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Screeners have badges now? SO WHAT!
Firemen have badges!
Security Guards have badges!
Pilots with guns have badges!
FAA Flight Instructors have badges!
Building inspectors have badges!
Meter Maids have badges!
Crossing Guards have badges!
Bounty hunters have Badges!
My kids have toy badges!
Civil defense have badges!
Attorneys have badges!
Judges have badges!
Senators have badges!
Congressmen have badges!
Aldermen have badges!
Sanitation and health inspectors have badges!
Armored car drivers have badges!
Elvis Presley had like 1000 badges!

I could go on all day!

Seriously who gives a toot if they give TSA screeners badges?
I have heard the way passengers talk to screeners all day. That is why TSA acts the way they do. The worst seem to be the first class travelers and the frequent fliers who should know the rules.

I think if you people really knew the talent pool that the TSA has they would be surprised. There are the bad apples that got a application with there well-fare check and gots dem a guvment job. And there are people that were moved by the events of 9-11 and left better jobs to serve and protect the traveling public. Oh I forgot most of you complainers have already forgotten about 9-11.

Peace out!

James

James

James  | Tuesday, July 22, 2008 |  08:23 PM

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Badges? Respect? Please! This is just another fine example of our tax dollars at work (or being wasted). Let's see, there are approximately 48,000 TSOs in TSA so that's 48,000 badges (unless they intend to issue badges to the secretaries and clerks as well). The badges will probably cost $30.00 to $40.00 each so that amounts to $1,440,000 to $1,920,000, just for the badges. Then there are the new shirts and neckties. There will probably be a minimum of five shirts and two neckties per TSO. Shirts run about the same price as the badges (each) and the ties are $10.00 to $15.00 each (conservatively speaking). So, 240,000 shirts and 96,000 neckties, would be $7,200,000 to $9,600,000 for shirts and $960,000 to $1,440,000 for neckties. While, admittedly, these figures are approximations, this still comes to about $9,600,000 to $12,960,000 to outfit 48,000 TSOs with a shiny new badge, five new shirts and two new neckties - based on what -a whim! If TSA is so bent on issuing badges, here’s an idea: Since TSOs aren’t supposed to wear their uniforms except, to, from and at work, and they only need the badge while on duty, TSA should only purchase 12,000-15,000 badges and issue them to the TSOs when they report for duty and the TSO turns them in at the end of their shift – that alone could save over a million dollars for this pipe dream. Sounds to me like it's time for the USDHS Office of the Inspector General to take a long hard look at this fraud, waste and abuse of the tax payer’s dollar by the TSA Head Shed! Whoever thought up this grandiose idea needs to be indicted or at least fired – sooner than later!

Owen  | Tuesday, July 15, 2008 |  10:35 AM

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Still bashing the tsa people? I had to share this.

My time in the TSA's Constitution-free zone
Last year, I got stopped at airport security due to the contents of my carry-on bag. I won't give details here, but totally unbeknownst to me there was something deep down in one of the hard-to-reach crevices of my Brenthaven backpack that would've gotten me in plenty of trouble with baggage screeners even before 9/11. My heart stopped when the screener pulled this item out of my bag, and I knew I was probably in big trouble. However, I had absolutely no firm idea how big the trouble could potentially be, and therein lies the problem.

Let's pause the story here for a moment and consider what happens if you're pulled over by the police for speeding. You know roughly what the penalties are based on how fast you were going, what kind of behavior to expect from the officer on the scene, and where to go if you want to dispute the charges. Most importantly, even if you have no idea what to expect the system protects you in your ignorance by stipulating that if the officer decides you may be guilty of a crime and he initates an arrest, he cannot just begin interrogating you without first informing you of your Miranda rights (the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney). Your Miranda rights are there to keep you from being intimidated by law enforcement into giving what amounts to a confession that might later be used against you in court.

When the item was discovered in my backpack, I was, of course, completely surprised, shaken, uncertain, and intimidated by the circumstances. In that state I was interrogated by both the TSA and the Chicago Police Department, and forced to give multiple recorded statements—in other words I was allowed freely to incriminate myself—without once being informed of my rights, if any. And then, after confiscating the item, they let me on the airplane!

After flying a few more times—apparently running squarely afoul of the TSA's airline security measures doesn't actually mean that you're a security threat who should have their flying privileges supsended for the safety of the skies—I eventually got a letter from the TSA informing me that my case would be looked over by an "administrative court" and that I'd be assessed a fine that could range from as little as US$100 up to $10,000.

At this point, I called Bill Scannell, an old acquaintance of mine and a prominent anti-TSA activist, to see if he or someone he knew could help me out. I also contacted my lawyer, who's a partner in a major national law firm, and tried to get a referral.

Bill got hold of some folks from the EFF, including legal counsel, and he reported back to me with basically what I've laid out above: the security checkpoint at an American airport is effectively a "Constitution-free zone" (Bill's term), where you have no Miranda rights, no protection from any probable cause requirements for searches, and you're completely at the mercy of the individuals in the system. With respect to case law, this is also uncharted territory for the courts, and there are no binding precedents that cover these types of situations, because it's all simply too new to have been litigated enough. As for my lawyer, he had no luck in hooking me up with someone who specialized in "federal administrative procedures," which is the kind of law that would govern any dispute I had with the TSA.

Furthermore, the administrative court to which my case was referred is just a guy behind a desk who looks over the evidence (reports from the scene and my own recorded statements) and sort of randomly assesses a fine. As this MSNBC article attests, there's no iron-clad procedure for sorting out who gets hit with what, so you're entirely at the mercy of some random bureaucrat. After this person assesses a fine, you have a few appeals options that place you at the mercy of other random bureaucrats.

To sum up, if you run afoul of the nation's "national security" apparatus, you're completely on your own. There are no firm rules, no case law, no real appeals processes, no normal array of Constitutional rights, no lawyers to help, and generally none of the other things that we as American citizens expect to be able to fall back on when we've been (justly or unjustly) identified by the government as wrong-doers.

So what, then, can the accused rely on? The kindness of strangers, actually.

Epilogue: the kindness of strangers
Believe it or not, the actual people that I encountered at all levels of the national security bureaucracy, from the airport baggage screening personnel to the Chicago PD to the TSA higher-ups that were on-site at the airport to the administrative court "judge" who assessed my fine, were all fantastic. If it weren't for their common sense, basic goodwill, and genuine committment to national security then I might've ended up with much, much worse than the ~US$150 fine that I ended up paying.

It was immediately apparent to the screener who found the item in my bag that this was all a big mistake, and that I was clearly not a threat to airport security. After some questioning and a background check that came up clean, this fact was also clear to the cops and to the TSA supervisor. Even the TSA administrative judge, with whom I had some telephone contact, was on my side. Everyone, from the folks on the scene to the guy looking over the reports weeks later, called the situation correctly and did what they could to see that the impact on me was minimal. I'm grateful for all of this, but it shouldn't have had to be that way.

We're supposed to have a government of laws, not of men. No American should ever have to face the prospect of being deprived of property or liberty armed with only the knowledge that their fate is in the hands of people who're essentially playing it all by ear. Even in places where corruption and bias are problems, and the laws are enforced irregularly, at least there are formal rules and binding precedents in place for the protection of the accused. But to be in a situation where you're entirely at the mercy of the instincts of a group of federal employees who haven't even taken an oath of office isn't just un-American, but uncivilized. Let's all hope and pray that our national security system becomes more regular, more rational, more accused-friendly, more transparent, and more American before there's another attack and it grows even more tentacles.

Update: Just to quell some of the more bizarre speculation on what was in my bag, no, it obviously wasn't a controlled substance or else I'd have been hauled off to jail. And no, it wasn't anything particularly embarrassing. I don't want to give details because, while I presume that I'm out of the woods with this whole affair after having paid the fine, when it comes to legal matters (civil, criminal, or whatever) a good general rule to live by is that you're better off just keeping your mouth shut in public unless you've first had your comments vetted by a lawyer. Not having had the luxury of legal counsel at any point in this ordeal, I really have no idea what's smart to reveal on the Internet and what's not. I guess I can say that it was a self-defense item, but that's as far as I'm willing to go in print about it.

lmao  | Tuesday, July 08, 2008 |  11:00 AM

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Wow! If there were any hope of a few TSA employee's going to work and trying to perform their duties with a sense of pride let's hope they don't read this stuff. And I really think we have elevated the LEO's to a level far above the level most function at in the real world. For them, most Airport duty is like a vacation and there is a waiting list to get on this kind of duty. If you think these guys are going to turn into some kind of super hero in the event that something did happen. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most have little or no training, when it involves dealing with anything that even resembles an Improvised Explosive Device, and they always do the wrong thing, if it could bean IED, they walk right up to it, form a group around what ever it is usually with several other LEO's, they will poke at it stick their nose in it,trying to figure out whats in it. They use their phones or radios' to call others. Anyone knows that this is exactly what a terroist wants them to do. I can assure you while you may not expect that federal screener to know much, he does know what not to do, and will handle those situations properly, so cut them some slack. Who care if they have a Badge. They have always had one. Now its made of metal. LEO's are a bunch of babie's looking for something to whine about. And they have been whining since the TSA arrived. If they are so bothered by the TSA maybe they should take over screening in their respective airports. You won't get them to do that.
Oh and they are not complaining about the Dogs and Handler training DHS is giving away to their departments either.
Like I said always whining about something. GO eat a donut!

LMAO  | Monday, July 07, 2008 |  09:51 PM

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It seems that the real law enforcement have something to prove by harassing airport personel because of a rule violation, not a law violation. And, the sad thing is that these airline employees have FBI and U.S. Customs background clearances. Is it because they are justifying their occupation and that the terrorism threat is down?

kab  | Sunday, June 22, 2008 |  10:01 PM

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I can't wait for the first TSA guy to try and use thier badge at a traffic stop and get arrested for impersonating an officer....LOL

Mike  | Friday, June 20, 2008 |  10:34 AM

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BIG FRIGGIN DEAL!!!!

TSA deserves the badges!

i went to a liquor store yesterday, the fat security guy had a steel badge, and wore all black, i dont see anyone complaining about that......

Ivan  | Thursday, June 19, 2008 |  04:00 PM

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Vick,
Mel Brooks was parodying, or playing homage to, "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (1948)

Fred C. Dobbs  | Thursday, June 19, 2008 |  07:13 AM

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Man,you guys really tore TSA apart in your comments,this reminds me of Mel Brooks movie "Blazing Saddles" when there recruiting all sort of bad guys,and the 3 desperados who are waiting in line are asked for their badges? They laugh and say"We dont need no stinking badges"! lol

Vick  | Wednesday, June 18, 2008 |  02:35 AM

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Let's not ever mistake a TSA screener for a LEO. I've never seen a TSA screener at the Dunkin Donuts. I would never tell a child to find a TSA screener if they were lost or in trouble. TSA screeners get exactly the amount of respect they deserve. They don't follow their own procedures. They provide preferential treatment to some passengers over other passengers. They are lax about security when it comes to airport workers and airline employees. In short, they are no different than the contract employees they replaced nearly seven years ago, with one significant exception - because they are federal employees, it is virtually impossible to get rid of them when they don't do their job.

Rob  | Tuesday, June 17, 2008 |  05:49 PM

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what a joke. First we have police brutality because of huge inflated egos, now we're doing it with TSA folks. When I am no longer screamed at (I am hard of hearing), pushed, take rude comments (not just myself but many travelers) and am not hustled like cattle through their security line, I might have more respect. I keep my cool but so far haven't seen too many TSA workers that are very respectful of travelers. We're paying and guess what I am sick of air travel, and am driving more and more..Airlines are suffering now, the crude treatment you get at the airport does not help.

pjj  | Tuesday, June 17, 2008 |  05:41 PM

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I worked for TSA for five years, believe me it will only be a matter of time before one of them does something stupid with their badge outside work thinking they are a LEO. As for me I am a federal LEO now, this is just another dog and pony show and will acomplish nothing with the public.

James  | Tuesday, June 17, 2008 |  01:43 PM

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Wow, the government (TSA) found something else to spend (waste) taxpayer's money on. Why take away their white shirts and yellow patches, they were actually nice to look at. Yes, but only when properly tucked in.

my2cents  | Tuesday, June 17, 2008 |  10:11 AM

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I think the real danger is no in mistaking a TSA employee for a policeman, as in mistaking a police officer for a TSA worker. How is the travelling public to know if that person issuing emergency orders is a hightly trained, crisis-ready law enforcement officer, or an inexperienced TSA worker whose judgement in a crisis can (and probably should) be questioned? Given a crisis situation, I would like to know I can distinguish one from the other, quickly.

Eileen F  | Tuesday, June 17, 2008 |  09:37 AM

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This seems to be pretty desperate if an agency is issuing badges to enhance their employees sense of self-worth.

Over time, badges will become a non-issue as the traveling public becomes accustomed to this change, but many people associate badges with law enforcment and expect those persons to be armed and ready to take care of any problems.

It will take a concerted effort to allay the valid concerns raised by law enforcement.

Anonymous  | Tuesday, June 17, 2008 |  08:57 AM

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The best way for the TSA screeners to get the respect they deserve is to earn it. Cut out the standing around and cutting up, the sloppy and haphazard dress and adopt a more professional demeanor.

Walt McKinney  | Tuesday, June 17, 2008 |  07:35 AM

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For a large chunk of my career, I wore a badge and scanned passenger luggage at a major airport. I also worked at two land border crossings (north and south), a maritime port of entry. I interviewed passengers both foreign and domestic and i can tell you one thing: a badge solves nothing. I wore a badge and I got the same type of respect TSA offices get, which is to say none. Passengers, especially American citizens, will not acknowledge a badge if it is not accompanied by a gun on your side. The reason, I suspect, is because a badge with no gun is representative of a security guard. Am I saying we need to arm TSO's? Absolutely not. I'm just saying a badge will afford them the same respect they get now. That's why U.S. Customs and the old INS had to arm their officers a few decades ago, because they had learned the same lesson: that a badge affords you absolutely no additional respect.

Aggie  | Tuesday, June 17, 2008 |  07:29 AM

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A badge does not earn you respect. You have to earn it.

J A Rollins  | Tuesday, June 17, 2008 |  06:14 AM

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This is another sign of lack of leadership in DHS. Badges are subject to misuse, of course, and managers of DHS law enforcement agencies can't keep up with their own employees abuses. The DHS IG won't handle the "mundane" cases of misuse of credentials, yet Chertoff now thinks issuing a few thousand badges to NON-law enforcement personnel will help their self-esteem and public image. What a joke! Its sad that nobody is minding the store at DHS.

Maybe TSA could help the image of their x-ray operators by getting the worst of them to dress appropriately, be polite to the public, and occasionally perform effectively when tested to see if they actually detect contraband. As some facilities still missing 75% of the test guns that the Congressional testers run through their checkpoints. I seem to remember that respect was once earned, not pinned on.

Sad state of affairs, right up to the Secretary. Apparently his last six months will be spent surrendering his responsibilites: to the illegals at the southern border, to unsafe Mexican trucks, and now to the TSA workers that does get enough respect.

Mike C  | Tuesday, June 17, 2008 |  05:46 AM

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I guess if TSA employees can't wear badges because they may look like a LEO, then one better not get caught wearing a Koby Bryant jersey, because a NBA player may think you are a pro player. LOL!!
Steve

Steve  | Monday, June 16, 2008 |  11:25 PM

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Wal Mart wants the same privilege for their greeters, then they will remove the happy face off their blue smocks

dan ketter  | Monday, June 16, 2008 |  10:31 PM

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