The Transport Security Administration is an agency of the US Department of Homeland Security. It acts as a front line of defense for keeping people safe when flying in and out of the United States. Although most of us get annoyed by security staff at airports for taking our hair product that’s just a smidgen too big, we never usually get to see things from their perspective. Here are what two TSA employees revealed about what life is like for them:
1. What happens to items confiscated by TSA employees at airports?
Normally, confiscated items go into storage rooms at an airport, then the TSA pays someone to take them away and dispose of them. It isn’t uncommon for things to then be sold on via the internet.
2. What’s the most ridiculous thing that someone managed to take with them on a plane?
There was a man who took a golf club through a TSA checkpoint claiming that it was his cane. Due to TSA guidelines, the staff was not allowed to question what he told them.
3. What’s the most frightening moment you’ve experienced on the job?
Opening a checked bag one time was really scary. There was a PVC tube with what looked like lights and wires sticking out of it. Although it seemed like it was a pipe bomb at first, moving some clothes around showed that it was actually a prosthetic hand.
4. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve come across at a security check?
A private screening of a really heavy bag showed that two passengers were carrying six blocks of mixed metal, but that wasn’t all. The couple had a further four huge bags contain random pieces of gold, as well as another two bags containing human teeth. Apparently, they were in the business of buying teeth from a crematorium, melting out the fillings and selling off the resulting metal.
5. Do bad things happen to passengers that mean well?
A man once forgot his pistol in his bag and ended up going to jail for six months.
6. What’s the craziest thing that somebody has tried to take on a plane?
Someone once tried to board a plane when I was working with a bag full of fireworks.
7. Why does it seem like the rules change from one police officer to another?
The TSA has a standard operating procedure that is several hundred pages long. As a result, most officers haven’t actually read it and thus rely on the word of mouth. Individual restrictions make sense when taken alone, but they turn in to a mess to figure out when combined together. An example of this is that bowling balls are allowed on a plane because they’re not weapons, but bludgeoning items such as baseball bats or clubs aren’t because they can be used as weapons.
8. What’s the weirdest thing that you’ve ever found in someone’s luggage?
One of the officers once opened a bag that had a ton of maggots crawling around inside.
9. How would you change the TSA’s system if you had the power to do so?
One of the hallmarks of the TSA is attempting to solve existing problems by introducing new “stuff”. For instance, backscatter machines and puffers cost hundreds of millions of dollars, but didn’t last long at all. Instead of relying on and investing in technology so heavily, I would train TSA staff to be able to better detect warning signs of dangerous people, as well as pouring more money into law enforcement and intelligence.
10. What do passengers do that contributes to long lines at the airport?
Many passengers forget to take liquids and laptops out of their luggage, in spite of a whole raft of signs instructing them to do so. The thing is nobody’s paying attention when they’re making their way to a 6am flight while still half asleep…
11. What’s the silliest situation you’ve experienced while on duty?
Our explosive detection system started to go off when we were examining a particular passenger, meaning that he required additional screening. He ended up taking his pants off in front of everybody and yelling “is this good enough for you!?”
12. Is the belief within your organization that you’re actually helping, or is it just a job?
It’s definitely just a job for me. It’s hard to think that we’re providing “customer service”. A lot of the rules we have are actually a joke, and although some people feel more secure as a result of us being there following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, we have the worst reputation ever. Many people just see us as yet another obstacle to them getting to their flight.
13. What happens to all the liquids that get thrown away?
Well, they simply get thrown away in the garbage. This is because no-one is allowed to keep them on the basis that they may or may not be explosives. I’ve had to throw out some extremely good alcohol before, and it made me cry a little inside…
14. Can TSA agents place someone in custody?
The answer is no, we can’t, but we can hold someone until the proper authorities show up to deal with them.
