Posted on 07/02/2002 3:27:48 AM PDT by kattracks
Undercover agents got fake guns, bombs and even dynamite past security screeners almost 25% of the time at 32 major airports, a government report said yesterday.But Transportation Security Administration officials gave high marks to Newark and Kennedy airports, where security screeners detected fake weapons 90% of the time.
No airport got a perfect score.
The agency began supervising airport checkpoints in February, taking over the job from airlines, though screeners still work for private companies. Federal employees are to replace them by Nov. 19.
In the meantime, the agency continues to test how well the private screeners find weapons and explosives.
At three airports — Cincinnati, Las Vegas and Jacksonville, Fla. — undercover testers got weapons past security at least half the time. At Los Angeles International Airport, the failure rate was 41%.
Miami's airport had the best detection rate: 94%. Fort Lauderdale had a 90% rate.
At Newark Airport, where four terrorists got through security Sept. 11, hijacking and crashing United Airlines Flight 93 in a Pennsylvania field, the detection rate was 91%.
Kennedy Airport also was in the top category, with its screeners finding 89% of the fake weapons.
No figures were available for LaGuardia.
Overall, screeners failed to detect prohibited items 24% of the time.
Government employees are screening passengers at three airports — Baltimore; Louisville, Ky., and Mobile, Ala. The security agency said last week that it will begin overhauling checkpoints at more than 130 other airports this month.
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