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| 2005-04-08 | ||||||
The Transportation Security Administration, once the flagship agency in the nation's $20 billion effort to protect air travelers, is now targeted for sharp cuts in its high-profile mission. The latest sign came yesterday when the Bush administration asked David M. Stone, the TSA's director, to step down in June, according to aviation and government sources. Stone is the third top administrator to leave the three-year-old agency, which was created in the chaos and patriotism following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The TSA absorbed divisions of other agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration only to find itself the subject of a massive Department of Homeland Security reorganization.
Under provisions of President Bush's 2006 budget proposal favored by Congress, the TSA will lose its signature programs in the reorganization of Homeland Security. The agency will likely become just manager of airport security screeners -- a responsibility that itself could diminish as private screening companies increasingly seek a comeback at U.S. airports. The agency's very existence, in fact, remains an open question, given that the legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security contains a clause permitting the elimination of the TSA as a "distinct entity" after November 2004. "TSA, at the end of the day, is going to look more like the Postal Service," ...
Bush administration officials say they don't expect the demise of the TSA, adding they will know little about the future of the agency until new Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff completes his review of the department, which will likely prompt major changes. "TSA has taken significant steps to enhance the nation's transportation and aviation security over the course of the past two years, and TSA continues to have the confidence, not only of nation's air travelers, but of departmental leadership, to continue in this important mission," said Brian Roehrkasse, a Homeland Security spokesman. "Secretary Chertoff is open to adjustments in the way that DHS does business but will not advocate for or against any change until a thorough review of the changes is complete." The review is expected to be completed in May or June. The government has pumped more money into airline security than any other Homeland Security effort. Much of it goes toward salaries for more than 45,000 security screeners at over 400 airports. Travelers know the TSA mostly by its operations at the airport security checkpoint, a highly public role that magnifies the agency's smallest blunders and often forces it to defend itself.
The TSA won early plaudits for swiftly building the first new federal agency in decades and restoring confidence in the nation's aviation system. It achieved 51 goals demanded by Congress under tight deadlines and took over many responsibilities from the FAA, including the expansion and operation of a program of undercover air marshals. At its peak, it had 66,000 federal employees and met deadlines that were unthinkable by the federal government, installing luggage-scanning technology and hiring a new workforce of airport security screeners within a year. Bit by bit, however, the agency's responsibilities have steadily dwindled through a succession of directors. Many of its operations have been folded into Homeland Security, which it joined in 2003. The TSA scrapped early plans to create a broad law-enforcement division. The air marshals, who lobbied to leave the agency, were transferred to the department's Immigration and Customs Enforcement division -- to the dismay of TSA leaders. Next, the explosives unit left. Now, the agency's high-tech research labs in Atlantic City are also going to another division of the department. Last week, momentum accelerated in the push to replace federal screeners with private contractors at the nation's airports. FirstLine Transportation Security, a Cleveland-area private security firm, became the first company to win approval for liability coverage under the SAFETY Act, which means that if the firm takes over checkpoints, claims will be capped in the event of a terrorist attack. The move clears a major hurdle in the return of private screening companies. The law creating the TSA allowed for federal screeners to be replaced by private companies after two years. "We need to step back and look at the billions of dollars we spent on the system, which doesn't provide much more protection than we had before 9/11," said Rep. John L. Mica (R-Fla.), referring to tests conducted by the Department of Homeland Security inspector general that gave a "poor" rating to TSA screeners for their ability to catch weapons at checkpoints. Mica, a key lawmaker who helped write the law that created the agency and chairs the House aviation subcommittee, would like to see private contractors take over screening jobs at airports. "TSA was something we put in place in an emergency, but it needs to evolve. You could whittle TSA down to a very small organization and do a much better job."
Stone, the TSA's current leader, is new to Washington and has been known for his cautious -- some say near paranoid -- approach to security. He presides over a much slimmer Every morning, Stone begins a daily two- to four-hour intelligence meeting, in which he and 40 of his top managers review incident reports from the country's 429 major airports and from train, bus and trucking systems. They comb reports of evacuated terminals, unruly passengers and unattended bags, looking for the next big threat. Travelers, airport workers and flight crew members involved in incidents are nominated to the government's "watch lists," meaning they will be singled out for extra screening the next time they arrive at an airport. So-called "selectees" wind up on the agency's secret list because they disrupted a flight -- not necessarily because they are viewed as terrorists. For at least six months, the selectees will be pulled aside for extra scrutiny every time they fly. Several thousand names are believed to be on the list. Airlines have complained that hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent passengers, and even pilots, have been added to the TSA's selectee list or that some names are confused with those on the "No Fly" list, subjecting travelers to hassles. At a February meeting between the TSA and 18 major carriers, airline representatives were asked who had crew members on the list and "they all raised their hands," said one airline source who was present. Airline officials said crew members on the list must be stripped of their badges and cannot perform their duties, according to TSA rules. Stone said "one or two" pilots who are approved to carry guns in the cockpit have been put on the selectee list in the past year. He said he recalls a "handful" of other pilots who have been added to the selectee list because they were involved in "outrageous" incidents. He cited an incident last year in which an intoxicated pilot punched a patron at a restaurant and threatened him. "We take all of these incidents seriously and we work to resolve them quickly because we know that people's livelihoods are at stake," said Mark Hatfield, a TSA spokesman. Stone faces the challenge of keeping the TSA's workforce motivated. Many screeners took their jobs expecting that the new agency would provide a path to a federal career. At a recent hearing, Stone acknowledged that screeners suffer from low morale. According to an internal survey last year, 35 percent of employees are satisfied with their job.
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| Posted by:Steve White |
| #6 You need to arrive at Ben Gurion no later than 3 hours before your flight. No curbside check in and a total of 5 security stops, including one on the way into the airport. |
| Posted by: Remoteman 2005-04-08 2:59:14 PM |
| #5 BAR, I don't think El Al flights themselves are delayed more, but I do believe that the passengers have to report much earlier. On the other hand, Israeli security doesn't waste its time ransacking the possessions of 80 year old women in wheelchairs and focuses on those who are the most likely to cause trouble. In Israel that's called prudence. In the US it's called racial profiling. |
| Posted by: Dreadnought 2005-04-08 11:38:01 AM |
| #4 Real security measures like El Al uses would work, but American travelers would never tolerate the delay. Ask the question of Americans in a straightforward manner: "Would you be willing to part with security in an effort to get to your destination faster?" I'd guess the typical answer would be "no". The question is, are El Al flights any more delayed than others? Seems to me they wouldn't be. El Al doesn't try to treat everyone equally; they profile, which is typically aimed at a small number of individuals. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-04-08 11:23:40 AM |
| #3 I'm reminded of that EIB adfake for TSA... the one with: "I used to soil myself down at the bus station. This is much better." I've seen the folks they put in uniform on my frequent (Chicago) Blue Line trips, and I didn't feel any safer knowing they were Federalized. Not really any less safe, either. You see, I never blamed them for 9-11, unlike a bunch of showboating Congressmen. (*cough*Mark Kirk*cough*) |
| Posted by: eLarson 2005-04-08 8:10:42 AM |
| #2 Stone is the third top administrator to leave the three-year-old agency, which was created in the chaos and patriotism... More like chaos and opportunism. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2005-04-08 2:35:11 AM |
| #1 Fact is the 9/11 terrorist attacks worked because of the element of surprise. On flight 93 where the passengers learned the fate of the other planes via cell phone they organized a counter attack against the hijackers and re-took the cockpit. Today anyone trying to hijack a plane is more likely to be beaten to death with laptop computers and various pieces of luggage. Thousands Standing Around (TSA) searching little old ladies and confiscating medals of honor from veterans are not going to make us any safer than the pre-9/11 security measures. Air Marshals are a good idea (though not with the stupid dress code the agency enforces). Better screening would work, but the ACLU would never allow it. Real security measures like El Al uses would work, but American travelers would never tolerate the delay. |
| Posted by: DMFD 2005-04-08 2:07:36 AM |