[b4its2late]

[Stoigo]

TSA = Thousands Standing Around

[martin_fierro]

"No, they're supposed to be the best of the best -- they're federal government employees," she said.

*chortle*

[buccaneer81]

"No, they're supposed to be the best of the best -- they're federal government employees," she said.

LOL!! Words fail me...

[sgtbono2002]

A TSA spokesman told KTLA such occurrences are "extremely rare." LAX has had more than 5,000 screeners employed over the last five years, and only 12 have been fired for theft.

---

The incidents took place two years ago and it took them two years to arrest these people, no telling how many thefts have occurred. 5,000 screeners and only 12 have been fired doesnt give any indication of how many were stealing.

[JimSEA]

And this comes as a big surprise to those of us who regularly travel through LAX. And we aren't even talking about TSA "attitude".

[Dr. Frank fan]

This can't be right. Airline security people are now federal employees and part of a federal agency, which makes them of a higher calibre than they were before.

[Repeal The 17th]

Pilfering of checked baggage has been going on for many years.
It is common place and well documented.
If you report something "missing" from a checked bag,
the airlines reply is much like it is the travelers fault
for having placed anything of value in the checked bag.
Oh, and if you lock your checked bag, the TSA will cut the lock off.
If you travel with anything of value, put it in your carry-on bag.
---
"...A TSA spokesman told KTLA such occurrences are "extremely rare."... The TSA has been trying to crack down on theft by airport employees..."
---
If it is so "rare", then why are they trying to "crack down" on it?

[operation clinton cleanup]

The TSA also assumed contracts from private screening companies worth at least $1.6 billion and requested $2.1 billion for screener salaries next year.

Rogers was a leader in the effort by House Republicans to limit the size of the TSA. Congress imposed a 45,000-person cap, but the agency got around it by giving people five-year, "temporary full-time" contracts.

Starting salaries range between $23,600 and $35,400, and benefits include health care, life insurance, paid vacation and sick leave. The screeners receive 44 hours of classroom training, 60 hours of on-the-job training and a promise of advancement if they do well.

Ed Karabinus, 56, was a security manager at Shepard Air Force Base in Texas last winter when he traveled through Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and encountered inefficient screeners who didn't speak English.

He decided to become a screener himself. He took the test, and in March he was one of 61 people hired as supervisors.

Eight months later, he has been promoted to federal security director, a new category of federal law enforcement officer, overseeing both Wichita Falls Municipal Airport in Texas and nearby Lawton Municipal Airport in Oklahoma.

Federal security directors earn between $108,400 and $150,000 a year.

Karabinus, who now drives a used Mercedes, motivates his screeners by saying, "Look where I went, guys, in eight months."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/09/04/attack/main520797.shtml

[JoeFromSidney]

My wife had a piece of jewelry "confiscated" off her coat because it had a pin on it. As far as I'm concerned, that was outright theft. Now we travel by air as little as possible, and never take anything we can't afford to lose.