What the heck is going on with the TSA in Orlando?

Maybe there’s something in the water in Orlando, but the Transportation Security Administration just can’t stay out of the news there.

Earlier this week, a TSA officer at Orlando International Airport was arrested on charges of molesting a minor. Turns out he was reportedly a fan of bondage and sadomasochism.

Charles Henry Bennett’s MySpace profile identifies him as “Master Charles or Sir.” The online page shows the 57-year-old airport security guard has “many years experience” as a bondage and sadomasochism master and is looking to meet people, especially “submissive females.” The TSA’s blog said the agency was “deeply saddened and disgusted” by its employees actions. Bennett resigned on Monday.

Last week, CNN reported that the TSA had launched an internal investigation into an air marshal field office in Orlando where supervisors are alleged to have used a crew assignment board to ridicule and keep score on women, gays and minorities.

The board, resembling the TV game show “Jeopardy,” included categories such as “pickle smokers,” “our gang” and “creatures,” which sources said were names used by managers for gay men, African-Americans and lesbians, according to the report.

And, of course, there’s my little TSA incident, which was handled out of the Orlando office, too. (I live in Winter Springs, Fla., a suburb of Orlando.) Orlando Weekly just published an interview with me in which I revealed new details about the standoff between the Department of Homeland Security and yours truly.

Why is this happening? It could have something to do with TSA’s leadership crisis. On Jan. 20., Erroll Southers, a former FBI agent and homeland security specialist, withdrew his name from consideration as head of the TSA. The move came just a few weeks after revelations that he had provided misleading information to Congress, which prompted several Republicans to suggest that his nomination would not move forward without a fight.

I’d like to think that this isn’t an Orlando problem. After all, I live near Orlando, and I want my TSA team here to be as effective as possible. But news of child molesters and racists and my own experience tell me otherwise.

(Photo: auntie rain/Flickr Creative Commons)

  • David H

    The scary part of the story isn’t what we already know, it’s what else we don’t know about everyone else working for the TSA.

    I don’t care what race, gender, religion or oriention my screener is, as long his or her prefences are with other consenting adults and are legal. Even if he’d not resigned, there’s no way I’d want Mr Bennett screening my children. Ever.

  • Jessica Brown

    I think we are looking at a TSA problem. In my travel experience they don’t seem to be very well vetted. If it were treated/paid like a DOD job we would all be much better off. I would certainly have a little more respect for the agency. And hopefully, we wouldn’t end up with a child-molesting, sexually deviant screener.

  • frostysnowman

    Well, next month’s trip to a trade show in Orlando is suddenly less appealing!

  • iamltr

    What does being a fan of bondage have to do with molesting a child?

    Are you trying to say that if you are into bdsm that makes you a molester?

  • http://www.scrapbookupdate.com Nancy Nally

    But wait…there’s more…a laptop stolen from the luggage of a Spanish traveler and a TSA explosives wand found in its place…

    http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/crime/012910-stolen-laptop

  • Monica

    I agree with iamltr. What does bondage have to do with child molestation? And why does it affect his work? I promise that what I do after hours is not accepted by my co-workers, but they never find out, nor does it affect my performance at work. Most people I know that are into bondage lead a ‘normal’ business life M-F 8-5.

    If this guy really did inappropriate things with a child, then that issue alone needs to be addressed.

  • Ian

    Can’t wait for those full body scanners!

  • David H

    @iamltr.

    Being a fan of bondage doesn’t make a person a molester, as long as both parties are above the age of consent. Asking a 15yr old girl to be his sex slave does make a person someone who needs to be kept away from children.

  • Billie Keirstead

    Maybe the Orlando TSA should stop hiring people who can’t get a job elsewhere because of their lack of language and other skills.

  • valentine

    I don’t get why there are all these problems with TSA.

    For those of you that don’t see the connection between the bondage and the child molestation, that’s because there isn’t one. Those are two different events in the life of that guy.

    From the article:
    “A TSA agent has been arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a minor after police say he tried to keep a girl as a sex slave.”

    She apparently turned him in, and he wrote a letter to the police admitting it was true. The bondage aspect is probably included just because it is lascivious.

    I’m not saying that all pervs can be caught before they get handsy, but why is TSA so messed up? When the screeners just make stuff up, or scream at you, threaten to detain you for the look on your face…why does nothing happen? What does it take to get fired from the TSA? Has anyone ever been fired? I know the guy who planted the white powder in the girl’s bag is no longer there, but even then the TSA wouldn’t say if they fired him. (So much for putting the other weirdos on notice for stuff like that.)

    I don’t think Orlando is particularly bad. I just think it has had a run of sensationalistic versions of bad.
    I get these people aren’t our best and brightest, but…
    1.) What is it about the TSA that attracts so many of these people?
    2.) There are other businesses that hire from that same pool and don’t have this level and constancy of problems; what is it about TSA management that can’t get a handle on even the most basic of behavior or standards?

    (A big shout-out, btw, to the TSA in Milwaukee. The nice lady that wanded me and my bad leg was nice as pie, and the older gentleman that was working the x-ray machine couldn’t have been more gracious or helpful about a Leatherman knife that I forgot to check…no blade was too big and he admitted that, and then offered to go get a fedex envelope to throw the thing into to ship it home: “Just to be on the safe side.”)

  • valentine

    From Nancy’s link (above):
    “While going through security at Orlando International Airport the report says the traveler was instructed to take his luggage to the TSA screening area BECAUSE HE WAS A FOREIGNER and his luggage, including the laptop case, would be delivered to the plane.”
    (capitalization for emphasis is mine)

    Okay, so some TSA officer tells this guy this. BUT why do the other TSA people never say anything? Ever? (How many gazillion “foreigners” go through Orlando, anyway? This was SO on purpose to nick the laptop.) So you’re another TSA agent and you see a passenger walking away from all his belongings…you don’t say something?!? So far, there haven’t been any reports of them doing so, ever. Correct me if I’m wrong.

  • Nobody

    Why TSA has personnel problems when it comes to security:
    http://www.prisonexp.org/

    We have met the enemy
    and he is us
    RIP
    Nobody was faster

  • http://chazhome.com/ Chaz Antonelli

    In your story, you say: “Earlier this week, a TSA officer at Orlando International Airport was arrested on charges of molesting a minor. Turns out he was reportedly a fan of bondage and sadomasochism.”

    I want to know: What’s the connection between “molesting a minor” and his S&M fetish? — NOTHING!

    Why do people feel the need to bring someone’s personal (and legal) sex life into this sort of story? If he’s a paedophile, then he’s a paedophile — period. His predilection with “S&M” has nothing to do with it!

    I know several commercial pilots and flight crew that are S&M practitioners (sometimes it helps to have the skills of an S&M submissive when dealing with passengers) — should they be fired and be humiliated by making their kinky (yet private) sex lives be made public?

    Please explain why you felt it was necessary to mention the TSA agent’s S&M habits, when it has nothing to do with the story.

  • Christopher Elliott

    Re: S&M — that was a follow-up story reported by the Orlando Sentinel. I see no connection between something legal that you do in the privacy of your bedroom, or kitchen, and the alleged illegal behavior of this former TSA agent.

  • Thom woodson

    Watched TSA Orlando clowns pull an elderly woman out of her wheel chair. She fell and screamed in pain probably from a newly broken hip. They threatened family members with arrest if they came near her. Quite a display for those with children visiting Disney etc.

  • Kevin M

    Chris: I think most of us can take your word for it that you don’t see any connection between “something legal that you do in the privacy of your bedroom, or kitchen, and the alleged illegal behavior of this former TSA agent.” Your word is good for me. That said… why link to the follow-up story if it’s an irrelevant point, particularly if it hints that the two might be related?

    If the follow-up story had said “Turns out he’s an orthodox Jew” or “Turns out he’s a Papal Knight of St. Gregory” or “Turns out he’s a vegan”, well… actually, they probably wouldn’t have run most of those stories in the first place, because there’s no connection there, either. But for some reason, in an effort to further sensationalize the story, modern “journalists” feel the need to print this kind of irrelevant detail in the hopes of drawing attention to their story.

    That sidebar story added nothing to your report – and should never have been linked in the first place. Especially not with something so suggestive as “Turns out he was reportedly a fan of….” as the lead.

  • Ernest

    It has nothing to do with someones ‘after hours’ activities. One of my best (Military) Police officers was a gay man in the don’t ask, don’t tell Army. Its not my style to do what we consider devient behavior but as long as it does not harm anyone, I see it as no ones business.

    What the problem boils down to is a lack of adult leadership and that starts at the very top of the organization. Pay is important to many people but it is not the answer to the problems of TSA. Money is necessary to live but there are still those who will work for less pay if they believe they are providing an importand function. much the same way that many soldiers, fire fighters and EMT’s do.

    Having standards of conduct and enforcing those standards would be the first step in insuring that TSA functions as intended. Its all about leaders doing their job insuring that workers are doing theirs professionally. Those after work acts are not revelant as long as they are not criminal.

    The issue is not what you do after work, its how you perform during work when they are supposed to be protecting me.

    I do not work for TSA, never have and I don’t know anyone who does. My active days of fighting crime are over but I do enjoy traveling. When I fly, I use Lubbock Texas as my departure point. The crew working there has always been professional and courtious during my exposure to them.

    Maybe they have good leadership or they could just be good old home boys trying to make an honest living in their home town. Whatever it is, it seems to work.

  • Dave

    Orlando TSA left messages in my suitcase after a recent trip through there. They opened business files and wrote ‘helpful suggestions’ on several of my reports.
    I grew up in Orlando, and a family friend (who has frankly always been a bit of a nut-case) just retired out of their TSA. He used to come around with the ‘craziest’ stories about how they were ‘saving the world’ every day of the week at the orlando airport by ‘nabbing’ terrorists. He’s now moved to a cabin in the mountains where it’s ‘safe’. Seems like it takes a ‘special’ kind of individual to fit it at TSA.

  • Hapgood

    The lack of leadership is just one of many problems. The bigger issue is the deadly combination of secrecy and lack of any oversight or accountability. Secrecy practically guarantees waste and abuse at all levels.

    At the lowest level, the secrecy of the operating procedures, along with their intentional vagueness, is a license for “officers” to “interpret” or make up whatever rules they want. Passengers can’t call them on it because they don’t know what the actual rules are, but the resulting inconsistency is obvious. And nobody within the TSA is making “officers” account for either consistent application of the rules or for treating passengers properly. The secrecy lets them cover up everything, unless something so egregious happens that they can’t hide it. Then they typically spin it away by blaming the passenger and otherwise denying that there’s anything wrong with the infallible TSA.

    At the higher levels, the secrecy and unaccountability allows incompetence to flourish throughout the organization. We can see it in the quality of some (but certainly not all) “officers” who clearly are missing a few cards in their decks. And we can see it in the utter stupidity of their reaction to failures, such as requiring passengers to “sit at attention” during the last hour of international flights. If that rule had existed and been enforced last Christmas, the passenger who subdued the underwear bomber would have been prosecuted.

    The lunatics are running the asylum, and nobody in either Congress or the Executive Branch has either the courage or intelligence to bring in some psychiatrists to take control and institute some sanity. They’re apparently afraid of being branded “soft on terrorism” if they do anything to “weaken” the TSA with oversight and accountability.

  • Justice Now For U

    TSA opens door to creating future millionaires out of normal citizens
    Make sure you file a complaint with the police department if you feel molested during your pattdown. This will protect your rights should the TSA employee be arrested in the future as a child molester or a sexual predator. Should a report be filed and the individual that did the molestation actually be found guilty, you may be able to sue the police department and TSA for exposing you and endangering your children for failure to catch this predator.
    The legal risks to local and state police departments for closing a case on somone who is later found guilty is not something to be taken lightly.
    http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-02-01/news/os-tsa-s
    If you or your child was groped by said agent, and you filed a complaint with the Police Department after the incident at the airport, you may be entitled to a large settlement.
    When you opt out, and experience what you may believe is a molestation pat down make sure you ask for a police officer to be called and file a complaint immediately. Follow up to make sure you have the Police report number. Protect your legal rights now. Create a record and a paper trail showing negligence in background screening and investigation follow up. The odds that you are being violated are greater than winning the lotto.

  • http://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com Sam Sewell

    My Experience with TSA in Orlando!
    http://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-experience-with-tsa-in-orlando.html

    We just returned from a Western Caribbean cruise aboard the Carnival Dream.
    http://newsfromcarnivalcruiselines.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/carnival-dream-rendering.jpg

    We docked at Port Canaveral and were driven to the Orlando airport for return to Naples.