http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/no-charges-denver-tsa-screeners-accused-groping-attractive-men-n388221/

No charges will be filed against two Denver airport security screeners who were fired in April for allegedly conspiring to fondle attractive male passengers, prosecutors said.

The Transportation Security Administration screeners, a man and a woman, were dismissed after a six-month investigation by the TSA, which notified Denver police in March. But the Denver district attorney's office said Monday that prosecutors were unable to corroborate the claims or to prove that one of the screeners was actually working at Denver International Airport on the dates of alleged incidents.

Transportation Security Agency workers carry out security checks at Denver International Airport in 2010. RICK WILKING / Reuters file

Prosecutors told The Denver Post on Tuesday that some of the allegations were also outside the statute of limitations.

According to a police report, the male screener would give a signal to the female screener when a male passenger arrived whom he thought was attractive. She would then falsely enter the sex of the passenger as female, so the machine would report an anomaly that triggered a patdown of the passenger's groin, police said.

The woman told TSA investigators that she did this for the other officer at least 10 times, according to the police report.

"These alleged acts are egregious and intolerable," the TSA said in a statement in April. "TSA has removed two officers from the agency."

M. Alex Johnson

http://www.jamestownsun.com/opinion/editorials/3781729-lack-humor-tsa/

A lack of humor at TSA
By The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead Today at 6:58 a.m.

Complaints about the behavior of Transportation Security Administration airport personnel are routine across the nation. No one likes being in a situation, however necessary, where uniformed officers probe your person, your belongings and your identity. It can be humiliating. It need not be.

That's the problem with the TSA at airport security gates. Most Americans understand and accept the need for ramped up air travel security post 9/11. But as The Forum's Monday investigative report by Archie Ingersoll suggests, the complaints and irritations are not about security but rather about the manner in which TSA officers treat airline passengers. The substance of and need for TSA's work are not in question. The attitude of some officers — certainly not all — is a problem that demands attention.


One wag suggested TSA people need personality transplants. Another pundit suggested they be screened for personality traits (in much the same way the TSA screens luggage) that guarantee offensive behavior on the job.

Maybe that's done already as part of TSA training. If so, it's failing. Travelers' complaints about TSA attitudes range from surly to rude, from disdainful to officious, from insulting to mean. In some instances, it might be necessary for an officer to be firm and direct. Air travelers, after all, can be angry, impatient and abusive. But passengers are customers who pay a lot for airline tickets. They deserve consideration. TSA personnel are public servants. They should understand they are interacting with airline customers who are trapped in a restrictive and often uncomfortable security system.


Of the tens of thousands of air travelers who go through Fargo's Hector International Airport every year, complaints about the TSA are very few. But, for every formal complaint filed with the agency, there are many, many more that are not filed. Know anyone who hasn't got a TSA story to tell?

A suggestion: TSA might want to get more serious about customer service training. The best retail businesses are best at customer service. Take Scheels, for example. The Fargo-based sporting goods retailer has raised customer service to an art form. No one does it better with highly trained and knowledgeable personnel in stores in several states. Or how about the Starbucks model? The baristas are sunny, know their stuff and treat their morning coffee drinkers with exceptional grace and style?


Of course, protecting the air travel system from terrorists is not the same as peddling fishing gear or double lattes. But would it undermine TSA's vital purpose to smile a little? Maybe replace sullen officiousness with a palpable sense of motivated public service? Maybe routine politeness instead of a brusque order? Worth a try.

13 hours ago, Congresswoman Wants Answers Jacksonville Florida - Barbara Comstock

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/story/news/local/consumer/on-your-side/2015/07/08/congresswoman-wants-answers-after-investigators-story-on-tsa/29876235/

ON YOUR SIDE
Congresswoman calls for answers in wake of complaints

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A Virginia lawmaker is asking for answers after a USA TODAY series uncovered data showing hundreds of airline passengers filed claims saying the Transportation Security Administration took things from their luggage.

Congresswoman Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) wrote this letter to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary saying she was disturbed by the report and that passengers must have confidence in airport security.

First Coast News
Luggage at Jacksonville International Airport
"These numbers represent thousands of additional complaints regarding broken, lost, or stolen luggage or items as well as $3 million in compensation to affected individuals and families," she said.

Passengers Claim TSA Lost or Stole Valuables in Luggage

The data, released by the TSA, showed almost 200 claims filed at JIA over the last five years.
Passengers claim things like electronics and jewelry were stolen while their bags were in the TSA's care.
The director of security at the airport told First Coast News he wasn't aware of any incidents. He also reminded us that both the TSA and airline employees handle baggage.
"It's really describing what you all found in your report," Comstock told our news partners WUSA in Washington, D.C.
Along with claims in Jacksonville, Orlando and Miami International had some of the highest complaint rates in the country.