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TSA Screeners Issued Police-Style Badges

By Robert Paul Reyes

"Screeners at the nation's airport checkpoints are going to start wearing police-style badges - but real officers aren't too happy about it.

Some sworn officers fear airline passengers will mistake screeners for law-enforcement officials with arrest powers.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is starting to equip its 48,000 screeners with 3-inch-by-2-inch, silver-colored, copper and zinc badges that will be worn on new royal-blue police-style shirts.

The attire aims to convey an image of authority to passengers, who have harassed, pushed and in a few instances punched screeners. 'Some of our officers aren't respected,' TSA spokeswoman Ellen Howe said.'"

Quotation from USA Today

We've all witnessed TSA screeners roughly pat-down passengers, issuing them a badge will only serve to further embolden them. That's just marvelous, before we can board a plane a Barney Fife wannabe will don latex gloves and search our body orifices for nail clippers and the missing weapons of mass destruction.

It's the professional and courteous demeanor exhibited by most law enforcement officials that conveys an image of authority, issuing badges to rude and poorly trained screeners will succeed only in making them objects of ridicule and scorn.

The airport officers have a genuine complaint, the results can be disastrous if in an emergency passengers mistake a screener for a law-enforcement official.

Instead of wearing a badge screeners should don Mickey Mouse hats to distinguish them from the real cops.

"Airport screeners will get badges after finishing a two-day training program covering issues related to badges as well as how to talk to passengers in a calming manner."

Quotation from USA Today

The first day will be devoted to teaching the screeners how to pin the badges on their shirts without stabbing themselves. (joke)

I'm glad this Web site doesn't publish my photograph, after writing this article I might be singled out for a full body cavity search every time I fly.

Robert Paul Reyes is a NewsBlaze writer on Politics, Pop Culture and Pointless Pontificating. Contact him by writing to NewsBlaze.