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 Linda Thomas
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SeaTac.jpg
The TSA has fired almost 400 employees for theft, with 12 being bounced from Seattle. (Linda Thomas photo)

Sea-Tac Airport is in the top 10 for thefts by TSA workers

October 23, 2012 @ 6:26 pm (Updated: 8:50 pm - 10/23/12 )

Have you ever lost something from a suitcase?

The Transportation Security Administration has released a list of theft cases involving their employees, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by the ABC News network.

The TSA has fired 381 employees between 2002 and 2011.

In Seattle, 12 employees have been fired in just under a decade. Miami International is the worst, with 29 agents fired. Followed by: JFK; Los Angeles International; Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta; Las Vegas McCarren; Dallas Fort Worth and Laquardia are tied; Newark Liberty, Philadelphia and Sea-Tac are together in the 8th worst spot.

These firings involved TSA employees, but we've also had a few stories recently where airline flight attendants were caught with passenger's property. When an iPad was located in the home of a Portland flight attendant, she told police she planned to turn it in.

The TSA says these numbers aren't significant. Fewer than 400 people bounced is one-half of one-percent of all employees.

By LINDA THOMAS

More from Linda Thomas

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Comments (16)


  • Add A Comment

  • cpedgin wrote...
    Lets not trivialize this
    October 23, 2012 6:51 pm
    That one half of one percent sounds so trivial, but it reminds me of the FDA saying that our food is allowed to have like 10 parts per million of rat feces. Its a small # but its still rat feces and is in our food. I don't want to willingly eat rat feces. Plus we are FORCED to deal with those TSA people if we fly, there is no opt-out, and given the sheer volume of people going through a check point, that one half of one percent has the opportunity to steal MILLIONS worth of personal property. Not to mention the ability to cause a LOT of problems for you if you accuse them (since they can then make you go to a locked room with their friends and the box of rubber gloves). Modern airport security is a detain first, question later affair. We already heard one case here on My NW about a guy in hawaii you appears to have gotten stuck on a no-fly list for no good reason, likely due to some TSA guy not likely his view points of airport security. So lets NOT trivialize this. There was a time when we had ZERO TSA theft of personal property because there NO TSA at all thus many fewer opportunities to steal things from passengers.
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  • S Y wrote...
    THIS IS ABSOLUTE B.S.
    October 23, 2012 7:13 pm
    They have the right to take away your rights weather you like it or not, if you want to fly. one half of one percent is way to much for theft in this situation!!!! The people that are caught should be doing time and not just Fired. if this sort of thing happened to me I'd be blowing steam so bad, and might consider going after the thief personally!!! You trust them with your property and they have NO respect. F em.
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  • C"mon Man wrote...
    Israeli example: profile
    October 23, 2012 8:47 pm
    Works for them in a much more unstable, and hate filled enviroment.
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  • William Lawn wrote...
    True C man but they are dealing with so much less volume
    October 24, 2012 1:12 pm
    Not defending how we do it, just totally different environment.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ToldYa wrote...
    .5% of ALL employees, not screeners alone.
    October 23, 2012 9:02 pm
    if one looked at screeners, directly in contact w/ passenger's belongings, that percentage skyrockets.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • cop4hire wrote...
    To ....ToldYa wrote... I was just going to say the same thing
    October 23, 2012 9:51 pm
    The total number of TSA employees behind the scenes that never touch your property is far higher than the ones you see. So the actual percent of thieves is higher for sure.
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  • Ron_Spins wrote...
    The whole airline business is corrupt
    October 23, 2012 10:44 pm
    The customer is a thing to be fleeced and drained of every dollar.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • AKAF wrote...
    Figures are only figures
    October 24, 2012 12:04 am
    The one half of one percent is just a small fraction of actual problem. Most victims of crime don't report the actual crime. Added to the problem is that TSA agents don't undergo the intensive background check that other government employees have to undergo.
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  • Zoeller wrote...
    What else would we expect from -
    October 24, 2012 6:37 am
    The American Federation of Government Employees? These are only the ones that have been caught. How many thousands of thefts have been committed?????
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  • sammycajun wrote...
    Now I know they took my iPod accessory on a flight a couple of years ago
    October 24, 2012 8:04 am
    Was wondering what happened to an accessory I bought for my iPod that transmits music to FM frequencies. It was missing after arriving at my destination from Sea-Tac, but I had one of those flyers inside my bag that said my bag was inspected. Had to go spend another $50 to replace it. Common thieves should be punished, not just fired.
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  • CldWtrSrf wrote...
    No big suprise there
    October 24, 2012 9:18 am
    The Criminals that run the Federal Government PURPOSELY hire degenerates, pedophiles and all other kinds of criminals to fill the TSA. The Pervert Gestapo of AmeriKa, coming to a street and home near you SOON! Who else would enjoy molesting people, especially little kids along with all the other humiliating things they do? Only DEGENERATES!! All because the boogey man Al Qaeda is going to get you if that TSA man isn't allowed to grab your balls and fondle your wife and kids right? Oh, never mind that the U.S. Government is ALLIED with the very same Al Qaeda in Syria and Libya. It was NEVER about CIAl Qaeda, it was ALWAYS about American Citizens. Teaching us how to be good little slaves.
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  • dori monson fan wrote...
    it seems like it's designed as a smoke and mirrors set up
    October 24, 2012 9:19 am
    they have you doing 14 things at once to distract you while they rifle through your bag
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