All jokes aside, the wisdom of harassing the flying public for the sake of ‘safety’ is under question – again.
A recent investigation came to a sobering conclusion. It appears that TSA Badge holders are the number one threat to security, and that airborne terror is most likely to come through the actions of those TSA employees, rather than from travelers carrying nail clippers or shampoo.
An investigation into security breaches at the Dallas-Ft,Worth International Airport revealed that lapses in security occurred because TSA employees and other airport workers were abusing their authority. Indeed, giving sometimes poorly trained people a badge and the power to force passengers to perform like trained seals brings out the worst in the uniformed employees. Call it the Barney Fife syndrome or ‘Respect My Authorityitis’ but the similarity to Fife ends there. The employees, who are sticklers for conformity do not feel the rules apply to them or their family and friends.
Badge holding employees and vendors were linked in 106 out of 140 confirmed security violations in two years. (according to a local NBC affiliate) Violators helped friends and family bypass security check lines. One such violator was a TSA supervisor caught escorting other workers through restricted areas.
It is estimated that for every one caught, two or three abusing their badges manage to get through, according to Aviation Security Consultant Chaim Koppel.
Also noted, an American Airlines flight attendant was caught sneaking a backpack through an employee entrance and giving it to her husband who boarded a flight to Germany…Bon Voyage Honey! Airport Security consultant Larry Wansley noted “Sometimes, unfortunately, humans do some really stupid things.” What do you think of TSA boarding requirements ?