Study: One in four fake weapons got past airport screeners

Associated Press / SFGate

[RCW2001]

JONATHAN D. SALANT, Associated Press Writer
Monday, July 1, 2002
©2002 Associated Press

URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/07/01/state1633EDT0109.DTL

(07-01) 13:33 PDT (AP) --

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Fake guns, bombs and other weapons got past security screeners almost one-fourth of the time at 32 major airports last month, a Transportation Security Administration official said Monday.

At three airports -- Cincinnati, Las Vegas and Jacksonville, Fla. -- undercover testers got weapons past security at least half the time, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official said the findings were incomplete and the testing period ended Monday.

At McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, spokeswoman Debbie Millet said the airport could not discuss security issues. She referred questions about the report to the Transportation Security Agency.

In February, the Transportation Security Administration, rather than the airlines, began supervising airport checkpoints, but the screeners continue to work for private companies. Federal employees are supposed to replace them by Nov. 19.

Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Mari K. Eder said the agency continues to test how well the screeners find weapons and explosives to help the agency improve security.

The test results were first reported Monday by USA Today.

Currently, government employees are screening passengers at only three airports -- Baltimore, Louisville, Ky., and Mobile, Ala. -- but the security agency said last week it will begin overhauling checkpoints at more than 130 other airports this month. That's the first step toward replacing the private screeners with an all-federal work force.

Progress toward hiring screeners may be delayed unless Congress approves a supplemental spending bill that includes some $4 billion for the agency, said Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta.

In a letter to lawmakers, Mineta warned it would be "nearly impossible" to meet the Nov. 19 deadline if the money was not approved. In addition, he wrote, the security agency would have to suspend purchases of explosive detection equipment and delay reconstruction of airport checkpoints.

Office of Management and Budget spokesman Trent Duffy said the White House would transfer at least $250 million to the Transportation Security Administration until the supplemental bill passes. In May, President Bush transferred $760 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The airport tests revealed screeners found hidden simulated weapons or explosives at least 90 percent of the time in Miami, Newark, N.J., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Honolulu. They missed the weapons 41 percent of the time in Los Angeles.

Overall, the screeners failed to detect prohibited items 24 percent of the time.

The Transportation Department's inspector general office earlier conducted its own undercover tests of 32 airports after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and found screeners missed knives 70 percent of the time, guns 30 percent of the time and simulated explosives 60 percent of the time, said a person familiar with the report. Those tests were conducted before February, when airlines still supervised security checkpoints.

---

On the Net:

Transportation Security Administration: www.tsa.dot.gov

©2002 Associated Press  

[Eagle Eye]

Now they'll spend so much time tying to get 100% of the FAKE items that they'll miss even more of the real bombs, guns, knives and nail clippers.

Is there a supplier for fake nail clippers that are only used in training? Are they blue or red, or can you choose?

[vannrox]

[tracer]

Yes, but three didn't get past the "screeners." Picky, picky, picky........

[Tacis]

That is now, but once Mineta is incharge, things will change. Hidden in Mineta's big red ball nose is a secret beam projector that will catch all these things. Federal security folks will be issued these same red ball noses and orange freight wigs. The beam projector really doesn't catch anything but no one will ever know that.

Once the feds take over, the report every year will show an improvement over the previous year; it will be a straight line getting better.

No, stupid, that's not how it really is, that's how Mineta will report it. If there ever is a problem with an aircraft, Mineta will blame it on someone else. The feds will be flawless on this, catching enough test weapons to look better evry year. Hell, the reports for the next 3 years are already drafted and written.

[CzarChasm]

Don't worry, they're much more vigilant where real weapons are concerned...

[Endeavor]

What about guns in the form of cell phones? Why is no one talking about that? Because they'd have to frisk every one of us then? Let's get serious about security or not transfer all these billions to Norm Mineta. I'm not convinced Norm has a clue how to spend it effectively.

Bullet proof the cockpit doors and allow the pilots to carry guns (and have the pilots stay in the cockpit regardless of what goes on in the rest of the plane). Then we won't need millions to billions for airport security and can spend that money on other aspects of the War on Terrorism.

[goodieD]

a lady called in to a local conservative talk show recently. She is a stewardess, and said one day a federal marshall came aboard. He wanted to let the captain know that the screener had allowed his gun in, but confiscated his nail clippers.

[Orion]

Could you imagine the horrific delays if the screeners were at all serious about keeping weapons out of the "sterile" area? You could have your average Hakim looking for the obvious, and spending about 30 seconds per "mark," or someone of above average intelligence who is really looking for something, and spending 90 seconds.

If pilots could use lethal force to defend the ship, who cares about what goes on at the security screen?

[goodieD]

If pilots could use lethal force to defend the ship, who cares about what goes on at the security screen?

Exactly.