Originally Posted by
RatherBeOnATrain
The Center for Public Integrity, one of the country's country's oldest and largest nonpartisan, nonprofit investigative news organizations, has posted this Alexandra Dusnak article:
iwatchnews.org: TSA cannot guarantee accuracy of 900,000 airport security badges
Ms. Dusnak opened her article with this line:
More than 10 percent of the TSA’s identification badges have errors that could compromise airport security, a new audit has found.
Her article also links to the
Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General's report, TSA's Oversight of the Airport Badging
Process Needs Improvement (redacted), dated July 07, 2011.
Page 6 of the DHS OIG report cracked me up, when I read this explanation:
At one airport, a record contained a questionable date of birth; however, the record belonged to an airport canine. According to airport officials, they had issued badges to working dogs in the past. Although we were informed that Exhibit 1. Canines such as this is no longer standard practice, this one were previously issued badges. this canine was still listed as an active badge holder at the time of our visit.
I have not finished reading the whole DHS OIG report, but it appears to be full of explanations about how the "sterile area" is anything but!
Very interesting article and DHS report -- shows there is a huge hole in security. The TSA screeners, baggage people, and everyone else who has access to the sterile area and planes should be checked and rechecked -- every single day, every single time they go in and out of the sterile area -- that is if they are truly sincere about making sure we are safe. The key words here are "truly sincere."