Report: TSA employee misconduct up 26% in 3 years

[onehandle]

Source: CNN

(CNN) -- Let's get this out of the way straight off: The Transportation Security Administration is probably not going to top anyone's list of Favorite Federal Government Agencies.

And the stories of its failures spread faster than a speeding jetliner: TSA officers stealing money from luggage, taking bribes from drug dealers, sleeping on the job.

So it shouldn't come as any surprise that a new Government Accountability Office report, citing a 26% increase in misconduct among TSA employees between 2010 and 2012, is striking a nerve with some travelers who've had to endure the shoeless, beltless shuffle on the trip through security.

"This makes me never want to check my bag," Twitter user KathrynPowers1 posted Wednesday in response to the news.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/31/travel/tsa-misconduct/index.html

[AnotherMcIntosh]

1. TSA employees, or some of them, are dishonest while NSA employees are not? Unlikely.

[apnu]

2. The TSA is the straw that broke the camels back with me and air travel.

I only do it if I have no other choice. I'd rather drive from Chicago to Tucson before I fly. And that's exactly what I do. Nobody treats me like garbage. I don't get screwed by the airlines in fees and scheduling, have to eat expensive and crappy airport food, I don't have to deal with all the asshole passengers, and I don't have to deal with the TSA.

They can all piss off, I've opted out of that game.

[think]

4. I rarely fly anymore either.

I lived in a small town in South Dakota (25,000 people.) and took a plane out on vacation in 2006. For the record I'm male and had long hair at this time.

I put my bags through the scanner and then proceeded to grab my bags on the other end.

The TSA guy went nuts and started yelling at me that I was suppose to wait until it had been cleared or searched. Now I was subject to a personal search and then lead to clear cubicle that everyone boarding that flight could see me in.

They then swabbed my shoes to test for chemicals while I waited in this clear cubicle.

Next they searched my bags I had with me. I had neglected to take a pair of kids round nose scissors in my bag. The scissors absolutely had no sharp point at all. Still the TSA guy let out a loud "oohhh!" and gave me the evil eye.

Up til that point I'd been fairly timid and very polite. I glared back angrily and said "keep them". And he assured that he intended to.

After all that, about 15 minutes worth, I was allowed to continue to board.

From that point forward I've made every effort to avoid taking planes. To be fair I have flown since then but going through larger airports and didn't run into such keystone cop routines.

Still I would have to take my shoes off and wait in long lines, take off my belt and remove all metal from my pockets.

I really get annoyed thinking how un-fun flying has become. I use to love flying and looked forward to the plane trip.

Now it's as much fun as taking a tollroad that won't accept cash without the RFID pass and waiting for the bill in the mail to make sure you get the toll paid in time....

[apnu]

6. And I don't see how its helping anything now anyway.

Here's a thought, one that our politician's just can't get through their dense skulls. We wouldn't need so much security if we had a foreign policy that didn't stomp on everybody it runs into. Its not hard, it goes like this: "Don't be a dick."

Why can't our government get this?

[think]

7. I like the way you think

[warrant46]

11. I saw a nun have her underwear held up for all to see from her carry on

Why did they do it and right in front of me the next passenger ?

I don't know why they did it and their attitudes and expressions were anything but disgusting.

It was very intimidating I just stared ahead with a blank expression. (not wanting to upset the "searchers&quot

It reminded me of the movie 1984

[Elmergantry]

3. Lets go back in time...

The hue and cry was that airport security needed to be "Federalized". We were told how much more competent and professional airport security would be. The Dems were the biggest cheerleaders on this, Repubs almost as much. Limbaugh denounced it as another attempt to create Federal Employee Union members. Did we all forget this?

I remember getting a cartoon of the proposed Fed Tras Security officer as Barney Fife in a SS uniform.

How prescient.


All the Dems in the house who voted voted Yes. All but 9 of the Repubs voted Yes. Ron Paul was one of those NO votes


http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2001/roll448.xml#N


We only got what we wanted.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

5. Imagine that, from an agency that forces agencies to grant security clearance to felons...

and has lower hiring standards than the food service industry.

[blackspade]

8. I'm not remotely surprised.

I long for the pre 911 days when I wasn't treated like a cow in a slaughterhouse line.
The TSA has some of the biggest assholes of any government agency that I have ever had to deal with.

[devils chaplain]

9. More and more gov't agencies are laws unto themselves...

You'd be surprised how much you can fit in one carry-on + one personal bag, though. Try it next time if you haven't yet.

[Sunlei]

10. The risk of ONE corrupt guard..for planes or border guard is TO HIGH, to let this be a hand slap.

All these workers should be monitored with constant cams and have regular lie detector tests.