Transportation Security Administration

They talk at you instead of to you. Some nitwit (Thomas Jordan-​unit lead) denies my TWIC card saying I was convicted of a robbery in Austin in Oct of 2011. Even though I have had my TWIC card for the past five years.
I moved to Austin on ⁰⁴⁄₂₀₁₅. I had a robbery conviction in Houston in Oct of 1977… But again the government memo mafia talks at you instead of to you.
So much for trying to earn an honest living because the memo mafia doesn’t give a damn about a person who changes his life and trys to work for a living.
J. Spinelli 512−230−4878

Traveling in the Wichita airport this morning. I’m a 10 yr + veteran and participate in the pre-​check program. I travel on avg 4 times a month by plane.
The female screener this morning was as rude as they come. She moved her hand for me to enter but didn’t actually use any words. I did what I normally do, walk through. The metal detector beeps and she yells at me like a 5 yr old telling me I can’t do anything she doesn’t tell me to do. Lady, it’s 5 am. Most people who occupy that position don’t speak when we walk through. Most just wave people through. She was entirely rude and wanted to examine my belt, said I was alarming in my crotch. It’s like they want to give us a hard time.
This, and most experiences with the TSA leave a bitter taste in my mouth. They always want to grope you or assert their authority without reason. These are schoolyard bullies who aren’t held accountable in any measurable way in terms of how they interact with the public.
If we have to have deal with them they should at least be given reasonable communication training. Normal adults aren’t so rude on sight.

I don’t know if administration is in charge of logistics, or if it is left in the hands of the individuals who work on-​site at the airports. However, whoever it is, they must be informed of how poorly they are executing their job.
To me, it is quite a simple concept: when the line starts getting long/​begins to back up, OPEN another line to decrease the amount of back up.
Now, obviously someone for TSA might counter that it’s a numbers thing or that they don’t have enough employees staffed sometimes, but that just angers me more when Employment has been such an issue the past 3 years. Essentially, there’s a win-​win opportunity here: people will have to wait less in lines, and more jobs will be created.
Sadly, this concept has not been grasped by TSA. In fact, it seems as though most airports have taken the opposite approach — the more congested security is the better, and the fewer lines that should be open.
I don’t know how efficient this review will be in bringing about a systematic change in how TSA conducts there operations, but if someone from TSA reads this, please just consider the idea of establishing some policy or process that would require their on-​site locations to open up as many lines as possible when needed.
P. S. If such a policy or instructions already exist, you should look into hiring more qualified managers at each on-​site location because they do not take it seriously.

TSA has repeatedly abused me and violated the law. I sued them and won repeatedly. I encourage others to do so also, since it’s the only thing that makes them change. See
for an overview of my litigation.
A few examples:
a) BOS, 2013: I went through a checkpoint while mute due to a neurological disorder. TSA used that and my satirical shirt as a reason to «select» me for additional screening, then detained me for an hour while searching through my meds, notes, checkbook, etc. And to top it off, in direct retaliation for my writing an objection to their illegal search, they assaulted me, took away my paper, literally depriving me of freedom of speech.
b) SFO, 2013: I went through a checkpoint with medical liquids (namely juice), as I am clearly allowed to do by law. They were screened and found to NOT be dangerous in any way. Nevertheless, TSA refused to let me take them with me. They then refused to respond to my formal complaint, for three *years*.
After I won in court — which said it was «hard to imagine a rule of reason» that would allow them to refuse to respond to me like they did — their best response was that I should have repacked my 2 50.7 oz bottles of juice, which TSA illegally stopped from going through, into 30 3.4 oz bottles. The DHS’ chief «civil rights» lawyer, Megan Mack, seriously sent that to me, claiming they did nothing wrong except maybe be unclear in their public communications, because my plain reading of the rule was, she claimed, not «objectively reasonable».
That’s some pretty bold language from someone claiming that repacking medical liquids into 3oz bottles would somehow improve security.
&

c) SEA, 2015: I went through the TSA checkpoint in a wheelchair… and got told, by a supervisor, that I could not opt out of the electronic strip search (AIT) machines. As it happened, I already had a lawsuit against them for this exact thing, and they had told the court that I shouldn’t be allowed to sue because I couldn’t prove I’d be targeted.
d) Apparently, they’re also censoring comments here on Unilocal.See e.g. Carly Fiorina’s comment:
… or Lisa Simeone’s:
In short: TSA does not give a damn about obeying the law. I tried playing nice for years and got nothing. I sued and got them to comply.
So I strongly encourage everyone who’s been wronged to just sue them.

Theatrical Security Approach. See the postings of security guru Bruce Schneier like:

Updated Review:
Since my last review of the TSA, I’ve come to accept what happened because if I add up the number of negative experiences I’ve had with TSA, with the number of times I’ve traveled over the years, it still adds up to 1.
I understand the intent behind my negative experience and it’s a little price to pay for knowing I’m secure in a metal tube flying the friendly skies. I would have liked to be reimbursed for damages however, it is what it is and it gave me an excuse to finally go out and buy a new carry on piece of luggage.
Anyway — Global Entry allows me to bypass the long security lines when flying and though the agents aren’t always the friendliest bunch, it’s not like I’m there trying to make friends. They’re doing their job and their job is to keep passengers and flight crews safe. Too bad they can’t stop people from being assholes which is probably why some of the TSA agents aren’t as friendly as they can be.
Sure, there’s a lot of negativity surrounding this agency and their agents. Easy targets considering how much contact they have with the public. Can’t make everyone happy but at least I know I am. For the most part.

On Monday at the Tampa airport I was subjected to an grossly inappropriate TSA «pat down» in a private room witnessed only by another TSA agent. I am a grandmother in my 60s. I have a hip replacement, so I have been subjected to many public TSA pat downs over the years without incident. I never understood what people were complaining about.
This time, however, my hands were swiped and I was told I tested positive and was ushered into a small room.
The female TSA agent proceeded do a search with such force as I have never experienced, jamming her hand up into my crotch. I had done nothing remotely hostile — in fact I remained silent the entire time, both when she reprimanded me for starting to put my boarding pass and drivers license that I had been holding into my blazer pocket and after the search was completed, when I was simply trying to hold back my tears.
The thought of going through airport security now frightens me. I will have to get over it. But I will never, ever let myself be taken into a private area to be searched by TSA personnel.

Horrendous. Physical altercation. Verbal abuse. Profiling. Racism. Terrible customer service. An absolute sham of real security. Wasted tax dollars. Honestly – completely wasted humanity.
PLEASE SOMEONE MAKE A MOCKUMENTARY OR SPOOF OF THESE CLOWNS.
Name: Meachem (at least as best I could read it with him attempting to conceal.)
American Airlines Flight 67 departing JFK at 5p, August 17^th. Incident occurred about noon
time.
TSA has been pretty questionable and inconsistent and JFK has been the worst of any airport in my travels
But let me focus on the most recent farce.
Returning from an overseas trip – an experienced traveler – I have one small carry on, my bag is checked, everything is perfect; no alarms will go off, shoes off. I know my gear.
We wait for 45 minutes around noon with relatively few people to check. Absurd. There are literally dozens of agents, some of them dancing and chewing gum, as lines stand still.
I note interestingly that I literally do not see one white person. This is neither here nor there but notable.
As I wait a female African American is motioning only other African Americans through the metal detector rather than the xray. When I step towards her she literally «shoos» me away.
OK. Maybe all 25 of them were in the same family…
Awaiting my turn for the ever laughable scan, another African American male motions in my direction in some vague way with his blue gloves without looking at me.
Note that I have my passport in my hand, having already been told by other TSA agents to put it in the bin, which I refuse, as it is against not only the law but TSA policy… This is a long standing error they make.
I step into the XRAY, do the little dance, again the blue glove vaguely motioning as this male TSA agent is chewing gum, not looking at me, talking with another female.
I step through and walk slowly passed.
He stops me with two fingers and pushes me back. I look at him and move my hand to move his and he starts stating «You need to wait right here. Hands up.» I mention that if he actually made eye contact and gave clear verbal instructions, it would be more helpful. He responds, «Do we want a private screening?» and «People be hav’n attitude.»
He pats me down, also inappropriately. I wait. He says nothing, indicates nothing. Another passenger has finished the xray and is literally on my ass. I look back and ask,” Can I go or what?” His answer: «You go when I tell you to go.» Ludicrous.
I ask for his badge number. He refuses, walks away, but obviously is less cocky now.
I walk off to speak to a supervisor and to inquire about the process of badge number requests. 3 different agents just kept delaying while also stating that «you do not need a badge number,» and return to texting on their private phones… I keep waiting, all the while watching this agent literally dancing, rapping with his fellow TSA agents – until he saw me and got nervous and pretended to act more «professionally.»
Because I had a layover I was able to stick around. It took me 30 minutes to speak with a supervisor! He said he would make a mark in a file and speak to the agent. He handed me a complaint form which I mailed in.
I have had some good experiences with TSA agents. But by and large the entire process and most personnel are… interesting…to put it kindly.

In sixth grade you are supposed to learn STATISTICS and PROBABILITY.
Given that, my chance dying in a car crash driving to the airport is higher than «terrorism» both before and after 911.
I don’t understand why the government steals 7.9 BILLION of your taxpayer dollars on a 96% failure rate.
Can I please take my «chances» and avoid this mess by «risking» it on a non-​tsa flight?
Why must the government steal 35% of my airplane ticket to pay for this?
More people die from FALLING VENDING machines than «terrorists» in the USA before and after 911. Why don’t we steal BILLIONS from the tax payer to fight the war against falling vending machines?
This is illogical nonsense that was somehow legitimized by Americans that could not preform elementary calculations and based their decision making on emotional sensationalism rather than fact.
—-
Forbes analysis:
«The TSA has an annual budget of $ 7.9 billion and employs 62,000 people. Its principal function is to operate the passenger screening function at more than 450 commercial airports. Keeping dangerous people off airplanes is unquestionably important, but is it wise to entrust this to a federal bureaucracy? There is solid evidence that the TSA is not very good at this job, but spends a lot of money uselessly… »

I used to work in counterterrorism. I attended a meeting with the FAA’s Transportation Security Labs in Atlantic City one day, then flew to LA, got a few hours of sleep, and then had to fly out of LA again the next morning.
Note: You can’t even go to the bathroom at the FAA/​TSL without getting explosive residue on you. They test potential terrorist bombs for security reasons… good job, guys.
When I got to LAX the next morning, the screener reported traces RDX on my paper notebook. Duh… wonder how it got there? I explained it to him, he laughed, I laughed… we’re in the same business! I showed him my bona fides from the meeting, He still went thru swabbing every single page of my notebook, and we shared a great few minutes chatting while he did so. GOOD FOR HIM.
A few years ago, a business partner and I were flying out of Texas, when we were taken aside into a room and questioned. If you want, you can call it racial profiling… we were the only two over-​50 Anglo males on the flight. Turns out, it was the anniversary of Waco, and they had some unverified intel that somebody might to something muy estupido. Turned out to be a false lead, but if it were real, we’d have looked a lot like the perp (s). No problemo… We made the flight. GOOD FOR THEM.
All security systems walk a tightrope between effectiveness and usability. I’ve crossed swords with TSA more than a few times inside private venues, but all in all, they’re doing OK, given the mission and the costs of failure.

The freebies are great. Nothing better than being «searched» by some high school drop-​out/​part-​time drug dealer extensively trained on how to button a blue shirt and empowered by the government to violate me before I get on a plane. I am a little upset though because no matter how much I insist that I am transgender, I can’t get an agent of the correct sex to feel — I mean check me for weapons. Also, I do have to point out that as an Arab man, it’s impossible to get them to check me all over in the way that I like, no matter how much I joke about bombs in my bag. I have had to resort to dressing like a 90 year old white grandmother or a girl scout just to get them to grope me.
I do get upset by the illiterate people at podiums who stare at boarding passes for fifteen minutes pretending they are doing something important, that just really isn’t great foreplay. How about we have them check identifying characteristics on genitalia? Also, I don’t think it’s fair to make 15 overpaid government «workers» stand around talking to each other while one other agent pretends to be looking at a computer screen for an eternity, especially when I have only a few minutes to get to my gate. Wouldn’t it be less stressful for the agents if we let them pretend to be working in a back room somewhere, like we do with all other government employees?

The TSA has the worst service. Not only are their massages short and completely NOT satisfying, but it really seems like they are trying to cop a feel EVERY. SINGLE. TIME!
Also, instead of giving me water at the end of the groping session… they take my water and put it in the «potential bomb disposal unit» (trash can) which is mere feet away from all of the patrons. If they thought they were bombs, you would think they would have a better method of disposal. Methinks this is just a ploy to force me to buy airport water.
By the way, don’t ever say, «I wish the TSA massages were like Massage Envy… that place is BOMB!» They basically rush you and beat the holy hell out of you. Then they take you to a room where they forcefully grope you some more, and a very ugly man sexually assaults you with a rubber glove. They REALLY don’t like being compared to Massage Envy, I guess.

I have to deal with airport security in many airports since I drag along a cpap machine, 2 laptops and other tools everywhere I go. Whether in the US, Hong Kong, or Germany, I inevitably get stopped and my equipment swabbed at least once each trip. The difference is the attitude. While in most countries the security staff seems a bit more polite but firm. On the other hand, the TSA staff are quite dismissive and really don’t see the passengers as paying customers, only as cattle being herded. Perhaps they are dismissive because of the low wages and fast-​food like job prospects, but that doesn’t appear to be the case in other countries. This is a top down problem, the management need to step up, spend more money on people and training rather than on dodgy equipment. A better attitude makes people both more cooperative, and leaves a better impression.

A security farce costing billions of dollars. 90% test failure rates, something a private security company could never get away with but what do you expect from a bloated government agency.

If I could give you 0 stars, I would. You have a success rate of 0 (as in you’ve NEVER caught a terrorist, not even one!) and you hire the rudest people who can’t even find FAKE bombs. Please stop using the excuse of «security» as a reason to grope me.

They act like rudeness and arrogance can compensate for incompetence. Hint: it doesn’t.

After a lovely encounter with several TSA thugs at the Seattle airport, I want to congratulate TSA in finding individuals with the following qualifications:
Low IQ — CHECK!
Zero ability to logic, reason, or think independently — CHECK!
Angry and surly attitude — CHECK!
Perverted tendencies — CHECK!
Hatred for your fellow man — CHECK!
Negligible social skills — CHECK!
Congratulations, TSA, for finding the dregs of society to serve on your team!

So, How many agents does it take to run lane through a security checkpoint in SFO?
1 for the xray machine, 1 or 2 for the body scanner, 1 to in-​coherently tell you to remove your shoes and 5 – 6 supervisors.
No lie that is my experience every time I travel from SFO.

My one-​star is for the Detroit Metro Airport. I am a professional photographer and travel with some very basic photo gear. Well, the TSA in Detroit called in their explosives expert.
I try to have patience with the process because I realize they have an important job to do in keeping us safe. But being made to feel like a criminal was highly unprofessional of the Detroit TSA. One agent told me that the object in my suitcase, «looks like something that’ll go boom.» [direct quote!] Another goon began bullying me, demanding I look at his X-​ray computer screen and tell him what all the contents were. I couldn’t make out anything on that screen! Was that proper protocol? I doubt it.
Then the explosives expert comes and determines my bag is OK. But when I told him other airports I’ve traveled through (New York, Europe, Canada) have never stopped me, he had the audacity to say that the Detroit TSA is better at their jobs than the guys in New York. Outrageous! And when I suggested the standards be the same at each airport he said, «Actually, having different standards is what keeps the terrorists on their toes.» [Actual quote!]
These guys (and gals there too) are total bozos. I’d leave less than one star if possible.

Theatre Security Admin!
went through the security checkpoint in Dallas the other day. i went for the «opt out» to avoid any more RF in my life. while waiting for the screener, the Rape-​I-​Scan line was getting too long, so they directed a bunch of folks through the old metal detector. all 5 people i watched zinged right through with all of the RED lights flashing. not a green light in view.
but hey! Thank God they caught that one guy trying to smuggle a jar of Nutella in his carry-​on!