boofhead:
I came across a bit more information about TSA and the law enforcement hires. In addition to the screeners, TSA is creating a law enforcement agency. At the moment, law enforcement at most US airports is done either by city or state police. I believe they are going to be partly or completely replaced by TSA police. You can see some info about them at the TSA's web site:
http://www.tsa.dot.gov/employment_opps/LEO_FAQs.shtm
While it appears they aren't currently hiring, it's my understanding that they've already done some hiring and will do more in the future.
Regarding salaries, they range from $31k (USD) per year for a patrolman to $100k per year for a captain. In addition, they have a program whereby they work an extra 2 hours per day (50 hour work week rather than 40 hour work week). In exchange, they get a 25% increase in base pay. There is an important distinction between base pay and overtime pay. Base pay is what is used to determine the retirement pay for US federal govt. employees. So an increase in base pay is very attractive. What the govt. gets is that they don't pay the officers time and a half for those first 2 hours of overtime. Instead, they get paid straight time for the first two hours of what is no longer considered overtime. So, for the officer, it is short-term pain (straight time rather than time and a half) for long-term gain (25% higher pension).
Last night I spoke with a friend of mine who is a detention officer for the INS. He's seriously considering applying for one of these positions when they become available. Part of the reason for doing so is that as an INS officer, he's limited in the pay grade that he can advance to. He believes that he would qualify as a seargant in the TSA, which would result in an immediate raise, have greater salary advancement opportunities in the future, plus the chance at much higher pension. He also will no longer have to endure travel to some of the worlds wonderful garden spots. A recent trip was depart from JFK, change in Brussels (?), drop off the deportee in Africa, return to Brussels, overnight in Brussels, then back to JFK. All but the final leg back to JFK was done non-stop, with no sleep.
I suspect that many of the border patrol officers who have joined have done so for the same reason. It also makes sense that these jobs are particularly attractive to other federal law enforcement officers because of the pension issues. Any federal law enforcement officer who transfers to the TSA keeps all of his time towards his pension, because they all work under the same pension system. In other words, if my friend currently has 15 years towards retirement in the INS, if he joins TSA he'll still have 15 years service towards retirement. In contrast, it is my understanding that a city or state law enforcement officer with 15 years service in his municipal or state pension would be starting at ground zero for a federal pension.
OFBSLF