Geeky, I know, but I actually went back to watch TSA chief John Pistole’s speech to the National Press Club.
Much of what he said has already been in the news – i.e. the number of guns the TSA finds at airport checkpoints (3 or 4 guns a day; 1306 in 2011) – but I especially enjoyed the question and answer portion of the event – which starts around 22:00.
Among the questions:
What happened to the puffer machines?
How will you continue to monitor people in the pre-check program?
Is everyone who feels nervous while traveling now a suspected terrorist?
Why can a passenger take ten 3 ounce bottles of hair gel on a plane but not one 12 ounce bottle?
And, my favorite: Do you get pat downs at airports?
“Oh, yes,” he said. “I go through regular screening several times.” After one memorable pat down at a “well-known western European hub,” Pistole said he received a thorough pat-down. “I complimented the security officer on the thoroughness of his pat-down. It made me stand up straight,” he said.
Here’s the full video of the event.
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