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Long TSA Delays Force Airports To Hire Private Security Contractors (popsci.com)
An anonymous Slashdot reader writes:
TSA checkpoints caused 6,800 American Airlines passengers to miss their flights in just one week this spring, and the problem isn't improving. "Two years ago the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) offered $15,000 to anybody -- literally anybody -- who could come up with an idea to speed up airport security..." writes Popular Science. "They wouldn't say who won or for which idea, but since we're here two years later with longer wait times than ever, it's fair to say it hasn't lived up to the groundbreaking ideals of that call to action... Now in summer 2016, the TSA recommends arriving three hours early instead of a mere two."
So this spring the Seattle-Tacoma airport replaced many of the TSA staff with private screeners, although "Private security operates under strict direction from the TSA, and even those airports that heavily utilize private contractors still have a lot of TSA personnel in the back rooms..." according to the article. "The ability to do exactly what the TSA does, only faster and cheaper, seems to be the major draw." Now 22 U.S. airports are using private screeners, although the Seattle and San Francisco airports are the only ones with significant traffic.
The article also cites a Homeland Security report which discovered that investigators were able to smuggle a test bomb past security checkpoints in 67 out of 70 tests.
So this spring the Seattle-Tacoma airport replaced many of the TSA staff with private screeners, although "Private security operates under strict direction from the TSA, and even those airports that heavily utilize private contractors still have a lot of TSA personnel in the back rooms..." according to the article. "The ability to do exactly what the TSA does, only faster and cheaper, seems to be the major draw." Now 22 U.S. airports are using private screeners, although the Seattle and San Francisco airports are the only ones with significant traffic.
The article also cites a Homeland Security report which discovered that investigators were able to smuggle a test bomb past security checkpoints in 67 out of 70 tests.
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/05/19/airports-are-fed-up-with-tsa-heres-why-it-will-be-hard-to-break-up-with-them.html
Especially to the fact that these private companies are hired by the TSA
I have to disagree with you on one of your suggestions. Get rid of DHS too. The only thing DHS and TSA both accomplish is abusing the constitutional rights of American citizens on a daily basis. Neither organization has done anything to actually improve security. For starters, just look at how many TSA employees have breached security or been caught stealing from luggage. And how about the DHS confiscating laptops and phones at the border.
I want a new quote. One that won't spill. One that don't cost too much. Or come in a pill.
You wont get any argument from me that DHS is too large and is abusing the powers of the Patriot Act, which should have never been extended. Once the Patriot Act goes away the DHS will not be able to (legally) maintain its current size and scope. The general idea of it is less flawed than its implementation with overreach. And having ICE under DHS, where not only do we not address exploitation of undocumented aliens, as well as software/music/movie copyright infringement? WTF? Rehaul it without a doubt.
I know a guy who couldn't hold a job even at Target, Wendy's, corner gas station... Now he works for the TSA.
He's not making fat cash, but this is a guy who wasn't even capable of working at Target as a shelf stocker and now he's working at security checkpoints. If I thought the TSA actually did anything I'd be horrified.
And they're union (I don't think union is automatically bad, but government and union is the worst possible combo), so performance is a joke and he can't get fired short of doing something blatantly illegal (and maybe not even then). Luckily he's just dumb, not crooked, but there are plenty of low class criminals working for TSA. Sometimes they even get caught.
Flight 93
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
...Buy more explosives checkers, and get ones so sensitive they'll detect the explosives inside a firearm cartridge loaded inside a gun. Don't look for the metal. Look for the cartridge.
In any system, there are always two complementary failure modes. We call these "type 1" and "type 2" errors. For example, a switch can fail open (does not conduct when it should conduct) or closed (conducts when it is not supposed to conduct).
For a detector, the error types are "false negative", failing to detect an explosive that is there, and "false positive"-- detecting an explosive when one is not there.
It's easy to make a detective super sensitive. Of course, this means that the false positive rate will be astronomical.
That's exactly what I've been doing for the past few years. Avoiding the US. All my tourism and shopping dollars are going elsewhere.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
Confirming that this is true. I used to go to the US at least once a year, every year. I haven't been for 5 or 6 years and I actively seek flights that bypass the US hubs.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
Seconded, added to the fact that US Immigration seems unable to accept that some people actually come to the US for tourism or business and not to over-stay their visas. All-in-all, flying into, out of, and around the USA is a truly ghastly experience.
I recently flew to Europe and the checks in Europe are reasonable and thus quite fast. In the US you have to get to a rather needless state of undress, pass soft x-ray machines, get a pat down, and potentially get elected for further search. In Europe, you can keep your shoes on, pass through a metal detector, and if that does not sound an alarm you grab your stuff and move on. All these TSA checks are totally over the top, time consuming, and with little to no effect beyond what was done before. Plus, plenty of times the checks are proven to be ineffective. Even worse is immigrations. In Europe they check your passport, if that does not come up on a list as flagged they wish you a good day and you are on your way. In the US, you get to fill out custom forms, then answer tons of questions at a kiosk, then scan in every passport document you may have, then try ten times until that automatic camera manages to take your picture, and if you happen to be a legal resident you get fingerprinted yet again. You get a receipt and then walk up to an officer who except for the picture does exactly the same stuff that they always did. So why did I have to fight for ten minutes with a badly designed kiosk app? All that does not curb any bad things from happening and only increases the lengths of the lines. So, how about US officials get their act together and keep only those checks that indeed accomplish something and get rid of everything else. Paying the TSA clerks more than minimum wage will also help. TSA is the largest government employment program the US has ever seen. A lot of money spent with not much to show for.