Following is a letter I am sending to the TSA. Not that it will do any good but I hate it when people piss on my leg and tell me it is raining, or tell me how they are "required by law" to violate my privacy, etc. I made a trip to XXXXX XXXXXXX earlier this month and when I got back to Atlanta to collect my checked luggage to go through customs I found that every lock I had on two checked bags had been broken. Not only that, one of the zippers on my leather bag was torn up and there was nothing wrong with it when I packed it. When I got home I found one of your notices in it telling me how your outfit was required by law to "inspect all checked baggage." I thought that was strange because I saw a lot of bags come in with locks on them that hadn't been destroyed.
Further, when I got home and unpacked my bags I found that there were some items missing. So in addition to destroying my property, one or more of your agents either stole part of my stuff or were incompetent to repack the bag. I am not sure which but it had to be one of the two.
I don't know if all the TSA agents I have had the misfortune to meet are representative of the whole group but of the ones I have met the only adjectives I can think of to describe them are rude, haughty, arrogant and in need of an attitude adjustment. The fact is that no one was required to break my locks and steal my stuff--I had a key for every lock and even though my stuff is none of your business I could have opened it. Obviously you never found anything illegal and the fact that your dogs and x-rays and whatever other machines you have didn't find anything should have given whoever broke into my bags and ruined my best leather bag a clue that there was nothing in them that should not have been.
So, having said that I think you should change your notice. Something along the following lines would be more truthful than the notice you are using now.
NOTICE OF BAGGAGE VANDALISM AND THEFT
Even though we have dogs and x-ray machines to check baggage for prohibited items and other machines to "sniff" for chemical residues from different types of bombs, we are a nosy bunch and sometimes think that we should rummage around in other people's stuff. We claim that when we complete the "inspection" that we have returned your contents to your bag. Sometimes we do and sometimes we don't. If one of our agents sees something he (or she) likes you can kiss that item goodbye. And if said agent is incompetent to repack all your stuff he (or she) will just leave some of it out. And even though we could sue you if you broke into our house and took our stuff you can't do anything about it. Our fellow criminals in Congress haved written the statutes in such a way that we can't be prosecuted for our crimes against you and your fellow serfs. We claim that we regret having to break your locks but then we have lied about other things too. We know that we don't have to break anyone's locks, that everyone who has locked their luggage had keys for the locks. But it is quicker and easier to just break your locks to satisfy our curiosity. If you don't like it that's tough but there is nothing you can do about it.
Here is what their "notice" actually says (for anyone who cares):
Transportation Security Administration
NOTICE OF BAGGAGE INSPECTION
To protect you and your fellow passengers, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is required by law* to inspect all checked baggage. As part of this process, some bags are opened and physically inspected. Your bag was among those selected for physical inspection.
During the inspection, your bag and its contents mkay have been searched for prohibited items. At the completion of the inspection, the contents were returned to your bag.
If the TSA security officer was unable to open your bag for inspection because it was locked, the officer may have been forced to break the locks on your bag. TSA sincerely regrets having to do this, however TSA is not liable for damage to your locks resulting from this necessary security precaution.
For packing tips and suggestions on how to secure your baggage during your next trip, please visit: www.tsa.gov
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation. If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact the TSA Contact Center.
Phone: 866.289.9673 (toll free)
Email: TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov
*Section 110(b) of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001, 49 U.S.C. 44901(c)-(e)
