A few facts.

Yes, I am an employee of TSA.
Yes, I am aware of some idiots getting caught stealing.
No, I do not believe any amount of back ground checks or previous history can determine who may get stupid and risk everything for a piece of jewelry, small electronic item or even inexpensive bottle of cologne.

as for comments since my last . . . Did someone miss some key points made? Seriously folks . . . TSA personnel check baggage within the presence of other personnel, in areas with cameras and in areas where they cannot easily conceal any taken items, and again very few bags are actually opened.

I suggest you go to YouTube and search “open locked baggage” or alike and see how easy it is to open ANY locked bag, regardless of the type of bag or lock used. Now consider again that The airline personnel, you know, those guys and gals that have had to endure countless wage and schedule cuts due to airline woes have your bag both before and after TSA does . . . often in areas without cameras, without other employees present and sometimes for hours at a time. Their employees do not get the back ground checks, constant supervision or federal oversight that TSA employees get daily . . .

No, I am not saying all items “stolen” are taken by airline employees. I am saying that TSA employees should be those last on your suspicion lists.

Actually, I dont believe most missing items are stolen at all . . . they are lost, misplaced or forgotten.

I went to an auction at MIA in 2006 and watched as over 400 items were auctioned off that were merely never claimed. From $20 watches up to very expensive laptops . . . by the way, it was the airport/counties auction, not TSA’s. TSA only takes possession of items left at the Security Check Point briefly before entering them into a costly Lost & Found inventory.

Oh, and I would like to comment on our new “costumes”. We, the TSA employees did not ask for them, do not feel that we needed them and quite frankly feel no different about how we are perceived since putting them on. That was some HQ guys with their hands in the pockets of VF Solutions, the uniform provider, that decided we needed our second new uniform issuance in four years (third through 6 yrs) and then tried to pass off the decision as a moral booster since we cannot keep people within the agency . . . besides working for such great leaders in a now six year old but still very infantile organization, it’s hard to keep people interested in protecting a public that insults and belittles them on a daily basis . . .

If you are going to fly

“Fly Smart”

Knew my stuff had been searched so when everying in the suitcase was all moved around I didn’t blink. But somehow 2 pairs of blue jeans and the new $200.00 shoes I got as a graduation gift evaporated. ::sigh::

Is it possible that I didn’t snap one lock completely and that it opened fell off in transit? Yes. Is it possible that the small bottle of tequila in a sturdy little cardboard box given to all somehow fell out of the middle of my bag? Unlikely. It could have been a TSA person or perhaps a baggage handler, or for all I know, a space alien who likes tequila and used its super powers to find mine.

A screener at Newark International was recently arrested for trying to sell pilfered items on eBay. I’m not saying that my little tequila, given to convention attendees, will end up in an on-line auction, but I’ll bet it ends up in someone’s drink.

Am I going to report it to the TSA?. No. Why bother? The TSA is the gift that keeps on taking.

Claire @ http://travel-babel.blogspot.com