Reporter Claims TSA Agent Would Speed People Through Security For $10
from the feeling-safer dept
Phil Mushnick at the NYPost has an article telling about his own recent experience flying out of Newark, in which a TSA agent appeared to let people cut to the front of the security line for a "tip" of around $10. The actual amount wasn't entirely clear, other than that she got quite upset -- publicly -- when only given $5. Basically, she walked around offering people a wheelchair, which she would use to bring them to the front of the line, the whole time letting them know that she expected something in return.Of course, the TSA at Newark has a bit of a history of problems. In just the past two years, a TSA agent was arrested for avoiding security. A TSA supervisor was arrested for working with another TSA agent to steal money from passengers, and just a few months after that, another TSA agent was arrested for stealing $500 from a wheelchair-bound passenger.
All of this makes you wonder if the TSA is really making us safer... or exactly the opposite. If TSA agents are looking for the next opportunity to make or steal a dollar, rather than keeping people and planes safe, it would suggest that we've got a problem.
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Good Ol' Newark
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Appropriate sentence
What would be an appropriate sentence?
Ten years in jail seems utterly out-of-line. That's crazy. It's out of proportion to what she did.
Six months in jail seems about right to me. Not over a year. In other words, a misdemeanor.
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Re: Appropriate sentence
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Incomplete, but fun information from Wikipedia --
Separately, in the U.S. --
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Re: Re: Appropriate sentence
I'm pretty sure the penalty is a position as Vice President, judging by how the last several administrations have handled it, but I could be wrong....
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Well done father!
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Re: Re: Appropriate sentence
However, it does beg the question: if $10 is enough to get me to the front of the line, what does $100 get me?
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A (not) free hand job.
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Re: Re: Re: Appropriate sentence
TSA agents supposedly observe and scrutinize people while standing in line. Less time in line means less scrutiny.
However, it does beg the question: if $10 is enough to get me to the front of the line, what does $100 get me?
Don't know, but $150 per year will get you a membership in TSA's Trusted Traveler Program and let you "officially" bypass the long lines.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Appropriate sentence
I disagree. If this were true, we'd see levels of screening based on behavior and appearance. Instead, we see children and elderly subjected to the same screening as everyone else.
And in this case, all of the action took place in view of other agents. An obvious act of bribery should have raised red flags and they should have been treated as suspicious individuals. Yet, the agents showed no signs of even acknowledging the bribery, and they were subjected to the same screening to which everyone else in line was subjected.
...$150 a year will get you a membership in TSA's Trusted Traveler Program and let you "officially" bypass the long lines.
If I'm going to be up to no good, I wouldn't sign up for the program, anyway. I'd just bribe one or more TSA agents for the same or better benefit without having to subject to the background check.
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Check Out
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Re: Check Out
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The T in TSA
What do you expect?
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Re: AC #7
That's exactly the reaction Al-Qaeda got ten years ago.
And what the wanna-be shoe- and underwear-bombers got after their otherwise ineffective attempts.
Are you saying the U.S. Government is WRONG?!?
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My solution would be to implement a rational and effective screening system. Among other benefits, it would cut down greatly on the amount of time it takes to screen passengers and that would allow TSA to not hire as many agents. They would also be able to get rid of a lot of expensive hardware like body scanners that are not really very effective. TSA probably wouldn't actually have to lay off any agents because the turnover is extremely high. TSA could use the money saved to increase the salaries of the remaining personnel to a living wage.
If TSA agents felt like they were doing something useful and if they were receiving reasonable wages they would not be as likely to risk their job for a $10 tip.
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Stop using a fallacy of composition.
Let me break this down, if for nothing else than to make both my argument, and your potential fallacy clear:
The fallacy that I am seeing is that you are apparently attributing the misdeeds of the TSA in Newark to that of the whole of the TSA.
I can agree that the TSA at Newark are a problem as they have repeatedly shown this unscrupulous behavior, however that does not necessary extend to all areas in which the TSA operate.
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Re:
If you claim that the enhanced security that the TSA provides is to deter people from thinking about attacks, that's fine. But that's security theater. Call it as it is. Say that security theater makes you feel safer, and you think it's enough of a cozy feeling to violate passengers privacy.
It's not a bad thing, but just say it. People need to stop pretending that the prevention of imaginary events have a valid point in this discussion.
I would also like to know if by placing people of a non-disabled nature in a wheelchair, they violated some kind of ADA - anti abuse measure? I imagine with so many people complaining about people abusing ADA laws that there has to be some kind of penalty for taking money in an official position to fake an allowance give to those with disabilities.
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TSA has thousands of agents in airports all over the city. The corrupt actions of a single agent in Newark are not an indication of the standards and practices of the rest of them. IN fact, I would say it's pretty insulting to the rest of the agents to get this sort of a broadbrush.
I am actually starting to wonder if Mike isn't trying to bait someone from the TSA into a lawsuit, because his comments are starting to get awfully close to the line.
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And, as others have pointed out, this is hardly an isolated incident - I think we're well past the point where anyone might argue that it's a "few bad apples." It's a broken system that needs to be fixed.
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TSA corruption hasn't been limited to a single agent in Newark, my little apologist friend. Even in this particular case, one has to wonder why the other TSA in the area let it go on. It really makes you wonder if maybe they were all taking turns at it.
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Re: Re:
But it IS a bad thing, and this is the heart of how the TSA actually makes us much less safe. Any security professional will tell you of one of the fundamental truths of the game: the illusion of security puts you in more danger than the obvious lack of security does. If you think you're safe, you aren't on your guard. Therefore if you think you're safe when you're not, you are at even greater risk.
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Uh huh. This is a government job and I believe the TSA are unionized, so best of luck on that one....
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So, I'll spell it out for you: Once they know they can bribe TSA at this airport, they can get their bombs, etc to ANY other airport. This little insignificant detail makes air travel less safe for everyone due to the actions of the TSA. Get it now?
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Re: Re:
I am not trying to downplay the seriousness of this kind of breach. The seriousness is obvious. This is in addition to several other security problems the TSA has. The fact is that these kinds of problems need to be addressed.
What I am doing is pointing out a fallacy in Mike's argument which inherently weakens it.
While multiple TSA agents in Newark have repeatedly shown themselves to take money from passengers, this does not show that this corruption is inherent to the TSA as a whole.
Likewise, just because I can bribe a few police of a certain town, that does not mean that the police in every town in the state will accept bribes.
In both scenarios, the offending parties need to be punished, and the abusers purged from the system.
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http://boingboing.net/2011/09/13/tsa-workers-trafficked-oxycontin-other-illegal-prescripti on-drugs-for-cash.html?
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Exactly, and a few more examples. Just because some Mexican police and other officials may be corrupt, that does not mean that corruption is rampant in Mexico. Or just because some Nazis were bad, that does not mean they all were. Same thing with members of various gangs. People should stop using such broad brushes.
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If you go around acting and sounding like an apologist, don't be surprised if someone thinks you are one.
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Re:
You're right. Newark's TSA has a lot of catching up to do.
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The problem is with a federalized group that have a lot of incentives to impede on people's civil rights. It doesn't matter if they're the elderly or a child
They ignore actual security protocols to grope you, trying to take their theater nationwide
This isn't just a problem in only Newark, it's a problem with the system.
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Which translates to a crystal clear picture to everybody who wants to see it.
The TSA management can't manage anything.
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It doesn't matter if it was just one person.
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http://www.courant.com/community/stamford/hc-stamford-tsa-drug-arrests-0914-20110913,0,29224 80.story
So, still think it's just Newark who has security issues? there's 3 different airports, in different states, who have a security issue.
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stereotyping
So if one teacher is charged with child molestation, does that mean all teachers get blacklisted as child molestors? If one caucasian male kills his coworkers and eats their remains, does that mean all caucasian males are closet-cannibals? If one Chinese person is a Communist, does that mean anyone Chinese is a Communist?
Let's not be so irresponsible (and ignorant) to go so far as to generalize things into stereotypes. Keep this sh!t simple. Apparently, there are issues with some of the employees at TSA Newark.
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Re: stereotyping
Just like when that law was introduced a few weeks back banning teachers from friending students on Facebook?
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Re: stereotyping
Agreed. Everyone, please ignore this story. One turd in the punch bowl doesn't ruin the whole bowl.
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Other than that the arguments seem to be on target that TSA as a whole fails to accomplish anything. Wake me up when Someone bribes TSA to SKIP security
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It's not right, but it doesn't make us 'less' safe. I think TSA already hit bottom on that one.
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Standing in line is part of the security process where TSA agents can scrutinize people's behavior while waiting in line. Bypassing the line is bypassing part of the security process.
Wake me up when Someone bribes TSA to SKIP security
Wake up.
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Re:
Just because they went through security, doesn't mean they got any sort of screening.
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TSA officers arrested on drug charges in Conn.
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Problem Number One, Low pay with poor training.
Problem Number Two, Federalized Employees.
Problem Number Three, They are unionized.
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Wheelchair?
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Fact checking?
"I and others more familiar with airports and checkpoint security instantly knew this wasn’t a TSO, but to be sure, we reviewed the video. What we found was that the person he wrote about was a skycap. Skycaps are porters who assist passengers, some often in wheelchairs. They work for tips and their uniforms do not resemble those of a TSO. In fact, many skycaps wear hats as TSOs do not."
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Re: Fact checking?
Paragraph 4:
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Further, at several points in the story, Mushnick refers to other uniformed TSA personnel. That is, he should be able to contrast this woman's uniform with the uniform of the other screeners.
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Re: Fact checking?
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http://www.nypress.com/article-22424-to-serve-to-protect-andto-steal.html
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TSA says woman is not TSA employee
Via “TSA Debunks Scam Reported By New York Post Columnist”, by Carlton Purvis, Security Managment, Sept 13, 2011.
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Re: TSA says woman is not TSA employee
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Those..
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http://msmignoresit.blogspot.com/2011/09/airport-screening-statistics.html
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