TSA officer responds
Last week, I did a story about TSA uniforms left unsecured at O'Hare Airport http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/893261,CST-NWS-tsa14.article
One of the responses we got was from a TSA officer, who didn't want to be identified. Here it is:
Ms. Wisniewski I just wanted to offer you a suggestion and I don't know if it has been purposed or thought up on a local level but it would be nice if a sun-times reporter or a local media reporter went undercover as a screener at either Midway or O'Hare to see what really happens and how we as screeners get treated by the general flying public. I know this has been done a couple of times in other markets but, it would be nice to see this happen here locally in Chicago. As for your article regarding the breaches at O'Hare I just wanted to tell you that at Midway Airport where I am a screener the change box for instance is and has been located at our Supervisors podium at the checkpoint so no passengers have access to it. Regarding Mary Schiavo's comment about screeners being just waved through security that also is untrue as we have to swipe our airport id to allow us access to the checkpoint and our breakroom. At that screening location not only do we have to swipe in
but every employee at the airport has to swipe in as well. Also there is at least one TSA officer if not more present at that location along with a Dept. of Avation officer present as well. Once we want to gain access to the checkpoint we must then go through security screening before being allowed onto our lanes so Ms. Schiavo's comment is untrue! So if a person came into the airport with a TSA uniform they must show a valid airport i.d. and if they don't have one sorry no go. As for radios being left out I know at least at Midway our radios all have to be signed in/out and they all are stored in our managers office which is secured at all times. As you can see there were a few points in regards to Ms. Schiavo's comments that weren't true. It would be nice if before you print an article like this that you research a little better as appearently Ms. Schiavo does not have all her facts straight. I know that news sells and bad news in particular sells but I along w/
other fellow screeners would like to see a local reporter step in our shoes for a day or a week or whatever and show our perspective. We constantly hear the bad stuff about TSA for a change it would be nice to see the good side and it would also be nice for the flying public to see how they act when they come through the airport. Thank you for your time in reading my response and I hope to hear back from you. I do have one request that if for any reason you chose to print any part of this article that you not use my name. Thanks.
