Posted on 08/18/2004 5:46:57 AM PDT by OESY
Last week four screeners for the Transportation Security Administration were arrested at Kennedy and La Guardia airports for stealing money, jewelry and other valuables from checked bags. The agents were caught in a sting operation after a torrent of complaints about luggage thefts. These arrests likely represent only a fraction of the abuses nationwide.
In April, four agents in Detroit were arrested for stealing laptop computers, cameras and other items from checked luggage. In June, four agents were arrested at the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., airport on charges of stealing cameras, laptop computers, perfume, CD players and money. Also in June, one screener was arrested in Philadelphia for stealing $335 from a passenger passing through his checkpoint, and 13 screeners were arrested in New Orleans on charges of stealing valuables from checked luggage. Many have been suspended with full pay while awaiting the outcome of the cases. According to the transportation agency, more than 28,000 claims of loss or damage have been filed.
While there have been some successful prosecutions, in at least one case the T.S.A. let a screener off the hook. Last year, video cameras recorded a Miami screener stealing CD's from checked luggage. But criminal charges were dropped after the screener's lawyer made it clear that he planned to ask a government official about T.S.A. operations at the trial.
The possibilities for mischief are considerable. Congress requires the transportation agency to check all airline baggage with bomb-detection machinery or with hand-held bomb detectors. More than $5 billion has been spent by the government and airports to purchase and install the new equipment. Unfortunately, the machines are unreliable. In 2002, Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta told Congress that the machines have a false-positive rate of 35 percent - and if a bag tests positive, it must be searched by hand. To do this, agents routinely examine baggage in closed areas, far from prying eyes.
To complicate matters, the agency initially recommended that all passengers not lock their baggage to facilitate searches. The agency has since recommended that people buy T.S.A.-approved locks, but these have often been cut by screeners despite the agency's seal of approval.
The T.S.A. denies that a nationwide theft problem exists, and stresses that the vast majority of its 45,000 employees have not been accused of wrongdoing. It has nevertheless worked hard to limit its liability for baggage thefts and damage. According to the Air Transport Association, which represents the major United States airlines, the T.S.A. seeks to limit its total liability to $3 million a year - regardless of how much damage travelers incur.
In some ways, the thefts are not surprising. The transportation agency has done an abysmal job of managing its workforce. In June 2003, the agency admitted that it had failed to screen its own screeners and fired more than 1,200 employees after they failed criminal background checks or other internal investigations.
Some Americans may believe that luggage thefts are a small price to pay for making air travel safe. But the safety is a mirage. Tests by the Government Accountability Office and other federal agencies have found that the airport safety net continues to be full of holes. Clark Kent Ervin, the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security, told Congress in April that T.S.A. screeners performed poorly in response to covert tests. More recently, the 9/11 commission report warned that "major vulnerabilities still exist'' in aviation security.
Airport security must be overhauled. Instead of relying on thousands of federal agents following often pointless routines (like treating grandmothers as potential hijackers), aviation security can be improved by relying on innovative procedures, including the use of private screeners trained to higher standards than T.S.A. agents, focusing on passengers who pose the greatest apparent risk and ceasing to shield airports and airlines from liability law suits if they fail to protect their customers.
President Bush said in 2002 that the law that created the T.S.A. "greatly enhanced the protections for America's passengers.'' But it takes more than long lines and delays at airport checkpoints to defeat terrorist threats. Is it wise to trust the T.S.A. to make air travel safe when it has a hard time protecting Americans from its own agents?
Why isn't the headline, "TSA Dismal Failure, Bush to Blame"?
Just a hit piece.
But in seriousness, thieves, cheats, liars and con-men are able to get positions of influence and power. That's the way it is, and will always be. I don't fault the TSA for having the same problem that EVERY organization has.
That is our tax dollars hard at work. We need to hire more of these people. Look at all the fuel we would save by cutting down on the weight the aircraft have to carry.
That is why I still put a padlock on my checked bag.
I want them to at least work to steal something.
When the TSA first put its "don't-lock-the-bag" policy into effect, I tried finding out from the TSA what measures were in place to prevent people from stealing from unlocked bags. The TSA declined to answer.
If these scum are so ready to rip passengers off, no one can tell me they cannot be bribed by terrorists.
If you need camera equipement, make friends
with someone who works at an airline.
"Just a hit piece" Yup, last paragraph, Bush.
I hadn't looked at the news source before I read the article but thought New York Times as soon as I read the last paragraph. Mickey Moore journalism.
I guess I'm one of the torrent. When traveling from BWI to PHX, I picked up my suitcase and noticed that the zipper was not closed. An inventory when I got home revealed the only thing gone was a DVD I'd bought for FrogDad while on my business trip.
A call to the airport resulted in a, "Sorry 'bout that, it must have come open through handling" response.
Next time I traveled I secured the bags with bright orange cable ties. If they were going to get into them, they weren't going to be able to tell me it was an accident!
My headline in reply # 3 would have saved a lot of words for the author.
Hey, that's cool. That means we don't have a terrorist problem, either, because the vast majority of airliners didn't fly into buildings on September 11.
So, I don't carry anything valuable ever. I have it shipped ahead FedEx.
You're right. This is a disappointing article.
I'm going to take your advice.
I fly 100k miles a year. Many of the TSA employees couldnt be hired to be cashiers at 7-11. One more example of government success.
In fairness, it varies widely from state to state. I would say the red states tend to a better job. What a surprise!!
TSA- Thousands Standing Around.
If these scum are so ready to rip passengers off, no one can tell me they cannot be bribed by terrorists.
"Clark Kent Ervin, the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security..."
OH COME ON!!!
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