TSA Weekly, March 23-27, 2009
A Message from Gale
‘Embedding Collaboration and Transparency Into Our Culture’
Egbert Haynes (standing), LTSO at John F. Kennedy International Airport (Jamaica, N.Y.), facilitates a NAC working group at headquarters. Photo by Brigitte Dittberner
If you were to ask me to identify two aspects of our culture that are critical to our ability to carry out our mission, I would choose collaboration and transparency.
Collaboration occurs daily at TSA – within and between offices, programs and work groups across TSA; with our partners and stakeholders; state, local and federal governments; and the traveling public. As a result, we have been able to implement and expand our layered security approach, integrate the expertise of law enforcement and the Federal Air Marshal Service, gather and push out Intel, implement new security programs and protocols, and expand from a focus on aviation security to one that includes transportation security in all modes of transportation – all while building the infrastructure to sustain the continuous growth and maturity of TSA.
Collaboration starts with the Senior Leadership Team meeting weekly to make high-level decisions with cross-cutting impact and continues through the work of headquarters Integrated Process Teams (IPTs), councils such as the FSD Council, the Deputies Council and the National Advisory Council (NAC), ad-hoc committees and OLE/FAMS working groups, to name a few. In the field, Employee Advisory Councils collaborate to improve local work environments, operations and team spirit. Every week there are numerous conference calls between employees at headquarters and the field to share information and to collaborate on various projects and initiatives.
In order to truly be collaborative, we have to be transparent. This means sharing information – both internally and externally – that includes the “why” of what we do. Transparency builds trust and strengthens collaborative relationships.
It is our goal not to just talk the talk, but to walk the walk. Only through increased efforts to be collaborative and transparent will we continue to: build trust between headquarters and the field; empower employees to drive the forward progress of TSA; enable stakeholders to participate in the process of developing security solutions; hold leadership accountable to create an environment where employee engagement and empowerment is supported; inform the public why we do what we do; create a strong and resilient system of security; enable the cultural transformation that continues to evolve and ultimately, successfully accomplish our mission.
One of the most visible examples of the success of collaboration and transparency is the NAC. Sixty-one current NAC members representing employees across TSA work tirelessly, in collaboration with headquarters Points of Contact (POCs), to develop and recommend to senior leadership solutions to issues of national concern. Through networking and candid dialogue with senior leadership – collaboration and transparency – the NAC has become a highly effective vehicle for understanding, education, improvement and change at TSA.
Keep reading TSA Weekly to learn about a new NAC outreach initiative. And continue to hold yourselves – and leadership – to a high standard of collaboration and transparency.
NAC Outreach – Networking and Interacting
Members to Make Airport Visits
By Ken Heistuman, executive vice-chair, National Advisory Council
Acting Administrator Gale Rossides (standing) addresses National Advisory Council members in the Town Hall at headquarters. Photo by Brigitte Dittberner
After months of preparation, the National Advisory Council (NAC) is ready to take outreach to the next level. With so many changes in recent years, the number of issues gaining national attention is growing. And as field employees become more engaged in processes and programs, more ideas and examples of ingenuity are generated. NAC’s upcoming outreach to airports, advanced at last week’s quarterly meeting at headquarters, is designed to increase awareness of how the group operates while sharing some of its successes and challenges.
Those visits, expected to start in mid-spring, will allow NAC members to connect with even more local councils and gain better insight into how they are working in the field.
Since early 2006 when the NAC’s original members began laying foundations for relaying workforce issues to senior leadership, there has been a need to broaden connections with employees. Twenty-seven NAC members who have been trained as presenters are excited about sharing historical accomplishments as well as its progress on current priorities ranging from pay for performance to technical training to SOPs. Most importantly, they aim to increase awareness and gain feedback while promoting field participation in improving TSA as an agency.
To prepare, a pilot visit was first held in Miami where there was simple, open dialogue between local leadership, officers of various ranks and NAC members. Without a formal presentation, participants had the opportunity to ask questions and speak openly about ongoing challenges the workforce faces and how they are addressed at local and national levels.
A few weeks later, the workgroup reconvened in Raleigh, N.C., to work with the ICMS Coordinators’ Field Support Network on improving visitation material, and a presentation was then given to TSA Raleigh.
This spring, NAC members will be deployed in pairs – one from management, one from uniformed ranks – for flexible presentations of about two hours that include time for questions; multiple presentations at an airport are possible. The NAC will work with FSDs to schedule and coordinate these local visits.
The visiting NAC teams will set a priority on sites that do not have NAC members or NAC alumni. FSDs will receive more information in the coming weeks. Employees are encouraged to remain engaged with their local employee councils and airport leadership for details about visits.
The NAC looks forward to rolling out this new initiative to increase communication and employee engagement on issues of importance to the workforce.
News
The Guardian, written and published by TSA employees at Florida’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and Key West international airports, is the first local newsletter to be featured on the iShare home page. Several characteristics make Volume III, Issue 2, stand out: The overall layout and design are easy to follow. Articles are relevant and timely to the workforce, promoting best practices and professionalism. Photos from team-building events use DHS colors (red, light blue and green) in a vibrant manner. Good use of graphics helps illustrate stories.
My Ah Ha! Moment: Is He Drunk, Is He a Threat?
By Tiffany Maglio-Jester, TSO, St. Louis International Airport
TSO Tiffany Maglio-Jester
Photo by Karen Knapik
As I was working the checkpoint during a busy holiday shift, I overheard other officers talking about whether to call law enforcement regarding a male passenger at the divestiture table.
My teammates told me the man was slurring his words, did not want to remove his shoes or belt, and was generally grumpy about the screening procedures. My gut told me we should wait. I asked the officers to delay notifying the LEO so I could engage the passenger.
I offered to help the man with his shoes and bags and, with my help, he was able to get through the walk-through metal detector. I continued engaging him as he re-assembled his belongings, and it was at this time that I learned he had cancer.
He had to have part of his tongue removed, which caused his slurred speech. He had recently learned the cancer had spread, and suspected this would be his last Christmas with his kids. He apologized for giving the other officers a hard time and thanked me for talking to him and helping him through the process.
While it is easy to make assumptions and escalate a situation, engaging him allowed me to create a calmer environment. I worked with my teammates and used tactical communications with the passenger. Doing these things led to an Ah Ha! moment for me. ENGAGE! principles assure a calm, secure checkpoint – but I have to apply them for that to work.
Evolution: In the FSD's Own Words
ENGAGE! and COACH! empowers TSA employees with the ability to see the importance of teamwork, self-respect and open communication. It provides a new TSO with the experience and combined wisdom of the entire team. Our efforts to continuously build a model workplace encourage the use of inclusion and respect. By building the strength and decision-making skills of a now-empowered team, our passengers will be confident that their traveling experience will be safe and secure. – Acting FSD Jim Lair, Reno/Tahoe International Airport.
Engage the Evolution team with your questions and suggestions at ENGAGEevolution@dhs.gov.
News
Rossides Calls Employees ‘Everyday Heroes’
By Jon Allen, Office of Strategic Communications/Public Affairs
TSO Torie South talks with Acting Administrator Gale Rossides. Joining them (from left), TSO Dorothy Smith; Supervisory TSO Marvin Manigault and Lead TSO Yvonne O’Neal. Photo by Jon Allen
Acting Administrator Gale Rossides conducted a town hall, participated in a shift brief, toured TSA operations and met with employees during a March 20 visit to the Raleigh-Durham (N.C.) International Airport.
About 40 employees, including TSOs and federal air marshals, attended a town hall where Rossides provided an update on agency activities and answered questions on a wide range of topics, including behavior detection training, technology roll-out and ENGAGE! and COACH! training.
“The reaction to ENGAGE! and COACH! has been so strong – it has reinvigorated everyone,” she said.
She toured TSA operations, including the checkpoint and baggage screening area in the new Terminal 2, and praised TSA employees as “everyday heroes.”
“You have such incredible skills, gut instincts and capabilities,” she said. “I will advise the new administrator to take the time to get to know the people of TSA – that’s what keeps me going.”
TSA Chicago Midway Combats Child Abductions
By John Devona, customer support and stakeholder manager, Chicago Midway Airport
TSO Raquel Castaneda takes a child’s fingerprint as part of the safety initiative.
Photo by Kimberly Hughes
TSA’s Safety Action Team at Chicago Midway recently visited the city’s John C. Dore Elementary School to help more than 500 students get fingerprinted and receive “KIDS” identification cards.
The Chicago Kids Identification System (KIDS), maintained by the city, is a computer system designed to help locate missing or abducted children by storing their digital pictures, fingerprints, and other information provided by parents. Database access is permitted only if the police or family report a child is missing. The information can be posted on the Internet and distributed to law enforcement and media.
Parents receive an ID card with their child's picture and fingerprint using new, inkless technology. The ID card includes a phone number to call after a child is reported missing. When activated, the system produces a document with the child's picture, biography and description.
The officers – Master BDO Barbara Gibbons and TSOs Marty Paxson, Raquel Castaneda, Jesse Ruiz and Kimberly Hughes – also spoke to the students about airport safety and security.
“It was not only fun, but also gave us a great feeling to know we helped these students stay safe,” said Hughes.
In Tribute
(Names of TSA employees and dates of death provided by the Office of Human Capital.)
Corey Pollock, TSO, John F. Kennedy International Airport (Jamaica, N.Y.), March 12, 2009
Marlane Walosin, TSO, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, March 5
Cassandra Webber, TSO, Port Columbus (Ohio) International Airport, March 1
Juliano Steel, Lead TSO, Norfolk (Va.) International Airport, Feb. 26
Keith Allard, TSO, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Feb. 18
Workforce on the Web
- Check out the new workforce story from Florida: Officer Finds Weapon in iPod Box
Kudos & Clips
Security Ops Over City Test for Transit Safety
By Rick Steelhammer, The Charleston Gazette, March 26, 2009
Passengers at Charleston's Yeager Airport on Wednesday may have noticed a pair of black helicopters flying low over the airport's perimeter, and an abundance of uniformed and plainclothes law enforcement officers in and around the terminal building. Read more.
Gun Program for Pilots Set for Expansion, Officials Insist
By Audrey Hudson, The Washington Times, March 24, 2009
The Obama administration has no plans to end a program that trains commercial airline pilots to carry guns and thwart terrorist attacks, and in fact is seeking to expand resources for oversight and training, government officials and pilots organizations say. Read more.
I left [Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks, Conn.] the first time on March 3 … Despite masses of delayed and re-routed passengers, all TSA officers were patient, calm and professional. This was the same when I returned on March 10 … Calm TSA agents get folks through security...
Janice Phillips, Columbus, Ohio, to Dan Lee, senior program analyst, Bradley International. March 13, 2009.
TSA Experience
TSO Joins Other ‘Real Men’ in Reading to Students
By Jon Allen, Office of Strategic Communications/Public Affairs
TSO Jessie Anthony reads to students. Photo by Montreal Coleman
Jessie Anthony, a TSO at Baton Rouge (La.) Metropolitan Airport, recently participated in “Real Men Read,” a literacy initiative sponsored by the East Baton Rouge Parish School System.
More than 300 men visited district schools one day last month to read to students. Anthony visited Greenbrier Elementary School and read the Dr. Seuss book, “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!”
“The book deals with making decisions and being self-confident so it was a good basis for a conversation with the students,” Anthony said. “The students had a lot of questions about TSA and the airport, too, and I was happy to answer those. I enjoyed their smiles and their enthusiasm.”
The initiative, started in Chicago, also gives men an opportunity to be positive role models.
E-mail your comments and suggestions.
Download Plug-in
Some of the links on this page require a plug-in to view them, which are available below.
