Screening Airport Workers
 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/tsa-incre...859.html?nhp=1

I have been and remain critical of TSA for not screening airport workers. Stepping up random screening is inadequate. Airport workers should be screened to the exact standards as travelers. TSA's failure to properly address insider threats is not mitigated by doing random screenings.

Agreed that airport workers need to be screened to exact standards as travelers ^ as after all, when was the last time a pax was arrested for smuggling guns or massive (n.b. massive) quantities of drugs ;)

come on, pax successfully smuggle drugs and other contraband into the US on a daily if not hourly basis. And on average one person is arrested daily even for "massive" quantities, (although perhaps not everyone considers 9lbs of smack "massive." :cool: This one just recently: http://www.loudountimes.com/news/art...les_airport898

and EVERY time an airport worker has been arrested for smuggling guns past the checkpoint so, too, has at least one passenger been arrested.

No one argues that one of the greatest vulnerabilities is an insider generated or assisted attack.

But quite seriously, since (and even before) 9/11 in Europe and in North America it is only the folks that have gone through security screening that have been the ones that have actually attacked airplanes. No airport worker in the US (and Europe, I believe) has been charged with conspiring to, or actually providing material aid or assistance in an actual attack on aviation.

So, you know, draw your own conclusions.

So are you saying do nothing security wise? Is it really worth the effort and expense to even screen passengers since they will slip through anyhow?

And on 9/11/2001 the attackers didn't carry any contraband through security, they just used the rules in place at that time to their advantage. Given that the current rules don't mandate screening insiders perhaps that could be used to someones advantaged too.

edit to add: The only contraband that should be considered by TSA is WEI. It is not their job, nor their mandate, to search for or limit drugs or other non-WEI contraband.

No, not saying do nothing at all; something must be done. I am only offering some push-back against oft repeated exaggerations and fallacies.

That is a question a lot of other people have asked - what's your feeling? My opinion is that we have been spendthrift so far and unfortunately, I am sure we will continue to be not just in terms of money and time but also in the degradation of civility and civil liberties.

Unfortunately, it is not if but how long before an attack is airport worker/insider assisted/led.

But that is why we have risk management - which in the case of aviation we have not done very well. Those that wish us ill continue to "win" because we willingly pay ridiculously exorbitant costs in light of the very little they have actually done. Its a pity, the "West" used to be a much more pleasant place in which to travel and live.

On the other hand, who remembers the political violence of the 1970s and '80s? Now that was an exciting time to fly!

I am pretty much in agreement with you, something must be done.

Part of that something should be 100% screening of all people who can access the secure areas of airports. I don't think it would be out of line to screen those people who have access to passenger baggage when departing their work areas either.

It makes little sense security wise to not screen the people who have the greater access to the airplanes, oft times unobserved.

What should end is the TSA roving patrols in terminals, gate checks, BDO activites,and other antics played out by TSA. They serve no useful purpose and only deplete manpower that could be used to do actual screening duties.

TSA should be mandated to show need for any and all equipment and prove that those devices actually do what they claim. The false positive rate on ETD and WBI machines is unacceptably high.