4 ms·

Sadly there isn't one good site running with this story so I am not sure how we get the facts in the case. It seems the one problem standing in the way of getti

Sadly there isn't one good site running with this story so I am not sure how we get the facts in the case. It seems the one problem standing in the way of getting the facts is the TSA itself; an agency whose screeners may soon be armed

nmc 12y ago
From ACLU⁰ staff attorney: "The TSA has insisted on keeping documents about SPOT secret" The problem here seems to be exactly that we do not "get the facts". The ACLU seems to have an idea of "how we get the facts", which is why they are suing. From the same page: "[This] Freedom of Information Act lawsuit is seeking records related to any scientific basis for the program, its effectiveness, and how much minorities are disproportionately singled out." 0: https://www.aclu.org/national-security/aclu-sues-tsa-records-discredited-behavior-detection-program https://www.aclu.org/national-security/aclu-sues-tsa-records...
briandear 12y ago
Armed screeners? That's ridiculous. I don't hear too many stories of shoot outs at the airport. The last thing we need is to turn TSA screeners into a police force. Customs agents are often armed, but they are trained law enforcement as opposed to the misfits making $10 per how searching for smuggled barbecue sauce in a carry on.
- josefresco 12y ago
  What about machetes and Molotov cocktails? http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/03/21/new-orleans-airport-attack-scene/25136201/ http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/03/21/new-orl... I don't think the TSA agents should be armed, but I'm sure everyone (even the TSA agents) were happy deputy Slyve was.
  - burger_moon 12y ago
    At every airport screening point I've been to there's always been at least 1 deputy there on post. I feel that is sufficient. The tsa screeners are not the kind of people I would trust with a firearm.
  - jacquesm 12y ago
    You can't really screen against crazy one-offs. This could happen again tomorrow and the rest of the days of the year without anybody being able to come up with a plan to effectively screen out people like that before they can do harm. The only way you can do that is by completely uprooting society. Any idiot can take a machete to the airport or a schoolyard or any other place where there are a lot of people and act out their ill fantasies. An airport is actually a really stupid choice exactly because there are a ton of armed officers floating around. Suicide-by-police officer is a pretty good description of acts like these.
  - Osiris 12y ago
    Except for the bystander and TSA agent that were shot by the officer. I actually find it irresponsible to fire a weapon in a crowded security line. Two innocent people were shot.
- DanBC 12y ago
  > I don't hear too many stories of shoot outs at the airport. Perhaps because they're security conscious zones and often have heavily armed officers present?
  - craigwblake 12y ago
    Or perhaps it's because shoot outs are extremely rare pretty much everywhere. Most of the places where shoot outs don't happen have little in the way of heavily armed officers or security consciousness.
- joshbuddy 12y ago
  Shootouts seem rare, but https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Los_Angeles_International_Airport_shooting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Los_Angeles_International...
otakucode 12y ago
How many facts do we really need? Number of terrorist attacks attempted: 0 Number of terrorist attacks prevented: 0 Number of 'suspected terrorists' screened by TSA: More than 0, with great probability they pick out more than 0 every single day at every single airport. Trying to stop terrorist attacks (at least in the US) is akin to trying to prevent a lottery winning. The statistics just don't work.

nmc 12y ago

From ACLU⁰ staff attorney: "The TSA has insisted on keeping documents about SPOT secret" The problem here seems to be exactly that we do not "get the facts". The ACLU seems to have an idea of "how we get the facts", which is why they are suing. From the same page: "[This] Freedom of Information Act lawsuit is seeking records related to any scientific basis for the program, its effectiveness, and how much minorities are disproportionately singled out." 0: https://www.aclu.org/national-security/aclu-sues-tsa-records-discredited-behavior-detection-program https://www.aclu.org/national-security/aclu-sues-tsa-records...

briandear 12y ago

Armed screeners? That's ridiculous. I don't hear too many stories of shoot outs at the airport. The last thing we need is to turn TSA screeners into a police force. Customs agents are often armed, but they are trained law enforcement as opposed to the misfits making $10 per how searching for smuggled barbecue sauce in a carry on.

josefresco 12y ago
What about machetes and Molotov cocktails? http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/03/21/new-orleans-airport-attack-scene/25136201/ http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/03/21/new-orl... I don't think the TSA agents should be armed, but I'm sure everyone (even the TSA agents) were happy deputy Slyve was.
- burger_moon 12y ago
  At every airport screening point I've been to there's always been at least 1 deputy there on post. I feel that is sufficient. The tsa screeners are not the kind of people I would trust with a firearm.
- jacquesm 12y ago
  You can't really screen against crazy one-offs. This could happen again tomorrow and the rest of the days of the year without anybody being able to come up with a plan to effectively screen out people like that before they can do harm. The only way you can do that is by completely uprooting society. Any idiot can take a machete to the airport or a schoolyard or any other place where there are a lot of people and act out their ill fantasies. An airport is actually a really stupid choice exactly because there are a ton of armed officers floating around. Suicide-by-police officer is a pretty good description of acts like these.
- Osiris 12y ago
  Except for the bystander and TSA agent that were shot by the officer. I actually find it irresponsible to fire a weapon in a crowded security line. Two innocent people were shot.
DanBC 12y ago
> I don't hear too many stories of shoot outs at the airport. Perhaps because they're security conscious zones and often have heavily armed officers present?
- craigwblake 12y ago
  Or perhaps it's because shoot outs are extremely rare pretty much everywhere. Most of the places where shoot outs don't happen have little in the way of heavily armed officers or security consciousness.
joshbuddy 12y ago
Shootouts seem rare, but https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Los_Angeles_International_Airport_shooting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Los_Angeles_International...

otakucode 12y ago

How many facts do we really need? Number of terrorist attacks attempted: 0 Number of terrorist attacks prevented: 0 Number of 'suspected terrorists' screened by TSA: More than 0, with great probability they pick out more than 0 every single day at every single airport. Trying to stop terrorist attacks (at least in the US) is akin to trying to prevent a lottery winning. The statistics just don't work.