*** Update - 12/6/2012 ***
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Here we go again… TSA seems to be a frequent and a convenient subject on Amy Alkon's blog. The writer’s language characterization towards TSA and our employees is offensive to say the least. Name calling, insults, the whole gamut...
Many of our readers have asked if our officers are required to
give their full name when asked by a passenger. Hopefully I can provide some
clarification.
If asked, our officers are only required to provide their last name and
rank. This information is printed on the nameplate on every officer’s uniform.
Furthermore, supervisors, managers, and customer support managers are not
required to provide the officer’s full name.
As far as the photo ID badge on the officer’s uniform, this is a badge
that all airport employees must wear. It’s called a Security Identification
Display Area (SIDA) badge. Basically, it’s a badge that allows employees access
to non-public areas. One side of the badge has the employee’s full name on it.
Many officers choose to wear their SIDA badges so their full name is not visible. vs. a name badge. This is
permissible.
If at any time you need to file a kudos or complaint regarding one of
our officers, the only information you need for us to be able to recognize an
employee or resolve an issue is:
Last Name/Rank/Date/Time/Location
Our officers have a right to privacy, and TSA has the responsibility of
protecting our officers from the harassment that could result from revealing
their full names.
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Here we go again… TSA seems to be a frequent and a convenient subject on Amy Alkon's blog. The writer’s language characterization towards TSA and our employees is offensive to say the least. Name calling, insults, the whole gamut...
In her latest screening incident, she’s angry because a
supervisor wouldn’t give her the name of an officer who had just screened her.
An officer who – by the way - by all accounts other than Ms. Alkon’s, did her job by the book. It is more likely that she
wanted this information so she could post the officer’s name on her blog as
she’s done before with other incidents. In fact, she named and publicly accused
one of our officers of rape after a routine pat-down in an earlier allegation.
Ms. Alkon says all sorts of things in this post, but what
Ms. Alkon doesn’t tell you is that from the moment she entered our checkpoint,
she began making statements such as “TSA gets paid to molest passengers and
touch their private areas.” Does that sound like somebody who wants to get
through the checkpoint smoothly? No, it sounds like somebody who makes a living
by agitating situations and writing about them.
Also missing in the details, Ms. Alkon wasn’t selected for a
pat-down as she states in this post. She opted out of advanced imaging
technology (body scanner). It’s acceptable to opt out, but the standard
protocol when a passenger opts out is that they receive a pat-down not a free pass through security. If you read
Amy’s comments, she knows this. As Ms. Alkon continued to make a scene,
the checkpoint supervisor stated he would have to call airport police if she
did not cooperate with the screening process.
We understand that not everybody likes or agrees with TSA’s
policies and procedures. Part of what makes this country great is that we can
openly complain on blogs such as this one, but I think it’s only fair that the
blogger in question should be fair and accurate about what they write about and
also consider the privacy of the individuals involved. After all, these
individuals are doing the job the way they’ve been trained to do it. They show
up to work daily with the intent of protecting our Nation’s transportation
network.
I can assure you of one thing, an infinitesimal number of
our employees know of Ms. Alkon. I can also assure you that reoccurring
allegations like hers seem to be more self perpetuated rather than based upon
reality and do nothing but detract from the mission at hand.
If you have a
travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can
contact us by clicking here.
