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The city's overall budget cuts are apparently hitting the NYPD right in the subway bag check area. MyFoxNY reports that with few police officers available, "Transportation Security Administration bag screeners from Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty airports will be replacing most NYPD cops in the subway that screen bags for explosives." The TSA wouldn't confirm the plan (but did say taking TSA screeners from airports and putting them underground wouldn't effect air safety) and the NYPD says these are just talks. However, sources tell MyFoxNY it's likely to happen—and it'll work this way: "About 30 TSA screeners a day will be pulled from the three area airports Monday through Friday to inspect bags at various subway locations throughout the city. At each location they'll be teamed up with one police officer instead of the two or three officers you currently see at inspection sites." Naturally, the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association says this is a terrible idea and says budget crisis or no, the NYPD needs more cops.
Report: TSA To Take Over Subway Bag Check From NYPD
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For once I actually agree with the Patrolman's Benevolent Association! I get enough molesting from those TSA asswipes when I go to the airport, thank you very much!
This had better be a joke. TSA are scum. I have reservations about a cop checking my belongings, but for a TSA employee I definitely WILL exit the subway and walk to the next one.
Thanks MarcusManlius... I see exactly what you mean... the checkpoints are a joke and if I want to go into the station without being harrassed, I can just exit the station and walk to the next one, which is surely not going to be more than a few blocks away anyway. Exit and go to the next trainstation... oh shit, if you and I can figure that out, and we ARE NOT looking to bring illegal explosives into the subway, wouldn't it make sense that terrorists would figure that one out as well and simply walk a few blocks to the next station in order to carry out their twisted and demented plans? These checkpoints are a joke!!!
Plan to arrive at your departure subway station 2 hours in advance to allow for delays at security.
Does this mean I need to use my "TSA Approved Locks" on my Bag???
What a marvelous idea, put security guards in place of real cops...
didn't they get the memo? TSA agents never find anything. they're high school dropouts with no training and serious attitudes.
so are the nypd
well played, sir.
So now I'm limited to 2 oz. of toothpaste on the subway?
Damn. I wish I thought of that...
;)
I for one will not be taking my shoes off in the subway.
OUTSTANDING! now there will someone to arbitrarily decide what can/can't be brought on subway.
TSA and the MTA can go fuck themselves. These bag screening checkpoints are a farce. Cops are chuckling amongst themselves and leering at women-have they actually found one fucking thing that could have prevented a disaster on the subway? I would rather see the police in the actual cars-preventing people from being harassed by very aggressive panhandlers and filthy shit stained bums...
Yeah yeah, oh Yeah, TSA are scum blah blah TSA are asswipes blah blah, oh yeah, HEY, I KNOW, let's just not have any security checkpoints at the airport AT ALL??? Would all you fucktard Gothamist commenters like that? NO MORE CHECKPOINTS, just walk on the flights, no bag checks, no X-Rays NOTHING, just like it was in the 1960's.
Seeing as they have never prevented a terrorist incident and are an amazing nuisance, yes I would like that.
A nuisance? Because you feel inconvenienced by being check out at the airport? I got news for you, no one gives a shit if you feel inconvenienced.
way to skim fucktard.
instead of three officers, there will now be one PLUS two TSA.
We're not complaining because we want "zero" security. We're simply saying that calling on the TSA for help isn't exactly unleashing the big guns. We (I) also anticipate that they will be less effective/efficient than the NYPD.
I'm talking about the general asinine attitude towards TSA checkpoints in general. Things like "TSA are asswipes" and "TSA Molested me"
No one actually said any of that. One person called TSA "scum". The rest of the comments are mildly comical.
Relax, man. It's ok. Welcome to gothamist :)
"nicemarmot" did.
So in other words, you're whining about my comment without having the balls to reply directly? Some set of balls you have there sir.
And come back and talk to me when you fly all the time and have been a. touched inappropriately by the TSA, b. had things stolen from you by the TSA, and c. been pulled off your flight by them because you accidentally left an old mascara at the bottom of your purse.
Poor baby, you're such a crying little bitch.
I want you two to meet in Bryant park at exactly noon, shake hands and move on. Go on now!
oh and bring pudding. lots of pudding.
Hi GoToHell...
I need to reply to you simply because your argument makes no sense at all. I for one HATE the fact that I have to be subjected to ridiculous searches conducted by the TSA when I go to visit my brother in Florida. I am sick of those people... BUT I do feel a little safer (.000000000000005%) because of the searches they are conducting at our airports. The difference between those searches and the searches at the MTA is simple... at the airport you have only one way... one gate to enter the airplane through. I can't avoid the TSA search by simply exiting the airport and moving on to another airport or another gate. With the Subway system buddy, if I have a BOMB (oooohhhh scary idea) and I want to set it off in the very busy Time Square train station, and I see that there are cops... or soon to be TSA (lmfao) staff searching bags, I'll simply exit that train station, walk my ass over to another train station just a few blocks away, enter the system through that station, take the train back to Time Square, exit the train, walk onto the platform or whatever my original intended detination spot was at, and set off the damn thing!!! So please, when you compare the TSA searches conducted at airports with the NYPD/TSA searches conducted at MTA Train Stations, you are comparing apples to fish (not even in the same food group buddy). OH, and if TSA is so effective with their airport searches, then why is it that on a flight back from Florida I saw a young man get his toothpaste confiscated, only to witness the same guy pull out two small, live lizards from a small plastic bag which he had taped onto his left leg? Those things carry diseases, one being salmonella. Don't believe this... well GoToHell... I back my shit up with actual facts... go to http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/salmonella_questions_&_answers/index.asp and you will find a sentence that reads "Reptiles are particularly likely to harbor Salmonella. People should always wash their hands immediately after handling a reptile, even if the reptile is healthy." Those at high risk of facing deadly consequences from a salmonella infection? infants. Who was sitting next to the reptile carrying dude? A woman holding a tiny, beautiful baby girl who could not be over three months old. Go TSA... lmfao!!!
Sorry if I wrote too much for you to follow GoToHell. I just wanted to give you something to think about.
I just want policies that aren't bullshit. How's that GoToHell?
Crazy idea-- we could stop illegally searching people in the subway system. That would save some money...
Yes, these subway checks are a joke. If you were a terrorist and saw the check, wouldn't you just turn around and exit the station, getting on at a different stop? And TSA is even more of a joke than that.
You don't even need to turn around immediately. Unless they change the rules, which I doubt they will since they'd be begging for lawsuits, you can walk right in. If they ask to check your bag, then you can refuse, turn around and walk out and there's nothing they can do to you according to their policy.
Or, if you were a suicide bomber, you could simply take that as the opportunity to detonate. How many bomb vests have gone off at checkpoints in Iraq?
oh, and the creation of the TSA is like shutting the barn door after the horse is gone. textbook.
I think I recall reading that the MTA actually pays the NYPD to perform these searches, can someone confirm that? If that's the case, I presume this would be done not because the NYPD is broke, but because the MTA is broke, and TSA would be able to undercut the price quite a bit since their employees are paid less.
I would not trust the TSA to find the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop, even given unlimited licks and assistance from Mr. Owl.
Wouldn't that violate the Posse Comitatus Act? Uniformed federal agents performing a local police function?
Nope. The Posse Comitatus Act applies only to the "federal unformed services," which is defined in US Code as the armed forces plus the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service and of NOAA.
Fuck the TSA. I will also walk to the next station. Fuckin retard dropouts are too dumb to be lookin through my shit.
Next thing you know they want to look in your anus.
So, the NYPD is needed for actual policing that is effective and needed, and is therefore being pulled from subway bag duty. Did I get that right?
I rarely see the subway bag checkpoints, and I have certainly never seen them looking through anyone's bag. Why are they there again?
I've passed them a couple of times at one station. Same thing both times: they were chatting amongst themselves, and I just walked briskly past, swiped my card, and went through.
I rarely see the subway bag checkpoints, and I have certainly never seen them looking through anyone's bag. Why are they there again?
I see them often at the Columbus Circle stop.
AM rush hour. but then there's quite a few cops there anyway stopping people, folding table or no folding table.
The polite thing to do is leave all your explosives and detonators at home when you travel, even on the subway.
I got stopped one morning while I was late for an 8AM meeting.
It was around 7:30 and I was looking stressed and rushed, so it's no wonder they pulled me aside. They didn't even open my bag, just swiped the straps and ran the swab through a machine. The entire ordeal took MAYBE 20 seconds, and they were pretty nice about it.
then you aren't black.
I rather have a more competent NYPD officer do this than some mouth breather federal employee who couldn't get a job as a mall security guard.
Arrogant asshole. Got a beef with federal employees? Register as a Republican why don't you, and start voting accordingly. They would like to see as little federal employees in this country as possible.
"Arrogant asshole"?
Dude! Your nom de guerre is "GoToHell" and Toby is Arrogant?
C'mon...
there is no sense in checking bags, it is only used to keep the masses in fear so they obey the man Bloomberg. We have no real security, look at the recent low-flying plane,.again this city was caught unprepared and non-responsive. Bloomberg received the memo about the flight but he states he people didn't advice him of it. So even if someone send an alert to the city, it will be ignored and we will be bombed anyhow. so let gain back our freedom at least.
effect / affect
"...wouldn't affect air safety" rather than "effect"
This is about the federal government spreading its ever growing tentacles into the lives of ordinary people.
They don't give a rat's ass about stopping a subway attack. They just like poking their noses into your stuff at every opportunity.
I am a little older than many, younger than some, and have to speak my mind regarding the TSA (Too Stupid for Assignment) personnel manning checkpoints on train and subway station terminals is even more frightening than the prospect of them working our nation's airports. If you have ever had even the most brief contact with these people it becomes evident that they are (by and large) a lazy, pretentious, overbearing, and completely unqualified for the posts to which they are assigned. Statistically (they hate to see this figure) over 69% of these TSA baggage inspectors has less than a High School eduction. The same statistics show that nearly 26% of them have a High School Diploma (which doesn't mean much these days). This brings us to 95%. The other 5% are amazing. They break down with less than 2% having a University Degree and the others having vocational or community college education of unspecified duration. I find this more than a little frightening. Granted, the loss of my freedom to travel unmolested has been a major imposition rather than a mere inconvenience, and the degree of improvement of safety is infinitisimally small. Is it worth it? Hell No!