Posted on 11/09/2017 8:27:04 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Airport screeners working for the “badly” run Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reportedly failed to detect weapons more than 70 percent of the time in undercover tests — but that massive failure rate is actually an improvement from a similar test two years ago.
Undercover investigators were able to smuggle mock knives, guns and explosives through airport checkpoints earlier this year, and succeeded far more often than they failed. But at least airport security is improving— slightly. When investigators did the same thing two years earlier, TSA equipment and personnel failed 95 percent of the time, prompting major changes in the agency, the training academy for screening officers and in updated procedures so that security could be more thorough.
Lawmakers are still concerned at the high rate of failure.
“This agency that you run is broken badly, and it needs your attention,” Representative Mike Rogers told David Pekoske, the TSA administrator, at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing Wednesday.
It’s unclear exactly how often workers failed to spot the weapons, because the number was revealed in closed session. CBS said it was “more than 70 percent,” while ABC reported the number 80 percent was “in the ballpark.”
Whatever the rate, Texas Representative Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, called it “disturbing.”
At the hearing, members of the House questioned why better technology hasn’t been in use across the country, for all of the 4.9 million carry-on bags the TSA scans per day. New equipment could create 3-D images of luggage to help screeners spot dangerous items, but it’s only in use at two airports so far. The scanning devices are being tested in Phoenix and Boston, but Pekoske says they were too large and heavy for other airports until recently.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.com ...
Once again, a problem that could be easily and cheaply solved, with security greatly improved, by a comprehensive TRAVEL BAN on anyone from approximately 30 Mid-East, North African or South Asian countries.
TSA: Too Stupid for Arby’s.
There are more Somali’s in Denver’s airport working for the TSA than Americans.
wouldn’t it be far cheaper to have armed security on each plane?
This is STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I once got to Las Vegas and found a pocket knife I forgot to remove from my pack.
I had a flashlight in my carry on last week that I expected would get a second look. Nope.
It’s also been years since I’ve removed my liquids from my bag.
Exactly. It seems that I get “man groped” every time. They ask permission but when I asked, “what if I say ‘no’?”. I was told, “you don’t really have a choice”. Amazing, I’m required to be fondled to board an aircraft.
They’re not “federal agents”. They’ not “law enforcement”. They’re nothing more than a screener with a badge in uniform. The PASSENGERS are the biggest deterrent.
One time, with a dozen of them standing around, somebody STOLE MY MONEY from a bin as it came out of the scanner. I asked, “where’s my money?”. They just looked at me. I asked again, “WHERE’S MY MONEY? Somebody just robbed me.”. The only reply I got was, “That’s not our responsibility.”. WHAT? They’re, literally, ok with people being robbed in their SECURITY domain. I openly said, “What are we paying all of you for???”. No reply.
A serious waste of tax payer money. They don’t consider you a customer. They’ll say, “we’re not paid by the airlines”. As though that means you’re not their customer, when their paycheck comes from you. I’ve witnessed these people being incredibly rude to people for no justifiable reason. Serious changes needed.
But they sure got that 4oz of toothpaste I was smuggling.
Silly Americans - the tsa’s not there for airport security.
Don’t worry, many are rich from sell the scanners.
Wow, that is comforting. 30% of the time now they catch the weapons and explosives! They’re getting better.
I haven’t heard of someone getting robbed like that, but how easily could it happen when they ask you to put all of your most precious things into an OPEN bin and then forcibly keep you from it as it sits in full view for many minutes sometimes. They don’t go after shoplifters any more either. They have cameras and they could look and see exactly who took your money.
They could have indeed. They weren’t, in the slightest, interested in doing so. So much for dedication to the customer.
I should’ve made a bigger deal about it - but, of course, it’s the last place you want to do so. I’ve since adopted the practice of putting all these items into my coat pocket, which goes through the scanner but people on the other side can’t see anything.
yet they pull my bag off the belt for inspection routinely for a few lemons, nuts or goofy stuff like that.
I do have to say I can agree with them checking my bag out not long after 9-11-2001 when I had a couple pounds of pottery clay in my bag and was not thinking they might have a problem with something like that. I also lost some jars of home made preserves to them before I realized “liquid” is not just fluids by their definition but also gel.
With so many Muslim baggage handlers TSA is kinda superfluous.
In Israel everyone gets a personal interview in line by a very polite piercing eyed usually pretty girl in their late 20s. If you are a mislim, are sweating or will not meet their eyes you will be searched. All the rest is just like the TSA.
It’s the profile section that catches most of the death cultists. And that is the part that TSA does not have.
You get flagged for.a.search and they will pull all your bags off the plane and search with a fine tooth comb.
I got flagged once as my computer wall paper was a bunker on the Lebanese border flying the UN flag on one end and Hizbullah on the other. It was during the Lebanon war when the UN calmed they could not locate Hizbullah to stop them firing rockets into Israel. The screener found it a bit curious that I had a couple of enemy flags on my laptop during a war.
Yep, they had a field day with my luggags, then nicely packed it all back in in order.
Unlike the dump and stuff method TSA does to my tool bag virtually every flight...
What TSA fails to comprehend is that the weapon is the man, not his tools.
I was looking for that.
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