Airport Screeners Perform Poorly

[chperplt]

Report Finds Airport Screeners Perform Poorly
Government Agency Not Providing Adequate Security, Investigator Says
By LESLIE MILLER, AP

WASHINGTON (April 22) - Airport security screeners perform poorly, whether they're government or privately employed workers, the Homeland Security Department's chief investigator told Congress on Thursday.

The House aviation subcommittee received reports from Inspector General Clark Kent Ervin, the General Accounting Office and a private firm. The government reports found airport security is lax and all three described the Transportation Security Administration as overly bureaucratic.

Ervin told lawmakers the TSA screeners and privately contracted airport workers ''performed about the same, which is to say, equally poorly.''

The report by the GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, said its conclusions were based on covert testing of the screeners' ability to detect dangerous objects at checkpoints.

Subcommittee Chairman John Mica, R-Fla., said the situation is so serious he plans to hold an emergency meeting with Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and other key agency officials in the next 10 days to discuss ways to tighten airport security.

''We have a system that doesn't work,'' said Mica, who threatened to subpoena Ridge and the others if they fail to respond to his request for a meeting.

Though the specific results of the inspector general report were classified, the committee's ranking Democrat said it showed that passenger screening is no better than it was 17 years ago.

''The inadequacies and loopholes in the system are phenomenal,'' Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio said.

The inspector general's report, as well as a study by the GAO portrayed the TSA as an unresponsive, inflexible bureaucracy that is failing to provide an adequate level of security at airports.

Congress created the TSA after the Sept. 11 attacks to replace the privately employed screeners with a better-paid, better-trained federal work force. Lawmakers also gave airports the option of returning to private screeners next Nov. 19, three years after President Bush signed the bill into law.

Congress also ordered five commercial airports to use privately employed screeners who are hired, trained, paid and tested to TSA standards to serve as a comparison to the federal employees. Those airports are in San Francisco; Rochester, N.Y.; Tupelo, Miss.; Jackson, Wyo.; and Kansas City, Mo.

But because the TSA didn't give private contractors much leeway, they ''could not effectively and immediately address problems with high attrition levels, understaffing, excessive overtime, and employee morale issues,'' Ervin wrote in a prepared statement.

 

[jarhead]

While I am in no way capable of disputing the studies and conclusions reached, I can offer an anecdotal observation. My wife and I frequently travel out of MSP to CVG. The security at MSP has always been extremely thorough. My wife ALWAYS is stopped and had to remove her shoes, and I am often required to do the same, even though I have no metal in my shoes. My wife is ALWAYS pulled aside and “wanded’ up and down, around and around. She is a large breasted woman, and as such has a “support garment” that has wire in it. Now, these women with the TSA who are “wanding” her are always very polite and respectful. One wonders how they don’t realize that a bra is a bra, and many are designed as holsters for “heavy iron”. On our most recent trip to CVG, my wife caused quite a commotion at the x-ray station with the x-ray view of her purse. The gal on the monitor called over a supervisor and another agent for a mini convention over it. The asked my wife if it would be ok if they went through her purse. We had plenty of time, so she told them to dump it if they wanted to do so.

They found two small nail clippers that had the little fold away nail file in them. My wife was told she could not bring them through security, but if she wanted to, she could go back to the ticket counter and have the nail files put through as checked baggage with the rest of our suitcases. We both said to the TSA that it was not worth the effort, and told them to put it into the bucket with other contraband, and we then proceeded to the gates, with me yammering at my wife as to how she could possibly come to the airport with that in her purse, given what hassles airports can be. I shut up pretty soon when I started to get “the look” from her. Most of you married guys will know what I mean by that!

Anyway, my point is that on our return trips from CVG to MSP, we have NEVER had the scrutiny at CVG that we get at MSP. Shoes are never checked, wanding of my wife never happens, and even the same nail clippers had escaped a few times before MSP cracked down on that terror potential, got past them in CVG. It seems to me, just based on my personal experiences, that the security of the TSA can vary between airports around the country.

 

[pilotman2105]

TSA

Interesting you had that experience jarhead. I've had just the opposite experience at MSP. I fly out of there fairly often and have never been hassled by the TSA.

I carry quite a few cords in my laptop bag when I travel (power cord, surge protector, etc.). They've asked to browse through that, but never any terrible scrutiny with metal in the shoes, etc.

Goes to show that all screeners have only one thing in common. That is the fact that they are sceeners.

 

[chperplt]

They found two small nail clippers that had the little fold away nail file in them. My wife was told she could not bring them through security, but if she wanted to, she could go back to the ticket counter and have the nail files put through as checked baggage with the rest of our suitcases.

I saw a memo a few weeks back that said the TSA will stop allowing people to go back and check items such as these. They feel that the rules have been around long enough that you should know, and that they will begin levying fines for infractions. The first offense was $500, then it went upwards from there.

What a crock of sh.. if you ask me!!

Now, these women with the TSA who are “wanding” her are always very polite and respectful. One wonders how they don’t realize that a bra is a bra, and many are designed as holsters for “heavy iron”.

My wife is the same way... We get a good laugh at the idiots doing the wanding.. They just can't figure out why the thing keeps beeping.

It's unfortunate that the TSA, who was designed for standardization, is anything but. Airports have the freedom to develop their own program and that shouldn't be. Why you have to show ID at some airports and not others is ridiculous.

 

[pilotman2105]

I saw a memo a few weeks back that said the TSA will stop allowing people to go back and check items such as these. They feel that the rules have been around long enough that you should know, and that they will begin levying fines for infractions. The first offense was $500, then it went upwards from there.

What a crock of sh.. if you ask me!!



My wife is the same way... We get a good laugh at the idiots doing the wanding.. They just can't figure out why the thing keeps beeping.

It's unfortunate that the TSA, who was designed for standardization, is anything but. Airports have the freedom to develop their own program and that shouldn't be. Why you have to show ID at some airports and not others is ridiculous.

TSA is just a bully to airline passengers. No real security increase there.

My great-aunt had a family heirloom in the form of a nail file that came from my great-grandmother. Accidently took it through security, security found it and took it. Didn't matter that there were other family members outside the secure area that could have taken the heirloom for safe keeping. That piece of our family is gone now. Not that big of a deal to me, but it is to my aunt, and understandably so.

Personally, I have no respect for the TSA, and I look forward to when they get their funding cut in future budgets. It will ease the hassels for the flying public.

 

[Oakum_Boy]

Who would want to keep an antique nail file. EEEWWW!

 

[SDCFI]

How bout this one: was flying out of SAN a little while back. I had my hair clippers with me so my GF could cut my hair (great money saver btw). In the bag with the clippers was a pair of scissors, about 3in long and sharp (forgot they were in there). Xray machine didn't catch it, or at least the operator didn't. Was selected for random screening at the gate, TSA person found the scissors. I was more than willing to give them up, don't use em anyway, but they just told me not to bring them next time. So...they're taking away nail clippers and Medals of Honor but they don't care about a nice sharp pair of scissors? I say let us bring whatever we have, that way if someone trys anything we have something besides the plastic spork to fight back with.

 

[CA1900]

They found two small nail clippers that had the little fold away nail file in them. My wife was told she could not bring them through security...
It seems to me, just based on my personal experiences, that the security of the TSA can vary between airports around the country.

And that is the bggest crock of all. TSA was formed under the guise of standardizing security, and they've done nothing of the sort. One airport, I need only my ID to jumpseat; another, I have to go to the ticket counter. It's a crock.

As for the nail file, those have been on the "approved" list for the better part of the year. I suggest printing this document and keeping it with you when you travel:

TSA Permitted/Prohibited List