TSA and the transmitter, a short travel story

[MrSmitty13]

This topic can be argued to death until the cows come home with valid points on both sides. I wrote what I wrote with the mere intentions of constructive and semi-neutral input showcasing the other side of the thin blue line. Specifically to showcase the fact that we are not all idiots with no capacity for common sense, compassion or reason. I expected a few comments back from people who’s minds cannot be changed I respect that criticism as we all see things through different lenses. I wanted to give you all the opportunity to see a more positive side to the TSA and I hope I have accomplished that for some of you. For the most part, this thread seems to be made up of that constructive criticism. Unfortunately going back and forth endlessly on a scuba website is not going to go anywhere and accomplish anything, that’s why I will not continue to subscribe to this thread nor respond to each individual person who quoted me. For all of you, when you close your browser, this conversation ends in your minds until your next visit to your local airport. For me, I am confronted with these scenarios every day and live it so for me to dwell on this at home in an online forum with people I will never meet is mentally draining. I just came home from one of my night classes and during the whole class my mind flipped back and forth between the lecture and some of the responses to my thread. So I hope when I say that I am walking away from this thread, you do not think that I have no rebutle to continue the constructive conversation, it is just that I can not continue to fight a battle that will just drain my positive well being.

SoCalSwami and any others interested feel free to PM me if you need assistance or have policy and procedure questions that I can possibly help you with. I am will be more than happy to be of assistance to anybody on this website with traveling questions to the best of my ability.

ScubaSteve, yes I am one of the good ones as I hope you have noticed from my fair assessment of thread and I will continue to do such work.

Fppf, even though I do not agree with you on all that you have said, I will agree with you about the lack of pleases and thank yous. In my personal life, I do use those regularly, even on my bad days and I 100% agree with you on the fact that not all passengers are frequent fliers. It bothers me too those that work for us that sometimes forget that fact. I can assure you this though, there are many people in our agency like me that do notice these simple gestures and do everything in our power to leave a positive mark on the TSA. While I am at the bottom of the ladder right now, someday I will have authority my fellow officers (hopefully this will be within the next month, keep you fingers crossed for me ) , and when I do I can assure you that they will be treating all the passengers they encounter with respect as I do.

 

[ianw2]

Well put, mrsmitty13! ANd the best of luck to you....you're clearly a cut above.

I just about sprayed ice water onthe screen though.

I read your screen name as Mrs Mitty 13 (as in a reference to Wlater Mitty). I checked your profile and saw your photo. The image there surprised the ice water out of me!

Imagine my surprise to see a bald headed man staring at me!

Way too funny, Mr. Smitty! Way too funny!

BTW - I do not advocate checking anything of value. When we travel, we use the TSA approved locks on our bags. Last month, somewhere between LAX and Redding, the locks on both my wife's and my bags were removed (we have the ones with the red tell if the lock is opened). My stuff was shifted around as was my wife's. My lock got back on the bag but my wife's did not.

I'm sorry, but if I can't trust the TSA folk to handle tings properly, I can not trust them enough to leave anything of value in my checked bags.

Ian

 

[DandyDon]

BTW - I do not advocate checking anything of value. When we travel, we use the TSA approved locks on our bags. Last month, somewhere between LAX and Redding, the locks on both my wife's and my bags were removed (we have the ones with the red tell if the lock is opened). My stuff was shifted around as was my wife's. My lock got back on the bag but my wife's did not.

I'm sorry, but if I can't trust the TSA folk to handle tings properly, I can not trust them enough to leave anything of value in my checked bags.

Ian

Airlines discourage checking especially valuable items, always have. You'll notice that most airports do not have much security at baggage claim, at least as I recall from my days of flying all over the US in the 80s and 90s - maybe two checked bags to claim tickets. And I have taken the wrong bag home before; now I tie ribbons in two colors to mine.

Aside from my bulky BC, wetsuits, pony bottle, almost anything that costs me over $100 goes in my roll-on or backpack. Lots of cheaper stuff gets checked but I'd be in trouble if I were not allowed 2 bags up to 70# each. I carry a lot.

 

[fppf]

I would not say you would never meet any of these people. Divers tend to travel a lot, and ya never know!

 

[Darnold9999]

There is an agrument to made that "screening" should NOT be consisitent.[/QUOTE

I wondered if anyone would pick up on that! Think its a good argument.

 

[DandyDon]

I've met a lot of "divers" in airports: TSA agents, airline employees, who saw my gear and said they dive or used to.

 

[ScubaSteve]

.....There is an agrument to made that "screening" should NOT be consisitent.

I will be the smelly diver in the corner because I am the only person that had their deodorant stick taken away. If I go for a week or more I pack another in my checked luggage but when I travel on business I do not check luggage. So, until we can get more people like mrsmitty13 who actually use their brain to perform their duties as airport security, and do not get high on the percieved power that they have, then I believe consitency is required. Once people can use their brains consitently, then spice it up....only if they can use their brains.

 

[Dzscubie]

Flightlead stated
"undoubtedly true. as a milion miler I've certainly run into good and bad tsa staff, takes a pretty bad tsa staffer to come even close to the typical customs officer though ...

"

I take umbrage with your statement above about the "typical" customs officer. We have "A" holes well below par to the number of "A" holes we encounter on a daily basis.

Typical conversation at a Port of Entry with a returning American citizen:

Officer: "What is your citizenship?"
Traveler: "What?"
Officer: "What is your citizenship?"
Traveler: "What do I look like?"
Officer: "I need to know what country you’re a citizen of"
Traveler: "Ohio" (put in any state I've heard them all)
Officer: "No, I need to know what country you’re a citizen of not the state"
Traveler: Blank look, look around, look back at me, continue blank look
Officer: "Where were you born?"
Traveler: "bumtruck"
Officer: "And what State is that in?"
Traveler: "Ohio"
Officer: "And what country is Ohio in?"
Traveler: "United States"
Officer: "So that makes you a citizen of .......?"
Traveler: "Unites States?"
Officer: "Thank you, now what are you bringing?"
Now starts another line of questions.

Now most of you would think this is stupid and I should just have let this guy or gal through because they are obviously American.. Wrong, I have caught many non-citizens trying to "false claim" US citizenship. I almost never have a problem with international travelers from other countries as they are used to showing passports and being asked their citizenship. Americans on the other hand are the most arrogant travelers you meet. They think that people should be able to just look at them and know they are American citizens. For the general publics information... citizenship is not tattooed on you forehead.

There is a very good reason we ask questions and check people coming into the US.

BTW, I’ve been doing this for over 20 years and still love it.
Here are a few of my personal stats from the past 20 years:
Coke seized (in pounds) = 5000+ lbs
Marijuana = 60,000 + lbs
heroin = 200+ lbs
Various other drugs = 500+ lbs
Murderers arrested on outstanding warrants = 15
Pedophiles = 25
Various other arrest = to many to list
Stolen car's recovered = 2000+ (I work in El Paso, Texas)
Illegal aliens arrested = to many to list

We are not perfect and y'all can keep thinking we are "A" holes, but I sleep very good at night knowing what I do helps this country.

 

[fppf]

Yeah, don't get me wrong, I do appreciate what the US customs does, and what the TSA does. And I understand you need to deal with idoits, knuckle heads, and scum.

All I ask is when someone is polite, informed, and works with you, be polite back. Is that so hard? I mean, your all people, your smiling in your photo, why not say "good morning" back when I pull upto the booth?

With customs, my wife and I got Nexus cards. Now we just pull up and nine out of ten times the conversation goes like this me:"Good morning sir (or mam)" officer:"Have a nice day" me:"Thank you" Just becarful when its really really early and your still trying to wake up, don't call a mam a sir, she will get pissed!

 

[ScubaSteve]

Yeah, don't get me wrong, I do appreciate what the US customs does, and what the TSA does. And I understand you need to deal with idoits, knuckle heads, and scum.

All I ask is when someone is polite, informed, and works with you, be polite back. Is that so hard? I mean, your all people, your smiling in your photo, why not say "good morning" back when I pull upto the booth?

With customs, my wife and I got Nexus cards. Now we just pull up and nine out of ten times the conversation goes like this me:"Good morning sir (or mam)" officer:"Have a nice day" me:"Thank you" Just becarful when its really really early and your still trying to wake up, don't call a mam a sir, she will get pissed!

I agree with fppf. I appreciate what the many worldwide airport security people and customs people do. There has been some noted improvement and I will be honest....it is so not a job I would want. I have said a lot of negative things here and as many have stated, we only remember the bad. That unfortunately is usually the case with most. I also KNOW that many (if not most) of these people are actually good and polite people who want it to be a comfortable experience. However, if "you" start out assuming that EVERY person is going to treat you with the respect you deserve and will be polite I am confident that you can win even many of those passengers that started out cranky. Personally I will even settle for someone who does not say much or make eye contact.....it is rude and arrogant that gets my back up. Even if I look cranky, all it takes usually is a 10 second interation to see that I am not. I am all for the continued employment (and prosperity) and promotion of the good people....fire the rest if they can not smarten up (unfortunately this is just my policy). Really, there are not too many jobs where you can act however you want and not have your employment status affected.