TSA Management at Dulles Drop AWOL Charges against Screeners Who Called in Sick During a Blizzard.

Well I was wondering when this was going to happen. In case some of you may not know, the TSA management at Dulles International Airport decided to mark screeners whom were unable to come to work  during the past two months record breaking snow storm AWOL.  AWOL or absence with out leave is a very serious charge to have against you if you are a screener. If you have this on your record, your TSA “career” is basically over. With this marked against you, a screener will always be passed over for promotions and advancement within the TSA. This is a very piss poor policy as it is never applied across the board for everyone. Management loves to abuse this power as I have seen it abused many times at CVG.

From what I have read it looks like Dulles management is being held accountable for their actions, because they did not follow their own procedures for granting leave (imagine that). All screeners who missed work because of the storm are now being granted leave instead of AWOL.  Other airports should take note.

I’m not sure why but most of  TSA management believe they are untouchable. They feel they can do whatever they want at any given time. They continue to treat screeners as if they are somehow beneath them. They lack the basic managerial skill to figure out a plan for a snow storm that they knew was on the way, so they take out their aggravation on the screeners. These are the same managers who are supposed to make the big decisions in the event of a terrorist attack (makes you feel real safe doesn’t it). Hopefully who ever made the decision to give screeners AWOL was fired. They have no business being in the position they were given.

TSA Employee Attempted to Destroy Terror Database

Well everyone, here is another of our fine TSA employees hard at work ounce again. Apparently TSA analyst Douglas Duchak though it would be  great idea to introduce a logic bomb into a TSA network before he was terminated. The target specifically were systems that handled the “No Fly List”. From what I have been reading it was a failure and Duchak was arrested.

I would like to point out these are the type of people the TSA continues to hire on a daily basis. This person had access to peoples vital information and committed a criminal act. We are lucky this was a low risk attempt because the “No Fly List” in itself is pointless. But imagine if this person decide to steal your private information such as your social security number. The results could be disastrous.  These people who are hired by such low standards have open access to our information and are allowed to basically do whatever they want. As tax payers we deserve better than this.

Reason 152 why Screeners hate their employer. Doctors note anyone?

Screeners who work for the TSA have many reason to dislike their employer, mostly stemming from the abuse by their own management who enforce inconsistent policies.  One such policy is the requirement  that screeners must provide a doctors note when you are ill. This is one of the most inconsistent and argued policies management likes to enforce. The policy is this: If a screener misses more than two days due to an illness they are required to provide a doctors note. That in itself is fair enough and was never really an issue. The problem is that the managers want the doctor’s note to state the diagnosis and prognosis of the persons illness, so they can determine for themselves if they will approve the leave. This is the part most people have a problem with. They wanted screeners to voluntarily give them access to their private medical records. Now I can understand doing this if the illness would not allow a screener to perform their functions in the future, but this was normally not the case. This is nothing more than an abuse of their position used to intimidate screeners. A manager would inform a screener they must provide this information or they will be marked AWOL (Absent Without Leave) which can destroy a screeners “career”. I talked to several physicians about this and was told it would be a huge violation for them to provide this information with out the patients consent.

Now I for one never allowed them to intimidate me with this policy. It is well know that the TSA openly discriminates against its employees and allowing them access to this information would only provide them with more ammunition.  There is also the issue that the TSA  and especially CVG, has the nasty habit of “misplacing a persons paperwork”, it seems to disappear into the ineptness that is the TSA operations center.  I have actually asked managers if there was some kind of void that would mysteriously suck our paper work into oblivion. This happens nation wide. Why should a screener be forced to provide this information, it’s only going to get misplaced or posted on the internet just like the super secret  SOP a few months back .

One last thing I would like to talk about is the inconsistent way this policy is enforced. The TSA basically works on the principal of  “Who you know and Who you blow”. It is the same way with this policy.  There are only certain Screeners who are forced to provide this information while others are able to skate by free and clear. These are normally the other “yes men” in the organization. The Screeners who bust their ass everyday are persecuted by the managers at every opportunity. This is just another reason TSA management needs to be held accountable for their actions.

Screener from LAX arrested for child pornography. Where are they getting these people?

It seems to be one story after another lately for the TSA. It appears a screener from LAX was arrested for child pornography. A screener Bill Alfaro was accused of having 1500 videos of children on his home computer. This is the second recorded arrest in two weeks of a screener involved with children.

This has to make Americans wonder how these people are getting employed.  TSA officials claim there is no way for them to know about a person’s personality based on their background check and that it could happen with any organization. There is a small part of that which is true but what gets me is the TSA does make any attempt to stop these people from gaining employment. As it stands now the Tsa has lowered its standards so far that a person is not required to have a high school education. Their  turnover rate is so high, they will take anyone. This is one of two main factors, the second being piss poor management, that makes the Tsa what it is today.

There need to be a change and needs to happen now. The Tsa needs to first treat their employees with respect and as professionals. This simple task alone will greatly reduce  turn over and improve morale.  The second thing they need to do is raise their standards to that of a professional organization. It really is that simple, if current management can not accept this then they need to be let go.

For some reason the Tsa management believe we as Americans will allow ourselves and our children to be screened by criminals. They refuse to step out of their Washington offices to see how things really are. Tsa management are firm believers that if they can’t see it then it must not be true.

TSA Employee Charles Bennett wanted to make a teenage girl his sex slave.

This appeared a few days ago. This is the story of a Tsa Screener from Orlando who felt the need to have a teenage sex slave. This article is from the NY Dailey News:

A perverted Transportation Security Administration employee’s alleged plot to turn a 15-year-old girl into his “sex slave” was foiled after his arrest for abusing the teen, according to cops in Florida.

Charles Henry Bennett was arrested Friday after the girl came forward claiming she’d been molested by the suspect when she was 12, Orlando TV station WKMG reports.

The 57-year-old Bennett acknowledges he “groped” the girl, according to the station, citing a police report. But the girl’s version of the encounter is reportedly more graphic.

On a MySpace page that apparently belongs to Bennett, he says he is a S&M-oriented swinger out to meet “submissive females,” the station reports.

Cops say Bennett was forthcoming about his plans for the teen in a statement to authorities.

“He advised, in a written statement, he actually asked her to be his sex slave,” the report reads, according to WKMG.

Bennett works for the federal agency at Orlando International Airport.  A TSA spokeswoman said his status with the agency, in light of his arrest, won’t be known until at least today, WKMG reports

After reading this you may be wondering how someone like this could become a an employees of the TSA. Well its quite easy. The Tsa states they do background checks on each of their employees, that is in fact true. What they don’t tell you is that some of these checks can take up to a year to perform. Because the Tsa has such a high turnover they will allow a new hire to perform screening functions before their back ground check comes back. This has happened several times at CVG in the past so it’s not really that  surprising, the part that should make you think is the fact this person was allowed to screen children. America really needs to wake up so they can see what is going on in their airports.

Thanks

Sean

This category is for anyone who would like to share their experiences they have had with the T.S.A. Feel free to submit anything you would like both positive or negative.

Here is the first entry by Angry Miller:

Waiting in line I saw a TSO pulling shoes out of bins, zipping up bags, rearranging items in bins, etc. When I got up to the bin load, laptop out, shoes off, keys and cell phone into parka. TSO Hand (name on his badge), removed the shoes and I pointed out to him that the shoes were in a bin by themselves. His comment was “it doesn’t make any difference. That policy changed months ago.” Told him it was on TSA’s web site as being optional and the conversation deteriorated from there. Noticed that he was wearing machinists gloves and not the blue gloves given to TSOs. Any idea of what is up with that?

Stuff goes through the xray machine and the x-ray machine operator reaches into the parka pocket and begins doing a search at the x-ray machine. She’s focused on the keys (big wad) and a couple machine keys (look like vending machine keys). Thought that was more than a little strange since the only thing in the bin was the parka, belt, keys, cell phone.

Stuff all comes out and I get to meet TSO Valarie who begins taking things out of the Pelican case, laptop bag, etc and I ask her if she’s going to put things back where she found them. Not a happy camper at this time. TSO Pierce comes over and tears through the Pelican case. Her big find was a disassembled soldering iron (35W) and she calls it as being a power tool and it gets confiscated. Funny that routinely she lets women through with hair dryers capable of 1KW capacity and calls the soldering iron a power tool. Call her supervisor Mike Kohanek down and in his infinite wisdom, declared the soldering iron a power tool. When I think of power tools I think of Skill saws, drills, impact wrenches, etc., not soldering irons. Suspect that it was just for an attitude adjustment from them to me. TSO Pierce sure didn’t like it when I told Mike, that I demand professionalism from his employees and that If I wanted an eye rolling attitude, would go to a fast food place for it. TSO Pierce really didn’t like being told to repack the bag the way it had been packed to begin with.

Sure wish that someone in management at MPS would do something about the TSOs retaliating against passengers. Perhaps Grant Reno might do something.

TSO Hand escalated the incident. I escalated it even more. Cost? One soldering iron and a few minutes. FYI they wouldn’t let me destroy it so tonight a TSO at MPS might have a new soldering iron. Funny thing is that I’ve flown for years with that soldering iron packed where it was and with no problems. Guess that strange (at least to them) tools pose a threat to aviation.

Could have kept the mouth shut, not complain about the shoes on the belt/in the bin, but they have absolutely nothing that says where the shoes are to go.

The TSA, Jeopardy and Racism

Well this just came across CNN today. Apparently managers of a Federal Air Marshall’s office in Florida decided to invent a game that ridiculed Minorities, Gays and Women. Here is the Article from CNN:

(CNN) — The Transportation Security Administration has launched an internal investigation into an air marshal field office in Florida where supervisors are alleged to have used a crew assignment board to ridicule and keep score on women, gays and minorities, sources told CNN.

The board, resembling the TV game show “Jeopardy,” includes categories such as “pickle smokers,” “our gang” and “creatures,” which sources said were names used by managers for gay men, African-Americans and lesbians.

A photograph of the board was sent to CNN. The Transportation Security Administration confirmed the investigation in a written statement but did not elaborate on when the board was in use, where it was displayed or how it was used.

“Following a referral from DHS Office of the Inspector General, TSA’s Office of Inspection is conducting an ongoing investigation at the Orlando Field office,” the statement said.

“The Transportation Security Administration is dedicated to ensuring all employees are treated in a fair and lawful manner,” it said. “Accordingly, TSA takes all allegations of misconduct seriously. The Federal Air Marshal Service will continue to provide its full cooperation and support to the investigation.”

TSA’s Office of Inspection will present its findings to TSA’s acting administrator for appropriate action, the agency said.

The Tsa which operates the Air Marshall Service has had a long history of Discrimination bases on court filings and my own personal experience. With that said, I’m really not surprised as I have seen similar incidents at CVG.  They have the same management. What I do find surprising is that the Public continues to put up with this kind of treatment. These are the people who are supposed to keep us safe. Instead we end up with this. It says in the article, there will be in investigation. I’ll believe it when I see it.

This is just another example of why the TSA should be dismantled.

TSA Full Body Image Scanners a waste of the Tax Payers Dime.

Since the successful attempt to get explosives on board an airline during Christmas, the Government has pushed to get Whole Body Image Scanners to all U.S. Airports. For those who do not know what these are, these are machines that basically x-ray an entire persons body to display weapons a person is concealing beneath their clothing. Some of you are probably thinking, it’s about time or what is the big deal.

Well the big deal is that ever since the Scanners introduction many people feel they violate a persons privacy. Some believe a Screener may export Scanner images to a hand-held device and spread them across the Internet. That in itself no matter what TSA says is very likely to happen, based on my experience with new screeners (They are to the point were they will hire anyone with a pulse). There is also the concern about the long-term effects of radiation on both Passenger and Screeners (That is a whole other topic in itself).

In case some are wondering what the screeners sees, here are pictures provided by the TSA:

You can see why someone may have a concern about their privacy. I do believe there is a simple fix for this problem. I think that instead of the screener seeing a person’s body, they should only see the offending weapons. They could then super impose the images of the items over a silhouette of a person to determine the location. I know this can be accomplished  as other x-ray technology already uses this method.

These problems are very small in comparison to what you should really be worried about and why these machines are a waste of our money. What the TSA will not tell you and has only been slightly reported on is the fact these machines can not detect items or more importantly explosives that may be hidden in a body cavity. Drug smugglers have used this method for years and Al Qaeda has used this method in the past. (See Video below)

With the cost of $160,000 each I consider this a waste of money for technology that does very little to keep Americans safe. This money could be better spent by using it to develop a professional screening force with professional training. Why this technology is being pushed by the current Administration is beyond me. What I do know is this system will not hinder a would be Terrorist from carrying out their plot.

Thanks For Your Time

Sean

TSA Management, Power Abusing Morons and an Aid to Terror

Today I would like to discuss the type of Security Management that is in charge of the TSA at your airport. At every airport you have a hierarchy of management, the first is the FSD (Federal Security Director) the second is the AFSD (Assistant Security Director) and third are the Screening/Security Managers. Together they make up a group of idiots whom will one day destroy aviation. My experiences with them from my time at CVG (Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky Airport) have been nothing more than seven years of mind numbing futility.

I’ll start with the FSD. This person is nothing more than a Politician who has absolutely know clue about what is going on at their airport. They feel they have the power to ignore TSA policy and create what is known as “Local Policy” . A perfect example is of the time he decided that along with laptops, he wanted passenger to remove all electronic items from their bags and placed into a bin for screening. This was implemented on a Monday morning. It brought screening to a stand still and was a nightmare for everyone. We the screening force were told  this policy came down from Washington. Most of us knew better so we sent emails to H.Q. to see if this was true. It was in fact a lie and within a week the special screening of electronics mysteriously stopped.   The FSD see’s the airport and everyone in it as his personal Kingdom.

The next group are the AFSD’s. There are normally a couple different people in the airport who hold this title. Each directs different parts of the screening force but like the FSD also have no clue about what is going on. We have had some whom  been granted the position as a means to fill their requirements for retirement. These are people who could care less about your security and if screening is carried out correctly. Basically their job is to stand around wearing suits and intimidate screeners.

The last group is the real cream of the crap. They are the Screening Managers. There are only a couple of managers I have worked for that truly are looking out for your safety and to improve screening. The others are there to make your life a living hell. They typically have zero management skills and are placed in the position because of favoritism. CVG has been through many screening managers over the years and it is not because they were promoted. It is because of abuse of power. We have had managers who have had relations ships with screeners (a violation of policy) Managers who have lied about overtime on government time sheets, Managers who will completely disregard the SOP and TSA Policy because they believe they are right and the list goes on. These are the people who you as passengers will meet if there is a problem or concern.

You may ask yourself, how can some like this get into a Management position. Well like all other promotions with in the TSA they promoted based on who you know, not what you know. I have seen people with 20 years of management experience passed over for someone with no experience what so ever. There has been several instances where a person whom can not pass yearly re certification test will be promoted over someone who has passed it. These are people who are making decisions about potentially dangerous circumstances that could affect you flight. These are the people who have a large part in what the TSA is today.

Sean

Bin Laden Release a new Audio Tape

Just a quick post today. Apparently Bin Laden or someone posing as Bin Laden has released a new Audio tape. Here is the basic message:

“The message I want to convey to you through the plane of the hero Omar Farouk [Abdulmutallab], reaffirms a previous message that the heroes of 9/11 conveyed to you,” Bin Laden said.

“America will never dream of living in peace unless we live it in Palestine. It is unfair that you enjoy a safe life while our brothers in Gaza suffer greatly.

“America will never dream of living in peace unless we live it in Palestine. It is unfair that you enjoy a safe life while our brothers in Gaza suffer greatly.

“Therefore, with God’s will, our attacks on you will continue as long as you continue to support Israel,” bin Laden said.

“If it was possible to carry our messages to you by words we wouldn’t have carried them to you by planes.”

Now is it really him, and is he dead or alive. No one knows for sure but that is really besides the point. His image alone will always invoke fear and will be an icon of Terror for America.