Airport screeners perform ‘poorly’

Airport screeners employed by both the federal government and private companies perform poorly despite a multibillion-dollar revamping of aviation security after the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Homeland Security inspector general told a congressional panel yesterday.

The private and public screeners “performed about the same, which is to say, equally poorly,” Homeland Security Inspector General Clark Kent Ervin testified to the House Transportation and Infrastructure aviation subcommittee.

More than 100 airports, including the three major ones in the Washington area, are considering switching to private screeners this fall.

Subcommittee Chairman John L. Mica, Florida Republican, said the problems are bad enough that he plans an emergency meeting with Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge in the next 10 days to figure out a way to improve airport security.

“We have a system that doesn’t work,” Mr. Mica said.

He threatened to subpoena Mr. Ridge and other Homeland Security officials if they do not respond to his request for a meeting.

“This is a very serious situation, and its needs our attention,” Mr. Mica said.

The aviation subcommittee was examining how well federal screeners perform compared with screeners for private companies.

The 2001 Aviation and Transportation Security Act, which established the federal screener work force, gives airports the option of replacing them with private companies beginning Nov. 19 if they can demonstrate security would not diminish.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has been testing use of private screeners at five airports: in San Francisco; Kansas City, Mo.; Rochester, N.Y.; Jackson Hole, Wyo.; and Tupelo, Miss.

Reports from the General Accounting Office, the Homeland Security Department inspector general and a private consulting firm also accused the TSA of being too bureaucratic and unresponsive.

All three investigative reports said their conclusions were based on limited information because the TSA did not adequately monitor the performance of screeners.

“Without those performance standards, we aren’t going to be able to evaluate effectively,” said Rep. James L. Oberstar, Minnesota Democrat.

Generally, investigators relied on tests in which TSA internal affairs agents tried to sneak “threat objects,” such as fake explosives or guns, through airport checkpoints.

“Overall, these tests have shown weaknesses in both private and federal screeners’ ability to detect threat objects,” said the report from the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress.

Story Continues →