You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Home Front: WoT
TSA screeners can't find dangerous stuff in luggage
2006-08-24
Your homeland security dollars at work. Thanks Mr. Mineta.
ORLANDO, Florida — More than half the federal security force at Orlando International Airport failed a test in June to measure how well the officers detect explosives, guns and other threats at passenger checkpoints, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

A total of 501 people failed a test known as Threat Image Projection in June, according to a Transportation Security Administration memorandum obtained by the Orlando Sentinel. That represents about 60 percent of the airport's 830 security officers. The test randomly flashes images of explosives or other banned items onto the X-ray screen as carry-on bags are being processed through the machines.

Officers who consistently fail to recognize dangerous images fail the test and are required to undergo remedial training.
"Okay, Horace, once again, this is a gun ..."
TSA spokesman Christopher White declined to comment Wednesday on any of the numbers cited by the newspaper but said the officers fared better on the test in July. He called the June test results an "anomaly" and noted that the test is just one of many methods used to evaluate officers.

The high number of failures in June was the result of an increased number of new and less-experienced officers hired from the local Mickey D's on the job, scheduling changes and new, less-familiar threat images on the test, White said.
Posted by:Steve White

#6  The TSI is a vehicle used by individuals to get security clearances.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2006-08-24 09:57  

#5  Anyone who flies regularly realized this years ago. The private firms did a much better job. The TSA is a jobs program, not a security program.
Posted by: mcsegeek1   2006-08-24 09:36  

#4  Give them bread and game. This is one of the games.
Posted by: Cresing Snash7547   2006-08-24 09:10  

#3  I s'pose we should be grateful nothing terrible has happened on this side of the pond, then.
Posted by: trailing wife   2006-08-24 09:06  

#2  This really inspires confidence. Looks like the passengers themselves will have to continue their own protective profiling. Just empty the plane if anything looks suspicious. The airlines will soon start doing something or go further into debt than they already are.
Posted by: SOP35/Rat   2006-08-24 01:07  

#1  ...and in other news, the Vatican today released a statement saying that the Pope is Catholic.
Posted by: N guard   2006-08-24 00:25  

00:00