoat
Guys... these aren't cops. TSA training can be as short as 9 days and pay as low as $14.60/hour:
https://www.tsatestprep.com/tsa-hiring-process/ TSA sucks, but the grunts aren't the real problem. They're a product of the system. Disgust is deserved but it should be aimed higher.
quzar
As a wider topic of the TSA being a shitty organization, yes. But these two individuals deserve disgust as well for not only their criminal behavior but eroding a public trust.
SaintSleepyWeasel
I get that some people struggle because wages are not just, but I will never understand why people steal from other people. My parents were robbed by break in and lost all their family heirlooms. Shit probably netted 600 bucks tops, but the loss was devastating for them. The violation lasted a long time. Fuck people who steal from other people.
Volpe42
Federal employees screwing themselves over with a federal crime, idiots
taibeen
TSA Agent at JFK took $1000 out of my mom's purse right in front of her. She complained, but nothing ever came of it. This was 2004ish.
ClownishAntics
We were told to not leave any American currency in our luggage, because it will be "confiscated". But if it makes you feel any better, I had my bag stolen in Germany and broke a pickpockets finger in London.
donkeymoney
Yeah, fuck Euro pickpockets. And the bottom line is, this American thief was immediately caught and is being prosecuted. Not like eurotrash
100KushUps
Yeah, what a stupid piece of shit he is. This is America! Should've just have stolen top secret documents instead!
FukcTedCruz
At least the guy has healthcare in London
whiterabbit1322
Unless the doctors are not on strike due to unfair conditions - which I completely agree with, considering Torries (equivalent of US Republicans) are doing their best to dismantle social health (by reducing the budget and understaffing) and introduce an insurance based system like the US.
Promethianfire
If it's any reassurance, US TSA has never stolen cash from me, Germany was delightful, and so was London (save one jackass tearing down the sidewalk on a bike shouting obscenities at people).
Imademyselfsquirtle
I see you TSA bot.
Promethianfire
Haha. Naw man, TSA sucks.
TychoTychoAlba
Boris has struggled a bit since he was ousted as PM.
YugoGV
Heathrow security racially profiled my Pakistani student when we were trying to fly back to the states after a educational trip to Spain. It was after they’d gone through security and they decided to pull him out of line as he was about to board the plane to pat him down and go through his stuff.
airbreather
Sure, but nobody is writing news stories about all the schools that didn’t have a shooting this week.
emanresuesoohc
https://youtu.be/Ehh8ZdIMMj4?feature=shared
Promethianfire
Haha. Hey, he's being nice about it.
littleblueengine
Usually they tear down the sidewalk and mug people. Was a big thing for a while. Was running one day when I came across a disabled lady who had been mugged like that. I guessed what had happened so tried to kick one off, as they went passed me.but sadly missed and couldn't catch up with them on e-scooters. Fortunately lots of people came to help her already. Little Duckers
Promethianfire
Man, thats fucking low.
tomatoboy
They’ve been arrested, for those wondering, or desiring a source https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/tsa-agents-accused-of-stealing-from-passengers-at-mia-checkpoint/
circlebreaker
Of course they were, the dumbasses entire working life was recorded for posterity. Ever wonder why the tellers at your bank don't pocket bills or customer deposits? It's not just because they're on camera the entire time they're there, it's because banks don't hire morons either.
JSymphony
Even TSA agents are held more accountable than police
FancyAmsterdammerrrr
Did the passenger get their money back?
CongenitalSlurpees
Cops are keeping the money, I'm guessing.
Lynkfox
All 450$ of it probably
tzahtman
Yeah the original owner will never get that $300 back.
Burke616
That money's been involved in a crime, it's evidence now.
Burke616
/x
Burke616
/s, dammit
DataStream
Good!
Onlyhereforthelaughs
Bet they lose that TSA clearance. XD
Geistbar
Looks like they'll get out of it easy. Or one of them at least: "Gonzales's attorney Richard Cooper confirms that his client agreed to a deferred prosecution program, meaning if he completes the course, the case will be dismissed."
TheFastpaws
Boo!
gtollie
No mention of either being fired , just removed from the screening process. One of them got off light IMO “Gonzales's attorney Richard Cooper confirms that his client agreed to a deferred prosecution program, meaning if he completes the course, the case will be dismissed. “ try stealing $600 from a federal employee when you’re working. and see if you keep your job and get the case effectively dismissed ( after deferment )
JoeyMousepad1
Sauce?
GriffinMann41
The.... article that they replied to? Homie did you even read the comments/
tomatoboy
TSA employees, despite being excepted service, have appeal rights equivalent to the Title 5 appeal rights available to most other federal employees. The article doesn’t say, but this may be pending MSPB action. The MSPB is kind of messed up due to lack of a quorum (thanks to that guy) and it can take years to resolve an appeal.
tomatoboy
So it’s possible it may be a while before any firing is formal, even if everybody knows it’s coming, and they’re not allowed back at work.
tomatoboy
Historically, TSA has fired employees who’ve been caught stealing.
gtollie
Thanks for the comment. Are they collecting s paycheck and benefits this whole time? Assigned to “desk duty” for 40 hours/ week during this process?
PeeterGrant
I always put my wallet deep in my carry on. Not gonna leave it out like that. Hell no. Anybody could be waiting at the other side of the XRay while I'm standing there in the machine.
Daarst
Same, but I also make sure that my wallet only has cards in it and all cash is folded up in my pocket.
Warthog2
when I remember, they go in a ziplock bag too.
Racealistic
I have a locked travel bag/wallet you can't easily get into it just out of fear for situations like this.
Promethianfire
I kinda want to stuff a wallet with fake money and leave it easily accessible now.
JinxRocks
Fill it up with these: https://www.amazon.com/YBFUU-Education-Learning-Magician-Teaching/dp/B0C7TR6LQ1/ $10 and you can cause a little havoc :)
iCantTellAnymore
Why not both? Fake wallet up top and a hard to get to wallet
jerbern1
Get a bunch of those church scripture fake bills assholes leave for tips. Would love to see their faces realizing what they actually got.
PeeterGrant
That would only get you a cavity search. You need to get out of that area with great efficiency.
Promethianfire
I don't mean counterfit. I mean stuffed with paper that looks like money until someone pulls it out, and it reads, "Nice try asshole."
iCantTellAnymore
Or tell them its a play wallet for a child you're going to visit
Cat3508
Forgive me for asking, but why is it necessary to put your wallet in the basket. Its not exactly big enough to hide anything dangerous.
quzar
It's not strictly, but if it has anything metallic in it, it will trigger the metal detector. My wallet has a little snap button for a pocket and some similarly have zippers. Generally though, you're requested to empty your pockets, and if there is an issue where you didn't take something out it can trigger them doing a longer search or holding you (not that they need any cause).
Cat3508
Fair enough !
NatesSauceLab
TSA and postal workers. The fuck happened to my three packages I sent from Japan to my parents in Wisconsin? You assholes made it so I don’t send care packages anymore. Snacks. Jerkies. Jams. All of it costs $70 to send and then it just disappears. Assholes.
LittleDragon
I knew someone who was a TSA agent. He acted like he was a secret service.
SilverFish0
Slight pay difference
5m4llP0X
They are the epitome of Paul Blart meets Mall Ninja
sellingmysoulforupvotes
In the early days of TSA, some young TSA kid tried to tell everyone in line at the airport that he was a "federal agent," and someone in line politely reminded him that his mail carrier is just as much a "federal agent" as he is. (That was before USPS was semi-privatized). Definitely not the best and brightest in those entry-level (and mostly unnecessary) government positions.
GitchyGitchyOohLaLa
not a fan of the TSA. even before its inception. knew it'd be what is: more annoyance than security. Costco receipt readers are more intimidating.
JoshuaHarazin
It's a cop-level power trip position without the danger or physical fitness requirements of being a cop. That's bound to bring in some... questionable people.
DeSilversaurus
The TSA training program is only two weeks long.
BlindGardener
Having been through it, you're not correct. It's 4 weeks, then 2 months of 'on the job' training, and then another 2 weeks in a military base.
JoshuaHarazin
For comparison, working at a call center for Sprint Wireless was 8 weeks of training before we went to the call floor.
donkeymoney
Sprint had good service, RIP. Tmobile has no service...
rusrsdude
What training did you receive at the military base?
BlindGardener
*sigh* Classified. But before the military camp, we're only allowed to check people's IDs and tickets, and make sure everyone follows the rules for machines.
rusrsdude
Damn, I figured it'd be. Would've been nice to have some insight haha.
InternetAnonymityplz
Curiously, as someone who worked there, do you think the TSA and their screening processes are a worthwhile endeavor?
exploren
Committing crimes in a position of trust should be a 20 year sentence, minimum.
Wraid
what could drive them to do something so insane? We may never know
AsABiologistWhoIsNotFunAtParties
probably listened to rock music and read a book with a gay character, and thus their morals were completely eroded, smh
5m4llP0X
Can't find a bomb, thwart a terrorist, or manage a line to save anyone's life, but can quickly find and confiscate money from passengers. Tell me again why we need them?
irrational1618
We don't. It's all security theater.
wylkyn
The theater! The show must go on!
cattlegrazer82
5m4llP0X
If that were a legit reason they would have been ousted when they failed to spot the shoe bomber, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the underwear bomber, or 95% of all fake bomb tests their own undercover agents use to test their security. They're a complete failure.
cattlegrazer82
What does this have to do with Nakatomi Plaza?
NinjaCongo
Well who's gonna confiscate your water, alcohol and shampoo? Cause, you know, some explosives can be in liquid form. Of course, most explosives are in solid form and according to this logic, anything that's solid should be confiscated, too. Anyways, take off your belt and very quickly put everything, separated, in this tray, then pack it all up real fast cause you're holding up the hour long line. No, we won't provide you with a table to do this while you're in the line. Boarded? Here's a knife.
NinjaCongo
Also, who's gonna search perpetually randomly chosen people with brown skin (aka People That Look Like Terrorists)? Oh and btw, you're only allowed one lighter. More than that could be dangerous. Surely every passenger having a single lighter poses no danger. It's clearly not enough to start a fire on board a plane or something. But! We'll remind you that this is a non smoking flight. As is every flight for the past 25 years or so. There. You feel safe now.
PUNKem733
We don't it is all a theater, an illusion of security.
TheStreetForce
If we dont, the terrorists won. *george carlin stare*
Disembowleeh
"the illusion of security" - George Carlin
TiredSnowball
They are paid so little, it attracts really the bottom of the barrel people in US. Equivalent jobs in other countries are comfortably middle class. US TSA is basically poverty wages.
5m4llP0X
And so many of them have such a huge ego about them. Wannabe super cop egos. I equate them to Paul Blart meets Mall Ninja.
GeraldsNinjaStar
We don't. We didn't even need the Patriot Act that established this entire department. 9/11 was committed by the Saudis but we bombed Afghanistan and Iraq to enrich the military industrial complex. Hell Bush Sr put Saddam into power in the first place.
Badmusick
Cos some dudes ran a couple of planes into some buildings over twenty years ago
5m4llP0X
Yeah, but they replaced the people who dropped the ball. And then they continue to drop the ball even harder than the people they replaced. Last report I read they failed 95% of all bomb detections by their own department.
DataStream
Talk about a career move gone wrong. I can only imagine what went through their minds when they saw that $600 just waiting for them in that wallet. Maybe it was a secret game of "finders keepers" they were playing and got a little carried away? Who knows! But hey, kudos to them for making the airport experience more memorable, I guess. Let's just hope they didn't spend it all on silly things like gum and candy.
Sensiblyinteresting
TSA is for people who are the wrong color to be racist cops
SignedEpsteinsMother
They probably thought, "it's business as usual to take stuff from passengers."
theflavorsavor
9/11
5m4llP0X
Yeah, but they replaced the people who dropped the ball. And then they continue to drop the ball even harder than the people they replaced. Last report I read they failed 95% of all bomb detections by their own department.
buddhahahahaha
911 dipshit
GeneralGinger531
Do you know what actually stops the next 9/11? The way they approach letting someone take over the pilot seat. The pilots are instructed to not allow anyone into the cockpit for any reason anymore during a flight. Everyone could be dying back in the passenger area and they will not budge. It used to not be that way, as it was always about appeasement of the person who was doing the hijacking. No pilot = no control over the plane = no more towers getting hit. Tell me again why the TSA exists.
5m4llP0X
They're failing worse than the security who let the terrorists through. They haven't done one good thing since their inception. However, they've leaked scanner nudes, stole property, allowed terrorists through -- including the Boston Marathon Bomber, failed at detecting 95% of their covert security tests to detect weapons and bombs, drastically mismanaged lines, helped smuggle drugs, and routinely target minorities for "random searches". Even some Republicans want them gone.
StellaMatutina
They ain't stopped a single attack, to my knowledge. Or more importantly, to the public perception. Abolish the TSA I think we all can agree on that
bourbonandbaddecisions
Steal not confiscate.
5m4llP0X
Fair point. +1
brotherbuzz
Cuz a Biden...Biden, that's why!
secretoaster
We don't. We lost. If terrorists want to blow up some other shit up, they will.
manyslayer
Security theater.
BushDidWolf359
Not defending what these folks did, but have they actually let bombs or terrorists through? Asking genuinely, not trying to be snarky.
[deleted]
[deleted]
mohavewolfpup
I’d rather take that risk… fear to that level is not healthy
sellingmysoulforupvotes
There have been several "undercover" ops designed to see how much stuff could be snuck through TSA checkpoints, and virtually everything got through. They were never really designed to keep us safe, just to make us feel like the government is trying to keep us safe.
Volpe42
Were they double blind tests?
lemmonjello
They don't have blind tsa agents let alone 2 of them
squigglebaketerraform
It's a triple-blind minimum for anyone looking to be a TSA agent.
Javertitus
It's also pretty difficult to compare before and after. Other than everything taking longer there's really only one major event involving airplane safety that happened before we went nuts with security theater. And the best security measure post 9/11 was re-engineering the cockpits to make breaking down the cockpit doors basically impossible without destroying the plane. Security theater < science.
Wolfshead009
I personally went through with a small folding knife. Blade is 2 inches long and has a plastic handle. They missed it completely.
DWandRFaremyspiritbeings
Yes, the TSA in most US locations regularly fails tests.
BushDidWolf359
Is there any source on this?
5m4llP0X
The shoe bomber, the underwear bomber, and the Boston Marathon bomber -- post bombing.
[deleted]
[deleted]
5m4llP0X
It's never because of them. Every terrorist thwarting through airports has happened AFTER they got through TSA. Thank Sky Marshals, police, or random people -- never TSA. Hell, they let the fucking BOSTON BOMBER through their line. 95% of the time they can't even pass their own audits to detect bombs and weapons.
JoshuaHarazin
Correlation ≠ causation. There also haven't been any terrorist bombings of buildings lately.
edgareplekjekk
No they don't Tests shows that 80-90% of attempts of getting weapons through these controls succeed.
siknoz
So the only reason that 9/11 happened is because the FAA playbook never accounted for suicide terrorists, only hijackers who wanted ransoms. That's why we messed up so bad because nobody ever secured cockpits, they just overpowered their way into the cockpit then took hostages and told people they would return to airport and get ransom, prolly why nobody fought back. The single biggest change was an update to the playbook to secure the cockpit before takeoff. (1/2)
siknoz
And with that even if terrorist take hostages or whatever the pilots first priority is keeping the cockpit locked down and routing to the nearest airport, even if they kill everyone onboard because then they dont get control of the aircraft. You could argue that the TSA does a great job at limiting liquids which is needed in most cases for a bomb, so those two things together would make it very difficult to really do anything. Ultimately I doubt they would try the same thing twice. (2/2)
burpwind
"We need to do something. This is something. Let's do this." They needed to make you feel like they were doing something.
squigglebaketerraform
Fuxk tha TSA!
wizard07ksu9000
The TSA are a textbook example of security theater. They fail something like 60% of the blind tests, average 4 arrests per year, and are frequently caught posting personal data about passengers on social media. Yet $800M continue to be spent annually. Oh and air marshals take up a seat on a plane.
burpwind
"security theatre" Perfect description. Thanks. Are they privatised yet?
wizard07ksu9000
I did not pull that term out of my ass: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_theater
5m4llP0X
Their position was, before 9/11. Then the same people all got turned into TSA without more training. Now, they're wannabe Paul Blart meets Mall Ninja.
5m4llP0X
And for some dumb reason people think we still need them.
LordFancypantsicus
People just got used to it...most don't remember the days when you could meet someone at their gate as they disembarked from the plane.