- At some point more Americans will become convinced that big, fat, bloated government is the problem, not the problem-solver
More than a decade after it came into existence, the Department of Homeland Security is still proving why big federal agencies often are incapable of doing big things, like airport security.
While no one is really saying that the federal government should have no oversight role when it comes to passenger and airline safety, we simply wonder if DHS’ scandal-filled Transportation Security Administration really is a better choice than, say, the private contractors who once ran airport security checkpoints. At least private firms have in incentive to do a good job – profits.
Take the TSA’s latest snafu – expensive bomb-detection machines that don’t detect explosives.
According to the Washington Free Beacon, the TSA is such a poor manager of its airport security equipment that the agency does not even know if the screening machines it uses are actually working, says an audit by the Office of Inspector General.
Much of that is due to ineffective machine maintenance, said the IG, even though it has cost taxpayers $1.2 billion.
“The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is not properly managing the maintenance of its airport screening equipment,” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) inspector general audit said. “Specifically, TSA has not issued adequate policies and procedures to airports for carrying out equipment maintenance-related responsibilities. Because TSA does not adequately oversee equipment maintenance, it cannot be assured that routine preventive maintenance is performed or that equipment is repaired and ready for operational use.”
“If the equipment is not fully operational, TSA may have to use other screening measures, which could result in longer wait times and delays in passenger and baggage screening,” the OIG said. “More importantly, our prior work on airport passenger and baggage screening demonstrated that these other measures may be less effective at detecting dangerous items.”
“Consequently, the safety of airline passengers and aircraft could be jeopardized,” said the OIG.
Flaws in the TSA’s Field Data Reporting System (FDRS), which is supposed to keep track of how many bags go through various pieces of security equipment, have left TSA personnel unsure whether machines that are used to detect bombs are even operational.
“According to TSA, FDRS may not be accurately capturing the types of bags running through [Explosives Detection System] EDS machines, which help determine whether a machine was in operational mode or test mode,” the audit said. “Therefore, we could not be certain whether a specific EDS machine was operational or if it was in test mode at a specific date and time.”
“As a result, the contractor may have incorrectly reported that the equipment was out of service, but it is also possible that passenger bags were screened by equipment that was not fully operational.”
The TSA contracts out its maintenance work but the agency obviously doesn’t do much follow-up to see if the contractors are doing what the taxpayers are paying them to do. Currently, the agency has four contracts totaling $1.2 billion; last fiscal year, TSA spent $251 million on maintenance.
To conduct the audit, the OIG visited nine airports and examined Explosives Trace Detection (ETD) machines, Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) machines (commonly known as “body scanners”), Bottled Liquid Scanners; x-ray machines; walkthrough metal detectors; and checked-baggage screening equipment.
“Every airport had problems maintaining its equipment, and technicians also had issues with TSA employees,” The WFB reported.
“At the nine airports we reviewed, local TSA personnel said maintenance contractor technicians do not always notify them when equipment is repaired or obtain TSA’s sign off when maintenance has been completed,” said the audit. “According to the technicians we interviewed at one airport, local TSA personnel are not always available or willing to accept the responsibility of acknowledging the equipment has been repaired.”
The office also found that the agency does not have official guidance for airports instructing them how to track and monitor preventative maintenance of security equipment. Rather, the audit said, the TSA “relies on self-reported data provided by the maintenance contractors and does not validate the data to confirm that required preventive maintenance actions have been completed.”
Contractor-provided data is also “incomplete,” and the TSA does not penalize contractors that fail to complete mandatory preventive maintenance, said the audit.
There is more epic fail. The agency also has no documentation required daily and weekly inspects of equipment at seven of the nine airports was ever done. Moreover, TSA employees “did not know whether preventative maintenance had been performed” at six of nine airports.
“Without diligent oversight, including implementing adequate policies and procedures and ensuring it has complete, accurate, and timely maintenance data for thousands of screening equipment units, TSA risks shortening equipment life and incurring costs to replace equipment,” the OIG said.
At some point more Americans will become convinced that big, fat, bloated government is the problem, not the problem-solver. We just hope it will be sooner rather than later so that air travelers will be safer and fewer tax dollars will be wasted.
What is YOUR view of the TSA and the government’s role in airline security? LET IT FLY below!
(0)Dislikes
(0)