When It Comes To Aviation Security Be Afraid – Very Afraid

The Stiletto ^ | August 23, 2006 | The Stiletto

[theothercheek]

The Orlando Sentinel reports that 501 of the 830 security officers at Orlando International Airport (60 percent) failed a test in June that assesses how well they can detect explosives, guns and other banned items at passenger checkpoints. The Threat Image Projection (TIP) test requires screeners to identify and flag images of banned items in carry-on bags that are randomly flashed onto the X-ray screen. When such an image is seen, the screener must push a button; those who consistently fail the test are given remedial training.

According to the paper, a spokesperson for the TSA attributed the high number of failures in June to an increased number of “new and less experienced officers” who had been hired in late spring, “scheduling changes” and “new, less-familiar images being used in the test.” The spokesperson added that the July results were “better” – but declined to give comparative statistical information for “security reasons.”

The Stiletto needs a moment to deconstruct this “explanation”:

† New hires are manning security checkpoints even though they clearly were not trained well enough to ace the test.

† Scheduling changes resulted in a higher number of less experienced officers manning the airport’s checkpoints than seasoned officers when the test was administered. If many of the best and brightest security officers were no-shows when the TSA was scrutinizing the performance of screeners at the airport, imagine the level of competence on a typical day when no one’s looking.

† Whether the officers were experienced or not, they did not do as well on the test when new images were mixed in with the familiar ones they had already seen. Clearly, their training does not enable them to recognize novel threats – like individual components of a liquid explosive that can be assembled on board. It is also possible that they are not really paying close attention to the X-ray screen as bags pass through – and are instead relying on “pattern recognition” to identify potential hazards.

† Since the Orlando Sentinel was able to obtain the June results, obviously the “sensitive security information” is not guarded all that closely. The barn door is open, the horse has escaped and the TSA now needs to give the 30+ million passengers who fly in and out of Orlando International Airport statistical proof that the issue has been addressed, not vague assurances.

The Orlando Sentinel quotes a security officer as blaming the high failure rate on “a bureaucracy saddled with outdated security equipment and plagued by low morale.” Said one: “You can get really anything through, pretty much. It scares me; it really does.”

The article also mentions a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released in March revealing that the makings of homemade bombs got past TSA officers at 21 airports nationwide.

The Stiletto scanned through GAO reports on aviation security and transportation security from January 1 through August 15, 2006. The titles alone speak volumes ...

Clearly, it’s time for the TSA to start screening for terrorists, since screening for weapons terrorists might use is imperfect and inadequate – or, to use their well-worn phase, “challenges remain” to ensure passenger safety to the extent possible using current methods.

NOTE: This is an excerpt from "The Daily Blade" feature. The full report includes links to recent GAO reports on aviation security.

SEE ALSO: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-tsa2306aug23,0,3670097.story?coll=orl-news-headlines-orange