Text 11864, 118 rader
Skriven 2005-04-20 06:13:00 av Jeff Binkley (1:226/600)
Ärende: Screeners
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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,153990,00.html

Report: Private Airport Screeners Better
Wednesday, April 20, 2005

WASHINGTON  A congressional investigation found airport screeners employed by
private companies do a better job detecting dangerous objects than government
screeners, according to a House member who has seen the classified report.

The Government Accountability Office (search) found statistically significant
evidence that passenger screeners, who work at five airports under a pilot
program, perform better than their federal counterparts at some 450 airports,
Rep. John Mica, R-Fla. and chairman of the House aviation subcommittee, said on
Tuesday.

"You get a statistically significant improvement if you go to federal
supervision with private screening companies," Mica said.

In a separate report issued Tuesday, the inspector general for the Homeland
Security Department (search) faulted the Transportation Security Administration
(search) for allowing lavish spending on a $19 million crisis management
center, including about $500,000 to acquire artwork, silk plants and other
decorative and miscellaneous items.

After the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, Congress ordered every commercial
airport but five to switch from privately employed screeners to a government
work force.

The five exceptions  in San Francisco; Tupelo, Miss.; Rochester, N.Y.; Kansas
City, Mo.; and Jackson Hole, Wyo.  all have private workers supervised by
Transportation Security Administration officials.


Mica wants to see that system at all U.S. airports.

Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio (search), a senior Democrat on the aviation
subcommittee, opposes private screeners.

DeFazio, who has seen the classified GAO report, said the difference between
the private and government screeners was statistically significant but still
slight.

"Neither number is adequate or reassuring to me and the difference is not very
large," DeFazio said.

TSA screeners' ability to find guns, weapons and other dangerous items since
the Sept. 11 attacks has been an ongoing concern.

The Homeland Security Department's acting inspector general, Richard Skinner,
issued a separate report on Tuesday that said the screeners' performance hadn't
improved since the previous audit  which indicated that screeners hadn't
improved since before the 2001 terrorist attacks.

In both inspector general audits, undercover agents tried to smuggle fake
weapons and bombs past screeners.

Though the screeners were diligent and responsible, Skinner said, "the lack of
improvement since our last audit indicates that significant improvement in
performance may not be possible without greater use of new technology."

TSA spokesman Mark Hatfield Jr. said the TSA has deployed new baggage screening
technology at three airports and plans to spend $30 million to install the new
machines at 100 more.

The TSA has also installed walk-through bomb detection machines at airports in
15 cities and plans to install them at the 40 busiest airports.

Finally, the agency expects to start testing backscatter machines, which can
find plastic weapons and improvised bombs, sometime later this year, Hatfield
said.

Congress allowed airports to opt out of the federal system and hire federal
screeners as of Nov. 19. Only one airport in Elko, Nev., has asked to use
private screeners.

Steve van Beek, executive vice president of the Airports Council International,
said airports are interested in using private screeners, but there are still
questions about liability if there's a terrorist attack.

Some airports would like to form subsidiaries to run the screening operations,
van Beek said, but are prohibited by state law.

There's also a lack of flexibility, he said. "You basically have to ask, 'Can I
do it this way, can I do it that way?"'

"Unfortunately, a program that was supposed to be creative and innovative has
turned into a 'Mother May I' system," van Beek said.

The Homeland Security inspector general also reported that the project manager
and facility operating officer improperly purchased decorative and
miscellaneous items for its new crisis management center in Herndon, Va. They
kept the nature of the purchases hidden by charging them to the construction
contract as "equipment and tools," according to the report.

The project spent $252,392 on artwork, $29,032 on art consultants, $30,085 on
silk plants and $13,861 on lamps and other equipment, the report said. The
vendor added a 20 percent markup, a credit for future purchases and
overpayments that totaled more than $174,000.

The project manager, facilities operation officer and an employee of the
Transportation Security Operations Center also used the government purchase
card to buy furniture and personal items, including loveseats, armoires,
leather briefcases and coffee pots, the report said.

While the center was being built, the project manager made decisions "that
appear wasteful," the report said. It cited offices and workspaces larger than
standards permitted; televisions with cable service in 45 of 55 offices; seven
kitchens with appliances that included dishwashers, icemakers and $3,000
refrigerators; and a 4,200-square-foot fitness center with a towel laundry
service for 79 federal employees.

"Our recommendations emphasize the need for TSA to adhere to disciplined
decision-making processes to ensure that projects are implemented at acceptable
costs and that procurement practices are consistent with statutes, regulations
and rules," the report said.

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