The Inspector wrote:
Yet another installment from "The luggage inspectors of Penzance" Where everyone gets a big frilly hat and an impressive looking red sash, old women get groped by people who weren't given guns when they were Security Guards for fear they would shoot themselves and who started out as CAP cadets working airshows.
I'm sure most of you know this, but I would NEVER, EVER pack anything valuable in any checked luggage. The TSA has unfettered authorization and access to open every single piece of checked luggage that comes through, even if they have to break the lock to get inside. What that means is that TSA agents can steal anything valuable that is inside, because they are alone and usually out of public sight. When you consider the background and intelligence level of the people doing those inspections, it's easy to see their motivation to steal. It is a BIG problem. There have been many FBI sting operations around the United States at airports resulting in arresting many TSA luggage inspectors.
I know of one person, a Hollywood videographer, who got literally ten's of thousands of dollars worth of professional camera gear stolen by these luggage inspectors. He was so upset by this theft that he got a Congressman to intervene on his behalf. Unfortunately, the Congressman gave him ZERO support and told him there was nothing he could do. The reason - the Congressman said, was that the TSA was given complete, total power and authority over such matters, and that it would take a Cabinet level person to have enough "horsepower" to get any action accomplished.
Moral of the story - if you ever pack anything valuable in checked luggage, make sure it's something that, if stolen, would not break your heart or cause you financial hardship.