TSA chief John Pistole writes to the Washington Times to rebut my op-ed –
TSA holds employees to highest standard
James Bovard’s “A cure for the common queue at the airport” is misleading, inaccurate and unfairly disparages the dedicated Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workforce, especially those who work on the front lines to protect the nation’s transportation systems.
TSA continues to improve the passenger experience through risk-based security initiatives such as TSA “Pre”, which provides expedited screening to trusted travelers. The $85 fee to enroll in TSA “Pre” for a period of five years covers the cost of the background check and does not result in a “windfall” for TSA, as claimed in the article. In addition, TSA no longer uses backscatter X-ray advanced imaging technology to screen travelers.
TSA holds its employees to the highest ethical standards and has zero tolerance for misconduct. In fact, since December 2012, TSA has conducted thousands of integrity tests at hundreds of airports to ensure workforce integrity with a 99.6 percent pass rate. The 13 individuals who failed were removed from federal service.
While aviation security remains the cornerstone of the TSA mission, a positive customer experience is critical to the TSA goal of providing the most effective transportation security in the most efficient way. To improve customer service, we established TSA Cares, a helpline for passengers who require assistance with the screening process. We have employed more than 2,600 passenger-support specialists at airports nationwide.
We are sure the opinions expressed in Mr. Bovard’s piece are the exception, but we will not sit back and allow misinformation and conjecture to malign our employees.
JOHN S. PISTOLE
Administrator
Transportation Security Administration
Arlington
You …. you … you MALIGNER!!! And disparager!!! Why, I bet that that very nice Mr. Pistole regularly chooses to fly coach, just so he can experience what We The People have to put up with from his Minions Of The Glove. And please do not fail to consider that they do not tolerate misconduct – which means that every bit of soul-destroying probulation you undergo, without the abuser being terminated, is Actual Sanctioned And Intended Conduct – not misconduct in the slightest!
Challenge on his math, though. Wikipedia says, “The TSA employs around 47,000 Transportation Security Officers (TSOs),” which means that a 99.6 percent pass rate (accepting the number offered by the defendant) should have resulted in 188 firings, rather than 13, which suggests that either a) there are ethical lapses that are just hunky dory for keeping your job or b) it’s complete and utter BS.
Oh, and they only started checking in 2012? That’s…reassuring.
Maybe they biased the results by excluding known luggage thieves from the survey.
Nah. You exclude them by firing them first, that way you can say that they weren’t TSA employees…..
I think your name has just been added to a special list of people who go Greyhound.
On the bright side, I met edifying drunks on interstate bus trips in the 1970s but most of them have probably either died or been elected to Congress.
Pistole will do or say just about anything to keep the dog and pony show of the blue gloved wonders afloat.