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Reporter Claims TSA Agent Would Speed People Through Security For $10

Failures

from the feeling-safer dept

Tue, Sep 13th 2011 08:47am -

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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Comments on “Reporter Claims TSA Agent Would Speed People Through Security For $10”

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75 Comments
Anonymous Coward says:

Appropriate sentence

In a sane world ?in a sane America? this corruption would be stopped. This ?small middle-aged woman? would be tried and convicted. And sentenced.

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.

Anonymous Coward says:

Re: Re: Appropriate sentence

What’s the penalty for treason again??

Incomplete, but fun information from Wikipedia —

In English law, high treason was punishable by being hanged, drawn and quartered (men) or burnt at the stake (women), or beheading (royalty and nobility).

Separately, in the U.S. —

“whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.”

Anonymous Coward says:

Re: Re: Re: Appropriate sentence

The wording used in the article was “moving them to the front of the line.” I’m not sure that is the same as ‘bypassing security.’

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.

MM_Dandy (profile) says:

Re: Re: Re:2 Appropriate sentence

TSA agents supposedly observe and scrutinize people while standing in line. Less time in line means less scrutiny.

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.

fogbugzd (profile) says:

Being a TSA agent is a really rotten job. As an actor in the great Security Theater production the agents are forced to inflict demeaning, intrusive, and mostly meaningless procedures on their fellow citizens. And for that they get paid as little as the TSA can get away with paying.

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.

Nom says:

You know, most of the time I find that Mike Masnick makes good points, and I am not a fan of the TSA’s “security”. But I feel a need to call Mike out on this one.

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:

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.

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.

Harrekki (profile) says:

Re: Re:

this would be a valid point….. if there haven’t been other issues with TSA at other airports. I’d love to see a report on how many actual “events” the TSA have stopped.

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.

Anonymous Coward says:

Re: Re: Re:

Mike likes to play the broadbrush game when it suits him, and this is a great example.

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.

MM_Dandy (profile) says:

Re: Re: Re: Re:

The article makes it pretty clear that this wasn’t a single agent acting alone. Nearly all the action took place in view of other agents, who did nothing, and appeared to behave as though it were normal.

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.

Anonymous Coward says:

Re: Re: Re: Re:

The corrupt actions of a single agent in Newark are not an indication of the standards and practices of the rest of them.

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.

John Fenderson (profile) says:

Re: Re: Re:

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.

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.

Nom says:

Re: Re: Re:

Technically? A majority (>50%), that is when the exceptions become attempting to protect the people instead of extorting them. Ideally, the problem with various TSA groups should be dealt with before it gets close to that point. Hopefully, by internal regulation that carries strict punishment for abusing members.

Anonymous Coward says:

Re: Re:

Right. But it’s the fact that if the corruption occurs at Newark’s TSA it could be present elsewhere (unless you think there’s something in Jersey’s air/water that encourages corruption). I believe he’s pointing to the fact that it exemplifies the fact that it is security theater. If I can get one agent to let me cut to the front of the line there could be another agent that’s on harder times that would let my bag go around the scanner. It could be horrible and treasonous, and very unlikely. But we’re putting all of our faith in a government organization that appears to have communication problems (such as stating one thing and doing another) and potential/historical questionable actions.

DH's Love Child (profile) says:

Re: Re:

If you don’t see how a SERIOUS breach of security at a major airport doesn’t translate to TSA making us all less safe, you’re either an idiot or an apologist.

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?

Nom says:

Re: Re: Re:

My my, what a nasty tone. I’m not sure to what I would be an apologist. I wonder why you hold such venom. Oh well.

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.

Anonymous Coward says:

Re: Re: Re: Re:

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.

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.

Jay (profile) says:

Re: Re:

Have you read some of the older stories about the TSA security theater?

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.

Lord Binky says:

It doesn't matter if it was just one person.

The whole purpose of all the extra procedures is for “increased security” or the appearance of it to some special people. When you have problems with your security this blatant, it is akin to having a 10 meter thick brick wall that disappears into the sky, while leaving an entrance open with a single guard that is asleep. For security, one opening compromises the entirety, so for a security agency, one bad checkpoint compromises the entire system, which does not get fixed by ratcheting up security everywhere excluding your problem areas.

Harrekki (profile) says:

For the record, the FBI is now saying that a TSA screener worked with police from New York, Florida, and Connecticut to ship tens of thousands of Oxy pills.
http://www.courant.com/community/stamford/hc-stamford-tsa-drug-arrests-0914-20110913,0,2922480.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.

Keep It Simple Stupid says:

stereotyping

There’s an issue with TSA Newark (albeit again) and suddenly TSA everywhere else is to blame? Are you freaking kidding me?

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.

ComputerAddict (profile) says:

I think just about everyone missed the boat on this one. The $10 did not get you PAST security, I merely bumped people to the front of the line. The people that paid STILL WENT THROUGH SECURITY.

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

Anonymous Coward says:

Re: Re:

I think just about everyone missed the boat on this one. The $10 did not get you PAST security, I merely bumped people to the front of the line. The people that paid STILL WENT THROUGH SECURITY.

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.

mesome says:

Fact checking?

Well over at the TSA Blog they’re saying it wasn’t one of their agents.

“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.”

Anonymous Coward says:

Re: Fact checking?

According to Phil Mushnick’s New York Daily Post story, the woman was very definitely wearing a TSA uniform.

Paragraph 4:

a small middle-aged woman wearing a TSA (Transportation Security Administration) uniform

Paragraph 8:

the woman in the TSA uniform

Paragraph 11:

It was clear: I was paying off a uniformed TSA worker officer for privileged access.

Paragraph 13:

As we stepped through the scanner, our TSA wheel-woman was waiting on the other side.

Page 2:

Paragraph 15 (continuing numbers from page 1):

this one TSA servicewoman

Paragraph 16:

TSA woman, her uniform, her position and the public trust

Paragraph 17:

uniformed airport security officer

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.

Anonymous Coward says:

TSA says woman is not TSA employee

The TSA states on their TSA blog that the ?small middle-aged woman wearing a TSA (Transportation Security Administration) uniform? reportedly accepting bribes was not a TSA employee.

No Scams Here, Just a Technical Foul

A sports columnist recently wrote that a Transportation Security Officer (TSO) was offering to take people to the front of the checkpoint line via a wheelchair for a fee. Of course, his story picked up a bit of attention on the ol? intertubes.

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.

[…more…]

Via ?TSA Debunks Scam Reported By New York Post Columnist?, by Carlton Purvis, Security Managment, Sept 13, 2011.

msmii (user link) says:

Alright, so they are NOT what was intended. How many billions of dollars go into this sluggish, nepotistic, thieving, and jackbooted wanna-be agents each year? According to a Homeland Security Newswire article the 2011 proposed budget was $43.6 BILLION dollars. No terrorist acts caught at the gate for a price tag of $43.6 billion dollars just this year and our personal as well as national dignity is all it costs.
http://msmignoresit.blogspot.com/2011/09/airport-screening-statistics.html

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