Posted on 08/14/2019 8:33:53 AM PDT by BigKahuna
In March 2019, the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general found that the Transportation Security Administration was taking far too long to hire its security screeners. On average, TSA takes 252 days to hire screeners, who are frontline employees vital to the agency's mission. In private industry, it usually only takes from a few days to four months to hire a new employee, according to the Workable human resources website.
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Given the role played by its security screeners it's, of course, essential that TSA work toward hiring only the most capable, most qualified candidates. However, by any reasonable standard, taking more than eight months to bring on a new TSO is unacceptable.
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When it comes to TSA's hiring practices, the IG found that the security agency fails to adequately evaluate applicants for their capabilities as well as their compatibility. In short, is a TSO candidate capable of handling the job and will he or she "get along" in the agency after hiring?
The IG report went on to state that TSA also "may be making uninformed hiring decisions," which should be worrying to everyone. As noted in the document, TSA is also making poor hiring decisions. Such steps are being driven in part by inadequate applicant information and a lack of formally documented guidance on ranking potential new hires. The inspector general found that, as a result, TSA wasn't always selecting the most highly qualified individuals as TSOs.
What the above means is it appears, rightly or wrongly, that TSA is often winging it when it comes to initial applicant screening, interviewing, and then hiring. No wonder, then, that issues with training and retention seem so commonplace at the agency.
(Excerpt) Read more at h4-solutions.com ...
Sounds like a mess over there at TSA. And I followed the link to that DHS IG report. From Day 1 to the computer test was 56 days.
From the computer test it was another 82 days just to get to the "airport assessment" (assuming you make it past that test). Really, TSA?
If you get past that airport size-up thing, you have to cool your heels for 40 more days for the medical evaluation. Yeesh.
After the physical exam, the "background check" takes about 17 days. I looked into that background check thing TSA does. It's not a security clearance-level look-see, apparently.
Then there's some sort of placement into what TSA calls its "ready pool." I guess applicants cool their heels some more. Then there's another 43 days of certification (I don't know if it involves the Georgia training center course or if it's just at the local airport).
After that, there's a final 11 days of waiting for job offer acceptance.
Jeez... no wonder they get the people they do. Most of the good ones die of old age before they're hired. ;-)
And no English comprehension exam either - you should hear how some of them talk.
In Atlanta they are mostly black...
I'm far less worried about the grandma carrying knitting needles or an extra ounce of hair conditioner in her carry-on than the loser who recently converted to Islam and wants to kill me and my fellow passengers.
But ask yourself which one is more likely to be intercepted by TSA and you have your real measure of what the agency is really worth.
Most of them, from what I’ve seen, are infected with “guv’mint bureaucrat” disease. Lots of little Hitlers and Bonapartes, all throwing their weight around. You see it at the DMV and the Post Office, sometimes. Pretty much at any government level, sad to say.
Give a person a badge .... I love playing with them ‘cuz they can’t do anything to me.
“I’m far less worried about the grandma carrying knitting needles or an extra ounce of hair conditioner in her carry-on than the loser who recently converted to Islam and wants to kill me and my fellow passengers.
But ask yourself which one is more likely to be intercepted by TSA and you have your real measure of what the agency is really worth.”
A couple years ago, I think it was GAO inspectors that successfully snuck fake guns, knives and explosives through TSA checkpoints at Mini-Hopeless (Minneapolis) on something like 13 out of 15 attempts. That’s crazy.
Part of it is that hiring the most qualified candidate is NOT a part of the system.
“Give a person a badge .... I love playing with them ‘cuz they can’t do anything to me.”
Yeah, a lot of them let their title (”Transportation Security Officer”) go to their head.
A lot of police, especially the airport cops, get heartburn over that “officer” thing. They’re sworn law enforcement officers, and the TSA screeners most definitely aren’t.
Leaving Orlando one time this kid behind me (maybe six) had some Disneyland stuff with him the TSA jerk would let pass. He really was upset and crying and the dad was arguing with the TSA agent about some plastic things that looked like a gun and a pirate sword (plastic) about a foot long. I grabbed the stuff and put them in my protected flight bag and told the TSA guy to have a nice day. In the terminal I gave the stuff back to the kid and then took him to the flight deck to show him around.
Back in April, I traveled to Honolulu. Spent a couple days and then fly to Kona. Going through security at Honolulu took almost an hour. They stated this is because of the amount of inter island flights. This was a daily occurrence. To me, it seemed like they just did not have enough TSA agents to screen the people.
Aren't you worried she'll knit an Afghan?
No pic of Biden trying out to be a TSA screener. I am disappointed.
I applied to an inner city police department once and went through all of the hoops. My buddy incidentally was doing the same and had applied months earlier. He had a Criminal Justice Degree and I had my military background. Long story short,neither one of us were hired. ALL of the hires were quota hires or typical nepotism. We found this by inside knowledge. No need to describe our demographic identifier.
If I’m getting a pat down, I always ask “You aren’t gay are you?”
Usually met with an indignant “No.”
“That’s too bad, at least one of us should enjoy this...”
I assume you resisted the temptation to ask him if he liked gladiator movies...
Him who? TSA or the kid?
LOL! They still allowed you to make your flight on time after that one?
For some reason they single me out for a groping. The last time I said enough. I quit flying. I can drive anywhere I want (except Hawaii) it just takes longer.
From my experience as being hired by TSA back in 2002(which I passed on and took a management job in private sector) from initial call to my home to testing and all that entails took like 30 days....but I will say this, for a supervisor position.....they were persistent to make me work there by calling me every day.
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