Seems I hit a rather raw nerve relating my recent experience with the TSA in yesterday’s Muth’s Truths. Well here’s a little more to chew on from longtime News & Views reader Shane “The Cajun Tiger” Comeaux:
“The thing that gets me the most is the pure stupidity of the 3 ounce rule. It’s like the terrorist would say, ‘Oh, no. I can’t bring more than 3 ounces and I need 9 ounces to make my bomb. So I guess I can’t blow the plane up. Darn!’ No. He either gets two friends to each bring 3 ounces and then combines them in the bathroom, or even easier, he just brings 3 separate 3 oz. containers. The rule does absolutely nothing to stop a bomb from being made, but it does cause huge inconvenience for all of us law-abiding citizens.”
Bingo! But everyone *feels* safer, don’t they?
Shane also pointed me to a USA Today article from last October which reported that “Screeners at Los Angeles International Airport missed about 75% of simulated explosives and bomb parts that Transportation Security Administration testers hid under their clothes or in carry-on bags at checkpoints,” while “At Chicago O’Hare International Airport, screeners missed about 60% of hidden bomb materials that were packed in everyday carry-ons - including toiletry kits, briefcases and CD players.”
Now here’s the kicker: Despite running twice the number of tests at San Francisco airport, only 20 percent of the fake bombs got through there. The difference? The screeners in Los Angeles and Chicago work directly for the government-operated TSA; the screeners in San Francisco work for a private screening company contracted out to run the security checkpoints there.
‘Nuff said.
Posted on January 28th, 2008 by Chuck Muth
Filed under: National
Dear Mr. Muth:
I read your article of January 27th, 2008, “For Sheer Bureaucratic Stupidity, the Winner Is…” and I just wallowed in recognition of my own experiences with the exalted TSA Agents.
1st Experience:
My wife and I were traveling to Florida for a vacation at DisneyWorld where we have timeshare inside of the park.
My wife does not have a driver’s license. I have implored her numerous times to go down to the MVD and get a non-drivers license ID document. So far, she hasn’t.
So when we travel, she usually submits her NYPD Employee ID card. I’m retired from NYPD and I usually surrender my NYPD Card as well.
This particular time the woman behind the check-in desk returned my card and told me it was unacceptable. Why? She says it’s because it does not have an expiration date. Well, of course it doesn’t – I’m retired and I will be retired for the rest of my life. She states that “we” prefer an ID with an expiration date. I point out to her that my ID card meets the requirements established by the government. It is a government (New York City) agency (NYPD) photo ID card and that is all that is required. What you “prefer” has nothing to do with the requirement.
She requests my driver’s license. I’m in a nasty mood now because I feel she is just trying to flex her muscles and mess with a retired Law Enforcement Officer. I tell her that I don’t have a driver’s license because I won’t be doing any driving while on vacation and if my NYPD card is not sufficient for her, please call a supervisor, which is what she does.
I explain the situation to the supervisor and tell her that in all my 22 years on the NYPD, I had never seen a counterfeit NYPD ID card although I had confiscated a number of phony driver’s licenses and I am insulted over this situation.
She hems and haws and shifts back and forth. I tell her that if there is any question as to the validity concerning my ID card, she can request a Port Authority Officer to respond and validate the document. She does that and when he arrives, he takes one look and tells her it is valid and leaves.
She finally accords me permission to proceed. NOW I’M GOING TO HAVE SOME FUN.
I ask her what would happen if I produced a driver’s license from Kansas. Would she or any of the ticket agents have the slightest idea of what they were looking at? Have they been trained to recognize the licenses of all 50 states? Do they even have the book that has photos of the different licenses? The answer of course is – no!
Next step in humiliating them the way they did me was to produce my driver’s license and point to the serial number and ask them if they know what the three middle numbers represent.
Of course they are pissed that they have wasted so much time when in fact I could have produced my license and avoided all of this mess.
The bottom line is that neither of them know what the three numbers represent. Any kid on the street in any ghetto can tell you what it means.
“So if you can’t recognize a counterfeit NYS driver’s license, what is the purpose of me producing it as a valid form of identification.”
A driver’s license is not just a document to indicate a person’s ability to operate a motor vehicle. It is, in fact, the most commonly accepted form of personal identification in the entire country and probably the most often counterfeited document. Most of the terrorists on 9/11 produced driver’s licenses as proof of identity on 9/11. They got their licenses in Virginia and North Carolina which are two locations that are famous for their lack of proper proof prior to issuing a driver’s license.
With that I start to walk away, but being the ball-buster that I am, I take about 12 steps and turn around and say: “So if anyone gives you an argument, you just let them board.”
I wish I had a camera to snap the looks on their faces.
2nd Experience:
We are standing in line to pass through the “never fail” metal detectors and we are pulled out of line despite the fact that we did not set off any alarms. We are quite use to this because my wife and I have NEVER traveled anywhere since 9/11 in which we were not pulled out of line for additional searches. I repeat NEVER, NEVER, NEVER. I sincerely believe it has to do with our connection to law enforcement.
So the highly trained TSA Agent asks for our boarding passes – we give them to him. He looks at them and then walks over to a table where another TSA Agent sits approximately 10 feet from where we are. He places them on the table where no other paperwork is laying.
We go through the additional screening and we are free to proceed. I go over and pick up the passes which are still the only documents on the table. I take about 5 steps and for whatever reason I look at the passes and realize they are not ours!!!!!!! I walk back and bring that to the attention of the nearest TSA Agent. We start to discuss it with the female TSA Agent at the table.
“How in the world are these NOT our passes? They were the only documents placed on your table.” She fidgets and fidgets and walks away with the other TSA Agent who returns, apologizes and asks us to accompany him to get new passes. NO GOOD, PAL. I want to know what happened to our original passes. Who is walking around with them and possibly boarding a plane with them in our name? Also, where are the people whose names are on the passes that we had? What are they up to and where did they come from? They weren’t there when we placed our passes on the table. How did they magically appear and how did their passes appear on the table? GIVE ME SOME ANSWERS OR I WANT THE AIRPORT SECURITY SUPERVISOR TO RESPOND.
Fortunately, we had lots of time before our flight.
One thing is leading to another and my wife is getting nervous and urging me to just get the new passes and continue on our way. I’m really annoyed and I ask why they are not paging the people whose names appear on the new passes. Apparently this idea strikes a chord and in about 2 minutes I hear the announcement asking the other couple to return to our area, but while we are there, no one responds.
I really don’t know what to make of the situation but we eventually get new passes and finally board our flight.
Experience #3
When the “new and improved” TSA Agency was formed, I quickly found out that they were not really looking for experienced law enforcement personnel.
They provided an on-line test for those interested in the position. I was not interested but of course I took the exam.
It consisted of 10 questions dealing with what TSA Agents do every day. Four of the questions asked what my experience was with the magnetic wand and the machine that you pass through at the airports. My experience with both of them was nil. As a result I failed the test. Are you kidding me?
I’m a former Sergeant with the NYPD. Are you telling me that you doubt I can be trained in both of these items? Am I some sort of moron to you? How long would it take me to learn how to use them – 15 minutes?
The bottom line is that they didn’t really want to replace any of the dummies that were previously doing the job prior to the establishment of the TSA. My feeling is that there was a discrimination problem hanging over their heads. If they got rid of the former security guards someone would scream discrimination because the overwhelming majority of them were black. Hence, the questions concerning the wand and machine, which were in use by the dummies prior to 9/11.
I have never forgiven the security dummies who were in place on 9/11. I strongly feel that they were partially responsible for my son’s death. He worked on the 105th floor of Tower #1. The lack of proper security measures is what allowed the terrorists to board the planes so easily. The airlines are equally to blame because they refused to heed the warnings of the FAA numerous times. The bottom line is that they went for the buck. They didn’t want to pay premium pay for professional security personnel. What would it have cost every passenger to upgrade the security? Who would have objected? The answers are “pennies” and “nobody.”
How come passengers to Israel are so willing to show up at the airport hours prior to departure to go through the rigorous security inspections conducted by El Al? If we did the same thing here it would only take a few months for the passengers to become use to the security precautions. The problem with Americans is that we expect everything to be done in a split second. We have no patience. Give it to me/Let me do it NOW!!!!!!!!!
Once again, I really enjoyed your column. Keep up the good work.
Wilton Sekzer
Sergeant (retired) NYPD
Father of Jason
Tower #1, 105th Floor
World Trade Center Victim
(Please keep number confidential)
[…] Chuck Muth just passed on this link for the TSA’s brand spankin’ new blog. Heh heh…..wonder how long this will last. My prediction? I’ll give it a couple months. […]
Thanks for the shout out =)
Mr. Sekzer
I am sorry for your loss I have never lost a close relative but have witnessed other poeple’s losses and understood what it does to them. I have a little boy and when he was in danger a year and a half ago, all kinds of thoughts were on my mind. Having spent 5+ years working for TSA, I know a few things and wish to share them in defense of the employees.
The real blame is on the FAA who for years has been politically connected to the airlines and allowed them to create lax standard for security, such as ALLOWING BOXCUTTERS to be taken as carry-on items! Concerning 911 -believe it or not the skyjacking was not due to errors of the private screeners.
For years the security model in place was twofold: stop hijackings by poeple who take hostages and make demands while causing little inconvenience to passengers. BLAME THAT.
The TSA, unfortunately is a lame duck, unable to really make any changes, they create procedures based on the old model and built on that to prevent other threats -there have been alot of improvements.
But little or no real innovation.
Until American consumers, YES YOU! can put up with what REAL SECURITY involves rather than some watered down publicity stunt with some add-on procedures to account for todays problems -that WILL inconvenience you TSA can do nothing so long as it has no drive or power to really enact what you want, real security.
TSA “agents” are nothing more than the “mall cops” they replaced, They have training on equipment and procedures, but no decision making abilty, which by the way also includes management up to the top -which is why I got fed up and quit!