Oh hay it is the TSA

hsmith · 10-18-2007, 05:30 PM

USATODAY.com

WASHINGTON — Security screeners at two of the nation's busiest airports failed to find fake bombs hidden on undercover agents posing as passengers in more than 60% of tests last year, according to a classified report obtained by USA TODAY.

Screeners at Los Angeles International Airport missed about 75% of simulated explosives and bomb parts that Transportation Security Administration testers hid under their clothes or in carry-on bags at checkpoints, the TSA report shows.

At Chicago O'Hare International Airport, screeners missed about 60% of hidden bomb materials that were packed in everyday carry-ons — including toiletry kits, briefcases and CD players. San Francisco International Airport screeners, who work for a private company instead of the TSA, missed about 20% of the bombs, the report shows. The TSA ran about 70 tests at Los Angeles, 75 at Chicago and 145 at San Francisco.

The report looks only at those three airports, using them as case studies to understand how well the rest of the U.S. screening system is working to stop terrorists from carrying bombs through checkpoints.

The failure rates at Los Angeles and Chicago stunned security experts.

"That's a huge cause for concern," said Clark Kent Ervin, the Homeland Security Department's former inspector general. Screeners' inability to find bombs could encourage terrorists to try to bring them on airplanes, Ervin said, and points to the need for more screener training and more powerful checkpoint scanning machines.

In the past year, the TSA has adopted a more aggressive approach in its attempt to keep screeners attentive — the agency runs covert tests every day at every U.S. airport, TSA spokeswoman Ellen Howe said. Screeners who miss detonators, timers, batteries and blocks that resemble plastic explosives get remedial training.

The failure rates at Los Angeles and Chicago are "somewhat misleading" because they don't reflect screeners' improved ability to find bombs, Howe said.

TSA chief Kip Hawley, responding to previous reports about screeners missing hidden weapons, told a House hearing Tuesday that high failure rates stem from increasingly difficult covert tests that require screeners to find bomb parts the size of a pen cap. "We moved from testing of completely assembled bombs … to the small component parts," he said.

Terrorists bringing a homemade bomb on an airplane, or bringing on bomb parts and assembling them in the cabin, is the top threat against aviation. "Their focus is on using items easily available off grocery and hardware store shelves," Hawley said.

A report on covert tests in 2002 found screeners failed to find fake bombs, dynamite and guns 24% of the time. The TSA ran those tests shortly after it took over checkpoint screening from security companies.

Tests earlier in 2002 showed screeners missing 60% of fake bombs. In the late 1990s, tests showed that screeners missed about 40% of fake bombs, according to a separate report by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress.

The recent TSA report says San Francisco screeners face constant covert tests and are "more suspicious."

I am shocked, the gov't agency is an absolute FAILURE at passing the tests, while the private company does a much better (even though not great) job. More proof the wonderful jobs program that is the TSA is just a waste of tax payer money that "pretends" to work

SoFlaJDM · 10-18-2007, 05:32 PM

us republicans will keep you safe!!! vote for us!!!

hsmith · 10-18-2007, 05:34 PM

Originally Posted by SoFlaJDM

us republicans will keep you safe!!! vote for us!!!

I guess you need a fake bomb strapped to your chest that doesn't even look like a bomb to get the screeners attention

RMNIXON · 10-18-2007, 06:32 PM

Originally Posted by SoFlaJDM

us republicans will keep you safe!!! vote for us!!!

Yeah, like no Democrat has anything to do with the everyday fuctions of Government.

And nothing at LAX is a shock to me.

Publius · 10-19-2007, 09:43 AM

I know a guy that is a TSA screener (Rev. Links over on OT) ... As a result, even if I believed the government COULD do this job well, I'd have absolutely no faith in the TSA because of the people they hire.

7960 · 10-19-2007, 10:02 AM

Originally Posted by Publius

I know a guy that is a TSA screener (Rev. Links over on OT) ... As a result, even if I believed the government COULD do this job well, I'd have absolutely no faith in the TSA because of the people they hire.

That's the shit that scares me.... a friend of mine is an engineer and is designing a bridge. I went to calc and physics classes with the guy. There's no way I'm driving over that bridge.

Stylerod · 10-19-2007, 10:17 AM

In other news. TSA screener's have found Micro Leatherman tool in my carry on bag 2 out of the 3 times I have forgotten to put it in my suitcase. Fuckers.

7960 · 10-19-2007, 10:25 AM

Originally Posted by Stylerod

In other news. TSA screener's have found Micro Leatherman tool in my carry on bag 2 out of the 3 times I have forgotten to put it in my suitcase. Fuckers.

I have (had) a 2" pen knife in my backpack and they took it and the guy immediately dropped it in a mailbox-looking thing. I said I wanted it back so I could run it out to my car and he refused. So I asked for the supervisor......you would have thought I asked for a kidney. He finally got the supervisor and he told the screener "I told you to offer people the chance to do something with it! Open the box." The guy opened it and gave me my knife and I ran it out to my car.

While the safe was open.........you should have seen the shit they confiscated!! There were a few kitchen butcher knives in there. The kind with 7" or 8" blades.

AVengeance · 10-19-2007, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by 7960

I...

While the safe was open.........you should have seen the shit they confiscated!! There were a few kitchen butcher knives in there. The kind with 7" or 8" blades.

awe, damnit, those were mine. Shoulda picked 'em up for me

thomez · 10-19-2007, 12:12 PM

Originally Posted by hsmith

"That's a huge cause for concern," said Clark Kent Ervin, the Homeland Security Department's former inspector general. Screeners' inability to find bombs could encourage terrorists to try to bring them on airplanes, Ervin said, and points to the need for more screener training and more powerful checkpoint scanning machines.

and of course the solution is to spend more taxpayer dollars on the task... even though it is obvious that the market solution is providing a much better service for the same dollar spent. Brilliant.

David Octavius · 10-19-2007, 01:43 PM

Originally Posted by thomez

....even though it is obvious that the market solution is providing a much better service for the same dollar spent. Brilliant.

Last year according the San Francisco Chronicle:

Federal transportation officials and a private security firm at San Francisco International Airport worked together to undermine a federal investigation of passenger screening at security checkpoints, according to a report released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

For 16 months ending last year, Transportation Security Administration employees tipped off screeners from Covenant Aviation Security that undercover agents were on their way to the airport's checkpoints to test whether the screeners were properly inspecting passengers and their carry-on luggage, the report said.

Despite the charges, the private security firm was rehired two weeks ago with a $314 million, four-year contract at the airport to screen passengers and checked bags. Employees of the firm and the security agency were disciplined as a result of the investigation but none lost their jobs.

SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT / Screening tests were sabotaged / Security workers were warned when undercover agent arrived

That firm is dirty - that USAToday report means shit after this

AVengeance · 10-19-2007, 01:45 PM

a government agency conspiring against another one? un-possible!

Publius · 10-19-2007, 01:47 PM

Originally Posted by thomez

and of course the solution is to spend more taxpayer dollars on the task... even though it is obvious that the market solution is providing a much better service for the same dollar spent. Brilliant.

"Our screeners work at only 25% efficiency ... If we quadruple the number of workers and their budget, they'll be at 100%!"

/governmentalbureaucraticlogic

thomez · 10-19-2007, 02:40 PM

Originally Posted by David Octavius

Last year according the San Francisco Chronicle:

SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT / Screening tests were sabotaged / Security workers were warned when undercover agent arrived

That firm is dirty - that USAToday report means shit after this

so tell me, why aren't the TSA people helping the other TSA people the same way?

David Octavius · 10-19-2007, 03:12 PM

Originally Posted by thomez

so tell me, why aren't the TSA people helping the other TSA people the same way?

It does not matter and has no relevance here...given the private firms history, those "good" numbers they put up are questionable at best.

RMNIXON · 10-19-2007, 05:00 PM

Originally Posted by Stylerod

In other news. TSA screener's have found Micro Leatherman tool in my carry on bag 2 out of the 3 times I have forgotten to put it in my suitcase. Fuckers.

You need to wear a turban and they will leave you the hell alone!

David Octavius · 10-19-2007, 05:06 PM

Originally Posted by RMNIXON

You need to wear a turban and they will leave you the hell alone!

Many people who wear turbans are Sikhs - which is not Muslim...not that you actually care, but just putting that out there...

7960 · 10-19-2007, 07:46 PM

Originally Posted by David Octavius

Many people who wear turbans are Sikhs - which is not Muslim...not that you actually care, but just putting that out there...

apparently everyone who works at san jose car rental place is sikh, then, because they all have them..........they also gave me the kind of laugh that comes way too infrequently. I was picking up a car and it was POURING rain. I ran and got in my car and was sitting there organizing shit when one of the lot attendant guys knocked on the door. I leaned down so I could look up and that's when I saw it............he had a shower cap covering his turban. You know, the kind old ladies wear so they don't mess up their hair. I was fucking DYING laughing for so long he walked away. I sort of felt bad afterwards but since it was nearing nighttime and he didn't see my face, there's no way he knew why I was laughing.

Stylerod · 10-20-2007, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by 7960

apparently everyone who works at san jose car rental place is sikh, then, because they all have them..........they also gave me the kind of laugh that comes way too infrequently. I was picking up a car and it was POURING rain. I ran and got in my car and was sitting there organizing shit when one of the lot attendant guys knocked on the door. I leaned down so I could look up and that's when I saw it............he had a shower cap covering his turban. You know, the kind old ladies wear so they don't mess up their hair. I was fucking DYING laughing for so long he walked away. I sort of felt bad afterwards but since it was nearing nighttime and he didn't see my face, there's no way he knew why I was laughing.

RMNIXON · 10-20-2007, 03:13 PM

Originally Posted by David Octavius

Many people who wear turbans are Sikhs - which is not Muslim...not that you actually care, but just putting that out there...

Yes, I did although I was not thinking about it. So if you stop people in turbans does that mean it is not race or religious profiling?