Quote Originally Posted by John Jarosz View Post
That item about Netanyahu's security says it all about the TSA. You need not know anything else.

And I'm sure the US will reimburse them for the loss. Try getting that when your cameras are stolen the same way.
Please think about what you are saying. It does not say anything about the TSA with any certainty--the TSA is not the only organization that handles bags en-route. The baggage handlers for the airlines do all of the handling after the security inspection. And you do need to know much more before making such speculative accusations. One thing that is useful to know when assessing motives is who within the handling process has how much at stake, and what scrutiny are they subjected to.

TSA agents, as employees of the federal government, are risking a lot by stealing. They would be immediately fired, and would likely lose the government's contributions to their retirement systems, in addition to the loss of retirement health benefits. They would be debarred from future government service even as a contractor. Then they would be criminally prosecuted. It is very likely that in a high-profile case such as stealing weapons, their whole chain of command would be flushed, meaning that those people would end up being transferred to other jobs in other places and placed under closer scrutiny. I would be willing to bet that all TSA handling areas are under surveillance. There is a lot at stake for a government employee, and a lot of scrutiny. I would be willing to bet that ever TSA employee who came within 50 feet of Netanyahu's security guy's bag will be identified and questioned, if not investigated, including review of those surveillance recordings, if they exist.

Also, the TSA is part of the Department of Homeland Security, and the security check for their employees (like all government employees) includes a criminal background check with fingerprinting, done by the FBI. That's in addition to whatever DHS does because they are DHS. This process usually takes about 8 weeks for run-of-the-mill federal employees who have the minimum "public trust" clearance.

Baggage handlers for the airlines have not nearly so much at stake as employees, and their employers are not routinely and directly held accountable for damage to or loss from bags.

Another point is that baggage handlers perform 100% of the tasks related to routing bags to their destinations. If this bag was routed to the wrong destination, then it is an airline baggage handler (or gate agent) who made the mistake, not a TSA inspector. Once routed to the wrong destination, it is up the airlines to store the bag, and find it when it is reported missing. During that entire time, the bag is in the hands of airline baggage handlers, often after the bag has spun a few times around the wrong carousel at the wrong airport baggage claim area. During that time, it could have been opened and inspected by any member of the public.

The solution for musicians is equipment insurance with coverage for all losses. I have such insurance for my musical instruments, and it required supplying the insurance company with appraisals of the instruments to verify my ownership before the loss. They are covered against any damage or loss except rot and vermin. Considering the high likelihood of damage to large, fragile instruments such as tubas, the insurance is quite cheap, with about $40,000 in replacement-value coverage for less than a coupla hundred bucks a year. Tubas aren't necessarily all that desirable as items of theft, but that insurance can also be applied to far more attractive items at the same rates, including guitars and drums. A couple of my instruments are not replaceable, and it is an imperfect response to a deplorable situation, but it's better than kicking the dirt. Is such coverage available for photography equipment? I'm sure that it is, in a specially formulated inland marine policy.

Rick "injecting a little reality into speculative accusations" Denney