Wondering if TSA at the airport, steal the the items like perfume and wine that they confiscate?

Question

Do you ever wonder where that stuff really goes? Do they act professional when the take it away from you? Look closely where they put your items?? Where does the expensive perfume go?

Answer 1

Let's take this in two parts... where does the expensive stuff go? That depends on the airport. At some airports they destroy it. Some other airports the confiscated items are turned over to the airports authority who sells or auctions it. One of the airports has a pretty big store on eBay although I can't remember which airport it is. So when you see a TSA agent dragging a big sack of lighters and Swiss Army knives, they are almost definitely taking it to the airport offices and not to their house.

Stealing... well, I am sure the TSA, just like any employer, has some employees who steal. There are dishonest people in every line of work and the more people you get, the more likely it is that someone is going to be stealing. But it is not all that easy for TSA personnel to steal. They are not allowed to carry personal belongings such as purses to their posts with them; they have locker rooms and all their belongings have to stay there for their shift. Otherwise you would have the risk of a TSA agent bringing a banned item (weapon, chemical, etc) to their post and passing it along to a passenger after they've been screened. Nice hijacking plot there! Since they don't have bags at their posts, they really don't have very many places to hide items they want to steal. I suppose a small bottle of perfume can fit in someone's pocket but if it's that small, I believe it would be allowed in your zip-lock baggie with the rest of your toiletries (I may be wrong on that, though).

Unlike other jobs, the punishment for a TSA agent stealing are pretty harsh and can include a lifetime ban from having a government job again. If you are working retail and are caught stealing, you get fired but the circumstances probably don't make it to anywhere that they'd turn up in a future background check. That's because private employers are reluctant to persecute an employee for stealing; doing so actually can raise the company's business insurance rates, especially if they have caught multiple employees stealing. So you get fired, you don't get criminally prosecuted, and you can probably get through a criminal background check just fine. But if you are working for the TSA and get caught stealing, even if you are working for a subcontracting company, the Government is going to record you as Dismissed for Cause which will definitely be a red flag for future employers. TSA employees get told this during their employee orientation. So someone who is thinking about stealing is going to be less likely to do so if it means they'll never be able to pass a background check for another Government job in the future.

Answer 2

The TSA cannot just take items if they like them. Everything that is confiscated goes into bins and then are auctioned off. Some airports even destroy the items. (see the link below)

I'm sure that there is employee theft among TSA and airline workers, but stealing items isn't the hard part - leaving is.

Your fellow employees know that you work on the ramp or the flight kitchen and didn't bring your laptop to work. There are also so many cameras that if the question came up, the bosses could easily find out.

Answer 3

Although TSA officers are not supposed to take the confiscated items, I suspect they do. I have seen TSA officers leaving work for the day with a bag full of lighters. I doubt that lighters are the only things that find their way to TSA homes.

Answer 4

Goes into an aution for employees who then spend the $$$ raised on a party. Tho I'm sure some of the stuff heads for home right after their shift.

Answer 5

no doubt it just goes to their own pocket they earn with such thing so dear it is simple as it shows.