TSA still fibbing about complaints

It's called juking the stats. Police departments do it all the time. "The Wire" (best thing on TV, ever) depicted this well.

 

I believe 2004 was the year TSA first tried patdowns. They were usually not as invasive as the ones now, but they occasionally rose to that level. Kids were being patted down as well. It was also the year of aggressive wanding. There were a huge number of complaints and the TSA eventually backed down.

Not sure why they think 2004 was the 'high point' for complaints - it seems like this year would be the high point.

 

With0ut independent confirmation I don't believe complaints have gone down.

 

And I'm sure that anything that could confirm it either way is "SSI."

 

Well rule # 1. TSA Lies.

 

Touche.

 

I got this reply to my nasty gram to Bloomberg. To their credit, they responded.

TSA received 1,775 total complaints in June 2011 (all categories combined, including screening and baggage damage claims), compared with 1,903 in June 2010, according to numbers reported by the Department of Homeland Security to the Department of Transportation. I cannot speak for where the WSJ got its numbers. Ours are a matter of public record, available each month on DOT's web site.

There are several ways in which the complaints can be analyzed, but even you combine multiple categories that might fit a layman's definition of screening, the numbers are lower this year than in 2010.

We certainly understand that DOT numbers go against conventional belief, which is precisely the aim of our BGOV Barometer feature. The feature was not intended to be an examination of TSA's methods and problems, which we have covered critically and extensively, nor to question the veracity of particular anecdotes.

 

Well, at least they replied.

But in the same breathe I could also put up my own blog and throw up any random number I want to also...
How do I back it up?

 

Ah, yeah, I think I see what happened. Those folks at DHS get real confused any time numbers are involved.

 

My beef with Bloomberg is that they didn't challenge the numbers. They readily accept and report the stats coming from the agency with a vested interested in under reporting the number in the first place. Then he has the audacity to say that these are "factual". Woodward and Bernstein this ain't.

 

Ok, so if I understand this correctly, they got their numbers from the T&A...
That explains it!! ...because we all know if an airline passenger complains about T&A security procedures being too intensive and/or intrusive, but the T&A feels like their screeners followed SOP to the letter, it really isn't a complaint, now, is it? (AKA, The security world according to the T&A :sigh:!!)

 

Fisher1949, glad you got a response from Bloomberg. I didn't, though I suppose there's still time.