Auditors Question TSA's Tech Spending, Security Solutions

Frosty P writes "Government auditors have faulted the TSA and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, for failing to properly test and evaluate technology before spending money on it. The TSA spent about $36 million on devices that puffed air on travelers to 'sniff' them out for explosives residue. All 207 of those machines ended up in warehouses, abandoned as unable to perform as advertised, deployed in many airports before the TSA had fully tested them. Since it was founded in 2001, the TSA has spent roughly $14 billion in more than 20,900 transactions with dozens of contractors, including $8 billion for the famous new body scanners that have recently come under scrutiny for being unable to perform the task for which they are advertised. 'TSA has an obsession of finding a single box that will solve all its problems. They've spent and wasted money looking for that one box, and there is no such solution,' said John Huey, an airport security expert."

Comments

Re:/. is always days behind..

[Foobar of Borg]

Used to be cutting edge

Uh, when the fuck was this? Was it back when the Internet had no trolls and everyone on slashdot wrote thoughtful, well-reasoned commentary?

Puffed air....

[gandhi_2]

36 million on devices to puff air?

The TSA can blow me for free.

Re:/. is always days behind..

[The_mad_linguist]

Woooooooosh!

Re:see what happens when point out holes in the TS

[TheGratefulNet]

does that include lessons on *landing* as well?

Re:Why not use dogs?

[93 Escort Wagon]

Bomb sniffing dogs won't find knives...

You're right - for that, you need knife-sniffing dogs.

Re:Dogs and Pigs

[initialE]

2. Pigs. Even better than dogs.

Your solution is hiring more police?

Re:Who'da Thunk?

[Stargoat]

My Freedom Fondle two weeks ago was a cheap way to strip me of my 4th Amendment rights.

Re:/. is always days behind..

[GameboyRMH]

And before that, Caveman Ugg was drawing dongs on other people's cave entrances.