Bl)()s IN MOTION ll? BDO Em loyee Newsletter February 1, 2015 A DAY IN THE LIFE - THE ONE INITIATIVE 3?12?. .1 First? The ONE (Operations Network for Employees) Initiative is the 030?s (Of?ce of Security Operations) re- sponse to a rather lackluster result from the recent FEV survey. In an ef- fort to reach out to the workforce and improve the agency as a whole, the OSO has requested groups from across the nation to represent their peers at headquarters as a part of Phase 1: Talk, Listen, and Collaborate. I was fortunate enough to be chosen as one of the BDO participants for this session. After polling my peers, com- piling the results, submitting the online form, and a 5 1/2 hour ?ight, I ?nd myself at the lobby of TSA head- quarters with six other BDOs repre- senting their respective regions. Our ONE Initiative escort met us early, and we were whisked up to the conference room to start the day. Throughout the building, there are posters serving as a constant reminder to the OSO employ- ees of the support role that motivates them. The posters feature TSOs across the nation, with the following head- line: ?What Have You Done for the Frontline Today?? Let me back up a bit. We initially met the night prior to the event, in order to discuss all of the focus points since time will be limited. This was recom- mended by the OSO, and previous par- ticipants, and it was a great help when collectively agreeing 011 our most im- portant issues. The daylong event included presenta- tions by each Director of their divi- sions, followed by a question and an- swer session. Inquiries and concerns regarding everything ranging from ?eld communication to staf?ng num- bers were answered professionally and completely. The interactive and in- formative day culminated in a deliber- ation of our collective topics in order to bring them down to the top three in three categories: area, item, or process in need of immediate change, a good starting point to enhance and build upon, and really working well and OSO should expand. After collectively agreeing on our main points of focus, these were presented to OSO Assistant Administrator Kelly Hoggan. Mr. Hoggan was very recep- tive and offered additional suggestions for solutions. At the end of the day, we were all presented with a special chal- lenge coin and a certi?cate of appreci- ation. It was a pleasure to collaborate with BDO representatives from all over the nation, and I came away from the event feeling that the OSO truly is placing great importance on support- ing our workforce. There was also talk of this becoming a recurring event in the future to maintain workforce en- gagement, so I would encourage inter- ested parties to apply. It?s a wonderful opportunity to get insight on operations, network, and have your collective voice heard by headquarters. Airpo? - BUR Article Photo by: Page 2 BDOs in Motion The Best Thing about Being a BDO When I asked my fellow BDOs what their favorite thing about being a BDO was, the answers ranged the full spec- trum of inspirational to humorous; and that is exactly what makes being a BDO so great for me. With this team of eclectic personalities, you never know what you will get. BD Perhaps you will feel motivated to go out and give 110% effort? eing able to still actively protect the traveling pub- lic even after 9 years of service in the Navy and another 22 as a Sheriff?s Cor- rectional Sergeant faro; on the other hand, will have you rolling your eyes as he tells you, with a smirk on his face, just enjoy working with such a swell bunch of guys!" Of though, whe or not. course, we all know that he really means it, no matter how sarcastic he tries to make it sound. had me eager to further hone my trade after he spoke about 110w much he enjoyed being able to develop invaluable conversational skills while engaging in tactical com- munication with the traveling public on a daily basis. LBDO extrapolated on this when he said, ?the conversational skills I developed as a BDO have been a huge bene?t to my professional growth within the TSA. I could only shake my head and chuckle; he loved that he gets to spend ten hours a day with the same person. I am still not quite sure if he was joking Jokes aside, the one comment that I heard over and over again was how much everyone loved working with such a close-knit team while serving the public. said, enjoy working with such a close bunch of people. We?ve spent so much time together that we know all kinds of things about each other. We know each other?s and weaknesses, and we laiow our van'ous habits and quirks. When we are off duty we joke around and poke fun at each other like siblings, but when we are on the ?oor we have each other?s backs like siblings too. It?s a great thing to be able to work with people like that.? told me Airport-SM}? Article by= l? he might be late for his 1200 shift because he was assisting passengers. One might think that since most of us work at an airport, he meant air trav- elers. It turned out that BDO Salas was assisting passen- gers of a van, which had rolled over multiple times on northbound Interstate 5 just south of San Diego Interna- tional Airport - was 011 his way to work when he saw the van roll over multiple times from a distance. When he stopped to assist, he saw several people standing around, but only one or two people were trying to get the victims out. noticed smoke coming from the van and fuel leaking rom 1e gas tank. He joined the two other people to assist the victims, and as one can imagine the driver and passenger were pretty shaken up. assisted the driver and his passenger to a parked pickup truck far away from the van, and had them sit on the tail- gate to regain their composure at a safe distance in case of an explosion or any other traffic hazards. When the Califor- nia Highway Patrol arrived on the scene, BDC- made contact and explained to the patrolman where the victims were and their physical and mental state of mind. BDO showed outstanding decisiveness when many peop were standing around doing nothing. He exhibited outstanding critical thinking and communications skills when he assisted the passengers in the van. His forethought of getting the passengers to an even safer place and his con- cern for their welfare after the immediate danger was over is an example of excellent composure under a hazardous situation. Finally, when it came to reporting the situation ?did exactly what all of us should do when ap- proaching a Law Enforcement Of?cer. He introduced him- self, identified the people involved and stated the facts. Airport- SAN Article Photo by? Page 3 BDOs in Motion The BDO Experience The one thing BDOs love to do is talk. So, when I asked my teammates if they had any memorable experiences during their BDO career to share with meear full! Here are a couple of my favorite stories that highlight just how challenging, unique, and rewarding this job can be: referral escalate to an arrest. She re- called, ?The gentleman that I assessed behaviors 011 had several companions, so I had to do the resolution 011 my own. While I was talking with him, his behaviors met the cursing my luck before I began one of the most memorable referrals I have ever had. I soon discovered the man had several bottles of wine in his bag along with some expensive (and over the size limit) co- logne. Before I could even let him know that these items couldn?t go through, he produced a very real looking police badge. The man explained to me that he was working un- dercover and asked if I would let him keep the know, from one of?cer to another. I played along and asked him about his training and travel story. The inconsistencies started to pile up, and so did his behaviors. I made the LEO Our BDO family, and a very big red rabbit criteria for a LEO call. I was honestly pretty nervous be- cause the program was still very new, and it was my ?rst time in this kind of situation. I told myself to trust in my training, though, and I made the call. Sure enough, the gentleman had a warrant for his arrest, and the deputies took him away shortly after. That was the moment that it really clicked for me that this BDO stuff really does work in the real world. That incident really boosted my confidence in this program and myself. BD recounted an incredulous story about a referral he had several years ago. had about ten minutes left on my shift when a young couple entered the checkpoint queue. Even before the couple made it to the ticket checker, the man had already reached our referral threshold. I remember checking my watch for the time and call and that is when things got really bizarre. The Sheriff discovered the badge was real, and it belonged to a police of?cer on the east coast who had apparently given it to his friend as a novelty item. The young man ?nally realized he could not lie his way out of this situation, so he switched his tactics. He started pant- ing and faking fainting episodes which prompted not one, but two separate EMT responses. Each time, they assured us he was ?ne. Meanwhile, during this entire encounter, his female companion was telling my partner that she didn?t care about him and just wanted to catch her ?ight. In the end, she did catch her ?ight, but not with her partner. I on the other hand, clocked out almost three hours late by the time I ?nished my paperwork. In retrospect, it was com- pletely worth it, though, for the great story.? Airport- SMF Article Photo by: If you are a frequent ?ier out of Reno- Tahoe International Airport (RNO), in 2008, and is a real pleasure to work is world class at his, ?Active Engagement? skills. The days when he is not at work, my coworkers and I are often asked: is his positive outlook on everything; in over two years at Reno, I have never seen him in a bad mood. -s al? ways positive and upbeat and being around him, you cannot help but feel positive as well. People are in?uenced by their past and the de?ning charac- teristic? study of Tai Chi which gives rim a serene and positive outlook. I have never heard Sonny as- sert that he was any worse than, ?fantastic? when passengers or coworkdoing. Reno is a small program, but occasion- ally there is con?ict among colleagues. Our leadership can always count on Sonny to mediate any issues between coworkers and resolve those issues with a minimal amount of hurt feel- ings. Also, as somebody who has only been a BDO for only a few years, I can always count me ifI am having trouble engaging with a pas- senger or trying to resolve behaviors. He has great working knowledge of our program and is always happy to men- tor his teammates. His mentorship always feels constructive and positive as well, and I never feel stupid asking him a question about something I do not understand. The most common type of leadership I have encountered in life (and at TSA) has been somebody who shows little, or no empathy for their employees and is more interested in directing people's actions instead of facilitating them. in our program, shows great leadership everyday by providing sup- port and mentorship for us doing our jobs. He also promotes teamwork while, at the same time, performing his own job at a high level. - as the strongest customer service skills of a11- ybody I have ever seen. Just last week, -was engaging passengers in our queue and he saw a woman who ap- peared to be distraught, it turned out that her father had just had a heart attack and she was headed home to see him. He was able to provide compas- sion without appearing to patronize her, and sent her away feeling hope about her father?s predicament- epitomizes the TSA mantra of: ?world class security and world class customer service,? and is a great asset to the Re? no BDO team. RNO Article 8: Photo? CDC statistics studies show that in 2014, there were 295 deaths that were heat-related. So we, the BDA Newslet- ter Team at HNL, asked the HNL BDO Team how would someone new to is- lands get around this crazy heat wave. Here?s what they said: A What type of whether should someone expect to encounter when landing in Hawaii? Expect lots of sun and humid- ity. What part of the island is the hottest why? The Leeward side (\Naianae), due to the dry heat, lack of trees and vege- tation. How is the weather year round Ha- waii? It is mostly sunny but we do ex? perience cold rainy days. The wind- ward side is mostly known for its rain while the Leeward side is known for the sun. The humidity contributes to the heat factor as well. If traveling to Hawaii, what should someone pack in Handling the Heat in Hawaii regards to clothing and essentials? Shorts, tank tops, sunglasses, water bottle, sunscreen and ?ip-?ops. What conditions can one suffer if not properly hydrated? Heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, heat rashes, sweaty palms dizziness. In the event of heat exhaustion at work, who would be contacted in this emergency? Contacts would be Airport Medical, 911, your Security Manager and Airport Security. Always have a list of contacts on hand, just in the case of an emergency. What precautions should someone take, in regards to being in in the heat? Stay hydrated before you start your shift and maintain it throughout the day (drink 8/802 glasses of water/ day). Also, take frequent water breaks when needed wash your face with cool wa- ter to ease the heat. Monitor yourself and fellow co-workers by looking for signs of dehydration. Airport-HNL Article Photo by:? VVhat types of foods can one find in Hawaii that is bene?cial in cooling off the body? Goodies such as shaved ice tropical fruits are recommended, espe- cially when made with pineapple, gua- va and passion fruit. The North Shore (Haleiwa Town) has plenty of stands that carry these goods, such as Aoki?s and Matsumoto?s. Great places to stop by on your way to work! Page 5 BDOS in Motion Diversity in our passengers and our city makes San Die- go Lindbergh Field Interna- tional Airport (SAN) unique. San Diego offers a wide vari- ety of people the opportunity to travel for work and play in its new ?green? terminal. SAN is also the busiest single runway CAT 1 airport in the nation and now has the larg- est United Service Organiza- tion (USO) 011 the west coast. Since we have several military bases, popular tour- ist sites, three colleges and access to Mexico our travel- ing public requires special attentiveness to provide great security. San Diego is home to several military training facilities. The Navy, Marines, Army, Reno: Bowling Balls, Skiers, and Classic Cars in 1986 that has since grown to more than ?fty thousand and Coast Guard have a ma- jor role in our passenger throughput and 110w we work to keep them safe. We have (5) Navy bases and the basic training base for the Marines right at our door- step. Several military of?c- ers and their families ?y each day, so we need to pay special attention to what is going on in our area with special events, or deploy- ments. Southern California is one of the most popular areas to visit on the west coast. The most popular areas to visit include Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, the Midway, Gas- lamp District, Old Town, Balboa Park, the many beaches and the surrounding mountains. All of these sites are popular year-round. Three colleges contribute a large group of young adults during most of the year. San Diego State University, the University of San Diego, and the University of California- San Diego campus are locat- ed close to the airport. So, when college kids are in town, we have a large amount of activities and traf- Easy access to Mexico pro- vides an easy way for many travelers to ?y into SAN to cross the border by car. This access also means we have several Border Patrol and Customs stations nearby for security and safety. Passen- gers also like that we offer international ?ights in and out to countries like Canada, Japan, and Britain. Last but not least, San Diego is known as the greatest city to live in for the weather, so we enjoy having many tour- ists visit us all year. Our beaches are full year round and if you?ve seen them, you know why. All year our pas- sengers tell us how awesome our city is and how much they want to come back and visit again. All of us that work in SAN enjoy knowing we are great hosts and pro- vide the best security to all of our passengers. Airport SAN Article Photo by: There are so many fun things to do in Reno, and this leads to a miique variety of passengers coming through our air- port. People visit Reno for a multitude of reasons: thou- sands of bowlers come to Reno annually for tournaments, outdoor people come to visit Lake Tahoe and Mammoth, and vacationers come to visit the numerous casinos in Downtown Reno. In the summertime, we get vehicle en- thusiasts whether it is classic car fanatics coming to town for ?Hot August Nights,? or coming to town for ?Street Vibrations.? During winter, Lake Tahoe offers ?fteen alpine and cross-country ski resorts for winter ath- letes. If you are a history fanatic Virginia City, an old style silver town, lies just thirty minutes south of Reno. As a BDO, one of the most entertaining passenger groups we get is the Burners who come through in Septem- ber. Burning Man is an art festival started in San Francisco people and consequently has been moved to the Blackrock Desert in Northern Nevada. After the festival, dirty, sun burned people, covered in ?playa dust? barrage the airport as they return from the festival tired and ready to return home. The scene is almost reminiscent of ?Star Wars? see- ing people covered in a ?ne white dust and dressed in very unique out?ts. The unique personalities that Burning Man attracts leads to fun people watching during these few weeks. Overall, as the year progresses, Reno-Tahoe Inter- national airport gets to see a wide variety of travelers: from commuters, to outdoor vacationers, to modern day hippies that keep everyday interesting and fun. Airport - RNO Article by BDOs in Motion FROM THE HONOLULU 'IXvo of the BDOs that are on - the in Motion News- letter? team shared with us how long they have been with TSA, 110w long they have been a BDO and what is the funniest moment they remember as a BDO at HNL. have been with TSA since December 2002 and I have been a BDO since 2008. I enjoy being a BDO here at HNL. One of the furr- niest moments that I can recall was when Liz and I were on duty at Checkpoint 1. I was standing in the queue when I heard cars screeching. I looked towards the entrance of the lobby and saw a male passenger run in and head straight into the checkpoint. He jumped over the divesting table and ?ew over _ard the passenger that she was engaging. I starting yelling, l? in order to get her attention but because everything was happening so fast she was in shock and did not hear me, she was frozen. Then two other males ran into the queue, one stood next to me and started looking at me and I told him, ?No, don?t do it!? But he ran into the checkpoint anyway and started swinging punches at the ?rst male passenger along with the two other guys._snapped out of it when I continued to yell at her to get out of the way before she ends up getting hit. The local airport police finally arrived and took con- trol of the situation. I?ve been with TSA for even years and I?ve been a DO for eight. One of the asons that I enjoy being a DO at HNL is because we ty of the BDO Team makes very interesting and excit- to work with. We are hana! One of the funniest ith LBDO as the time her chicken ere in the break room ave a great team. The diver- ornents that I remember is . It rrdwich caught 011 fire. We about to have lunch when she put her chicken sand- wich in the microwave. After a few seconds I noticed that she opened the door to the microwave and began to blow into it. I looked in the microwave and noticed a little ?ame on the wrapper. That?s when I realized that the paper that the sandwich was wrapped in had foil on it. She continued to blow into the microwave and the more she blew the bigger the ?ame got. That?s when I re- alized, if I don?t get up to help her the break room is going to catch on ?re. So I sprung up from my chair, grabbed the sandwich and I tln'ew it on the ?oor. Then I began to on it fast and hard, until the fire went out. I turned I?m sorry, but you?re not eating this chick- en sandwich for lunch today, I just killed it.? Airport- HNL Article Photos by: Risk Based Screening Works! Change is always dif?cult. At TSA, we have learned all about ?exibility and chang- ing gears mid-stream. Risk Based Screening (RBS) was looked at with skepticism and a real concern that there was going to be a lapse in security measures. The idea of moving away from a one size ?ts all screening and adjusting to screening for different risk groups sounded like a great idea, but the questions ?owed! The main concern was, of course, how we would maintain a high-level of security and embrace these initiatives. At Phoenix Sky Harbor In- ternational Airport (PHX), we have become experts in RBS. Managed Inclusion II was our ?rst experience with RBS. With Input from par- ticipating entities, PHX has been able to streamline our checkpoints and utilize our personnel to the best ad- vantage. We have since graduated to incorporating Real-Time Threat Assess- ment, Working with the K-95 and their Iran- dlers has been an interesting experience and we have learned a lot from each oth- er. We have become experts at seamlessly switching gears from MI-II, MI-I, or and guiding our checkpoint counterparts with ideas and encouragement. In fact, our RBS program has been so successful we have been vis- ited by many other airports to observe our operation. It has been known for some time that there has been a gap between checkpoint and the BDOs. There have been campaigns to Bridge the Gap. 111 addition to expedit- ing the passengers? security experience, RBS has gener- ated an opportunity to bridge that gap. There has been a change in perception of the BDOs. Communica- tion has improved, camara- derie has moved to the fore- front, and respect has been established. That is one of the satisfying bene?ts of RBS for us! Airport- PHX Article Photo by: Page 7 BDOS in Motion Yes, it Snows in Arizona! The last few days in Arizona have been Yes, I know that some of you are laughing at this. Arizona? Cold? Ari- zona doesn?t know cold! Well folks, we have been experi- . inches of the white stuff is laughable for the rest of the watched it on TV New Year?s Eve; at least I hope you did. I. um of?cials and workers were apologizing for the uncom- mon weather. By the time you read this article it should be encing freezing temperatures the last week in December and this ?rst week in January. In fact, it snowed so much New Year?s Eve that the highways closed! Yes, I know 3- 5 country, but for Arizonans it is serious! The Phoenix area hosted the Vizio Fiesta Bowl. Some of you probably The competing teams were Boise State University versus the Arizona Wildcats. It was so cold at the game that stadi- safe to come visit and experience the warmth of Arizona. However, no matter the weather, you can always ?nd a warm welcome and smile when you visit Phoenix Sky Har- bor International Airport. By the way, PHX did win Air- port of the Year 2014, and has the moniker, ?America?s Friendliest Airport.? Airpoit - PHX Article 8: Photo by: As a former singer, I have lived and worked in many countries, meeting people. 1111- mersing in different cultures in an effort to learn and understand. When my singing ca- reer ended, I entered the travel industry to continue to fuel my passion for working for the late great Trans World Airlines (TWA) in my home of New York City and then Ber- lin, Germany. In fact, I was still working in the travel in- dustry during the events of 9/11, and with the formation of TSA, I decided to resign from my corporate travel job with the Walt Disney Company to do something for the greater good. In 2002, I entered TSA as an LTSO, and within a year, promoted to STSO. In 2008, our airport became part of the BDO program. By that time, I was already a sea- soned people watcher from my singing and travel days when at times nonverbal cues were all one had to get by in foreign lands. When BDO positions opened at BUR, Ijumped at the chance to be part of this new layer of security and applied for it. I accepted the EBDO (now LBDO) position and worked with a great team until BUR quali?ed for a TSM. I put in for BDA TSM and got the job. Regardless of the title, at some point during our day we all observe behavior. I think there may be a difference in that some became BDOs due to a strong interest in observing people and interpret- ABDO in their behaviors, then there are a who may simply wanted to get from the check- nt. I think that se that are truly mitted may look back and ?nd they have always been using this set of skills, but may not have been able to put a name to it. How many of us can look back about 20 years at the Susan Smith case, spe- ci?cally at that famous news conference where she insisted there had been a carjacking and her children were in the car? I know I turned to my husband and said, ?She?s ly- ing.? I knew nothing about BDOs at that time; I just knew that her behaviors contradicted her words. Later, many of us saw the footage of Mohamed Atta captured on CCTV at Portland, on his way to Boston Logan and wished there had been BDOs at there at that time. This skill seems to be in- nate that one cannot turn off? nor should we. Whether at shopping malls, clubs, concerts, travel, behavior detection is a skill that requires no equipment- simply your brain, eyes, ears and critical thinking. Despite the recent changes brought on by realignment (including the change to my position), I am still proud to be a BDO amongst a strong nationwide group of BDOs and hope that we are here to stay STRONG. Airport-BUR BDA Program Of?ce HQ 8005 In Motion Support: Christina Koprivica Kimberly Levesque