It’s like firing your security guard for theft. But that’s just what the Transportation Security Administration had to do.
Since it was created in 2001, the TSA has fired about 200 employees accused of stealing from air travelers’ luggage.
(Under the Wished We Thought of That category, Tribune Media Services writer Christopher Elliott wonders whether TSA stands for “Taking Something Always.)
The TSA says it has taken steps to discourage workers from helping themselves: background checks on new hires, video cameras in screening areas and rules forbidding employee backpacks or lunchboxes at checkpoints.
The agency says the problem isn’t widespread. It further ensures that TSA aggressively investigates all allegations of misconduct.
But for anyone traveling for business or pleasure this summer, there’s this piece of advice: Don’t pack anything valuable in your checked-in luggage. Better yet: Don’t take valuables on vacation, period.
