RatherBeOnATrain

It appears that we missed this two-week old Associated Press story about criminals utilizing some of the contract airport employees that provide wheelchair services. They contract workers smuggled items through a "secure employee door" at Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC). Here's the link:

Associated Press: 3 Charged In Alleged Airport Drug Smuggling Scheme (WSBTV.com)

Here is a four sentence quote from the article:
*snip*

Court papers say the men met on June 10 in a Salt Lake City International Airport parking lot. [Suspect #1] gave [Suspect #2] a package, which he placed in his backpack and carried into the airport through a secure employee door, court papers say. [Suspect #2] bypassed security and took the package into a Delta Airlines lounge, court papers say.

[Suspect #1] cleared security, recovered the package from the lounge and then transported the drugs - about three kilograms of meth - in a black duffel bag to a client at a hotel near the Atlanta airport, court papers say.

FliesWay2Much

Wow -- This is right in Chaffetz's back yard. This could get interesting.

nachtnebel

Could 3 kilos of petn or c4 bring down an aircraft? And yet these stupid b@st@ers insist on feeling under little mikie's testicles.

TheRoadie

It appears DHS can have all-night meetings to decide on a response to toner cartridge, liquid, underwear, or shoe threats in the passenger cabin - and roll out a new procedure in the morning and train all front line clerks by the next day.

But they ignore the cargo, catering, and ground staff vectors, and now it's proven they ignore demonstrated contraband smuggling tactics.

Mark my words - if they get called out by congress on this incident, the DHS response will probably be to close all Delta lounges since that was the meet-up point.

Caradoc

I hope you're including "actual TSA employees" in that "ground staff" comment, as they've proven to engage in that sort of thing, too.

bajajoes

^There is only ONE way to defend against this type of thing and that is to have ALL persons passing thru ALL secure doors screened which I very much doubt is feasable. Existing security staffing would at a minimum need to be
DOUBLED with a DOUBLING of the $COST$!
And the veracity of the Screeners at these doors is still not certain!.

TheRoadie

Which is how the US Mint does it. Semiconductor production facilities in 3rd world locations do it. Casinos do it. [Don't they?]

It's crystal clear - if they fail to secure all access, then they're admitting it's all theater. A knee-jerk, reactionary, kettle-show.

jkhuggins

Just because it would be "expensive" doesn't mean it's not "feasible".

One might question whether screening of all persons would be a wise expenditure of limited resources --- just as one might question whether AIT, or BDOs, or TDCs are a wise expenditure of limited resources. But we should be asking that question uniformly. Saying "it would be too expensive" is a cop-out.

bajajoes

As a retired airline employee my meaning of "feasable" had to do with
the number and volume of those passing thru those "secure"doors. Where/when I used to work there was only ONE walkthru door for employees but several DRIVETHRU entrances that were unscreened and accessed by a passcard.

edmali

The TSA response to this event will be gate screening for every flight (and the request for additional funds for more screeners).

Caradoc

Saying that "any expense is reasonable to prevent another 9/11" in support of the Maginot Line that is the TSA is equally a cop-out.

Stealing Granny's Depends, strip-searching the elderly and the prepubescent, groping not-so-random people, and forcing people to stand up out of their wheelchairs or remove their medical braces in order to search them while allowing TSA employees to assist smugglers (whether by sneaking them past the checkpoint on their own and taking bribes to do it, or by giving all-access passes to people like the meth smugglers in SLC) is too expensive.

But not in money - in rights trampled. Money's not the only capital at stake here.

RatherBeOnATrain

Has anyone contacted Rep. Chaffetz and/or his staff? (I'm not in his district.)

He previously sent this letter about a rub-down of a young boy at SLC. Link: chaffetz.house.gov - Chaffetz Sends Letter to President about SLC Airport Incident Involving Pat-Down of Young Boy

LuvAirFrance

Imagine if a 97 year old lady with a diaper pulled off this caper. TSA is breathing a sigh of relief that they've at least staved off the bigger threat, right?

goalie

As opposed to the common sense approach of everyone, regardless of who they are, entering thru the checkpoint and being properly screened?

Fisher1949

I think TSA is responsible for approving these passes so they aren't off the hook.

Either way, this system is a joke. The only way it truly works is if every person is screened to the same standard every time they enter the area, no exemptions.

Instead TSA exempted pilots and airport workers immediately and now wants to extend this to flight crews, "trusted travelers" (from whom the extort for $100+/year), and elected officials who will automatically become trusted travelers and whose annual fee we will all pay. If the screening process is too offensive to be applied to pilots, it's too offensive to be applied to anyone.

This breach just points out the farce that is TSA and yet another talking point to be used in eliminating this agency.