wigstheone
Apr 5, 02, 9:42 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Transportation Department is moving too slowly in developing a comprehensive plan to provide layers of security at airports, a government advisory board said Friday.
As a result, bomb-detection machines are being installed at airports even though it is uncertain how they will fit into the overall security plan, the National Research Council said.
The report was issued as the new Transportation Security Administration tries to meet a year-end congressional deadline for installing enough explosive detection machines to inspect all checked baggage.
``It's not helpful when Congress says, 'Deploy 2,000 machines by the end of this year,' when we know it's almost impossible,'' said Thomas Hartwick, chairman of the council's committee reviewing aviation security technologies.
``It's better to say, 'Let's get the system right,' and make a long-range plan,'' Hartwick said. ``The probability of finding a bomb in the bag is something that you have to calculate for the whole system.''
The report said the Transportation Department needs to develop an overall security plan, from deciding which passengers should undergo extra scrutiny to which bags should get additional checks.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Airline-Security.html
As a result, bomb-detection machines are being installed at airports even though it is uncertain how they will fit into the overall security plan, the National Research Council said.
The report was issued as the new Transportation Security Administration tries to meet a year-end congressional deadline for installing enough explosive detection machines to inspect all checked baggage.
``It's not helpful when Congress says, 'Deploy 2,000 machines by the end of this year,' when we know it's almost impossible,'' said Thomas Hartwick, chairman of the council's committee reviewing aviation security technologies.
``It's better to say, 'Let's get the system right,' and make a long-range plan,'' Hartwick said. ``The probability of finding a bomb in the bag is something that you have to calculate for the whole system.''
The report said the Transportation Department needs to develop an overall security plan, from deciding which passengers should undergo extra scrutiny to which bags should get additional checks.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Airline-Security.html