[IP] NYTimes.com: OP-ED Bag It
Begin forwarded message:
From: Bob Rosenberg <bob@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: August 18, 2004 2:48:36 PM EDT
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: NYTimes.com: OP-ED Bag It
Dave
For IP.
Many IPer's fly on commercial airlines. This may interest tham.
--
Bob Rosenberg
"A free society is one where it is safe to be unpopular."
--Adlai Stevenson
"You need only reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a
reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating
the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the struggle for
independence."
— C.A. Beard
*****************
NYTimes.com
OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
Bag It
By JAMES BOVARD
Published: August 18, 2004
Last week four screeners for the Transportation Security Administration
were arrested at Kennedy and La Guardia airports for stealing money,
jewelry and other valuables from checked bags. The agents were caught in
a sting operation after a torrent of complaints about luggage thefts.
These arrests likely represent only a fraction of the abuses nationwide.
In April, four agents in Detroit were arrested for stealing laptop
computers, cameras and other items from checked luggage. In June, four
agents were arrested at the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., airport on charges of
stealing cameras, laptop computers, perfume, CD players and money. Also
in June, one screener was arrested in Philadelphia for stealing $335
from a passenger passing through his checkpoint, and 13 screeners were
arrested in New Orleans on charges of stealing valuables from checked
luggage. Many have been suspended with full pay while awaiting the
outcome of the cases. According to the transportation agency, more than
28,000 claims of loss or damage have been filed.
While there have been some successful prosecutions, in at least one case
the T.S.A. let a screener off the hook. Last year, video cameras
recorded a Miami screener stealing CD's from checked luggage. But
criminal charges were dropped after the screener's lawyer made it clear
that he planned to ask a government official about T.S.A. operations at
the trial.
The possibilities for mischief are considerable. Congress requires the
transportation agency to check all airline baggage with bomb-detection
machinery or with hand-held bomb detectors. More than $5 billion has
been spent by the government and airports to purchase and install the
new equipment. Unfortunately, the machines are unreliable. In 2002,
Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta told Congress that the
machines have a false-positive rate of 35 percent - and if a bag tests
positive, it must be searched by hand. To do this, agents routinely
examine baggage in closed areas, far from prying eyes.
To complicate matters, the agency initially recommended that all
passengers not lock their baggage to facilitate searches. The agency has
since recommended that people buy T.S.A.-approved locks, but these have
often been cut by screeners despite the agency's seal of approval.
The T.S.A. denies that a nationwide theft problem exists, and stresses
that the vast majority of its 45,000 employees have not been accused of
wrongdoing. It has nevertheless worked hard to limit its liability for
baggage thefts and damage. According to the Air Transport Association,
which represents the major United States airlines, the T.S.A. seeks to
limit its total liability to $3 million a year - regardless of how much
damage travelers incur.
In some ways, the thefts are not surprising. The transportation agency
has done an abysmal job of managing its workforce. In June 2003, the
agency admitted that it had failed to screen its own screeners and fired
more than 1,200 employees after they failed criminal background checks
or other internal investigations.
Some Americans may believe that luggage thefts are a small price to pay
for making air travel safe. But the safety is a mirage. Tests by the
Government Accountability Office and other federal agencies have found
that the airport safety net continues to be full of holes. Clark Kent
Ervin, the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security,
told Congress in April that T.S.A. screeners performed poorly in
response to covert tests. More recently, the 9/11 commission report
warned that "major vulnerabilities still exist'' in aviation security.
Airport security must be overhauled. Instead of relying on thousands of
federal agents following often pointless routines (like treating
grandmothers as potential hijackers), aviation security can be improved
by relying on innovative procedures, including the use of private
screeners trained to higher standards than T.S.A. agents, focusing on
passengers who pose the greatest apparent risk and ceasing to shield
airports and airlines from liability law suits if they fail to protect
their customers.
President Bush said in 2002 that the law that created the T.S.A.
"greatly enhanced the protections for America's passengers.'' But it
takes more than long lines and delays at airport checkpoints to defeat
terrorist threats. Is it wise to trust the T.S.A. to make air travel
safe when it has a hard time protecting Americans from its own agents?
James Bovard is the author, most recently, of "The Bush Betrayal."
-------------------------------------
You are subscribed as roessler@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To manage your subscription, go to
http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip
Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/