The New York Post on Sunday published an op-ed from someone claiming to be a former TSA agent at Newark’s Liberty Airport, the same airport where agents failed to detect a fake bomb sent through during secret test last month. According to the op-ed, such a mistake isn’t really that surprising considering the culture at TSA.
Below, we’ve excerpted the 10 most shocking admissions the person makes.
10. I’ve had to screen small children and explain to their parents I had no choice but to “check” them. I would only place my hands on their arms and bottom half of their legs, and the entire “pat-down” lasted 10 seconds. This goes completely against TSA procedure.
9. Did you know you don’t need a high-school diploma or GED to work as a security screener? These are the same screeners that TSA chief John Pistole and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano refer to as a first-class first line of defense in the war on terror.
8. When there are internal tests, conducted by the Newark training department, it’s easy to cheat because they use our co-workers. You could be working with someone all morning, and then they’re gone. Word gets around the checkpoint. Someone will come over to you and say, “Hey, it’s Joe. He’s got a blue duffel bag.”
7. We always said it’s not a question of if terrorists get through — it’s a question of when. Our feeling is nothing’s happened because they haven’t wanted it to happen. We’re not any big deterrent. It’s all for show.
6. Most TSA screeners know their job is a complete joke. Their goal is to use this as a stepping stone to another government agency.
5. We work in a culture where common sense has no place. All but a very few TSA personnel know they’re employed by a bottom-of-the-barrel agency.
