Blog Archives
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The Dangers of a Double Cappuccino
By Art Kosatka - Wednesday July 11, 2012
I recently came across a series of media stories chiding TSA for an apparently not-so-new “security” measure in which they are testing traveler’s drinks in the sterile area – yes, the ones you bought after the screening checkpoint – and they won’t say why. I don’t intend to pursue the absurdity of the process, other than to note that if someone wants to dip a chemical test strip into my $4.23, including tax, mocha latte, he is damn well going to keep it and buy me a replacement. If they don’t trust the security-cleared Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts/Jamba Juice shops, or that nasty dark stuff from the aircraft galley, I’m not quite sure why they aren’t checking the vendors’ sources and United’s flight kitchen... -
Pre-Check — A Good Start
By Art Kosatka - Wednesday June 20, 2012I'm sure you've seen the stories about TSAs Pre-Check program, which is predicated on the concept of “risk-based security” (RBS), and dedicated to the proposition that if TSA can clear you before you fly, it won't be such a hassle when you show up at the airport to get on board. On the face of it, it's a good idea, and happens to coincide with my own theory that instead of spending a lot of money on more new technology, it might be better spent doubling or tripling the intelligence budget so we can identify the bad guys three weeks before they ever come near the airport. It also happens to match IATA’s longer-term concept of Checkpoint of the Future, in which all travelers, based on considerably enhanced intelligence gathering... -
Hide and Seek
By Art Kosatka - Wednesday May 16, 2012A recent investigation issued jointly by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure reports that TSA bought $184 million in screening equipment that it stored in warehouses and tried to prevent Congress from learning how many machines were there. TSA attempted to hide unused machines from visiting investigators: when asked why so few workers were at warehouse at 3 p.m., a manager said he had sent them home because they had been working since 6 a.m. to remove 1,300 pieces of equipment. Some of the key findings: 85% of the current inventory had been stored for longer than six months; 35% for more than one year. One piece had been in storage more than six years... -
Do K-9s Profile Passengers?
By Art Kosatka - Wednesday April 11, 2012No, the dog doesn’t discriminate by religion, odd clothing choices, or nervous facial tics, but the dog team might mixed-metaphorically bite you on the rear. The value of canines in explosives detection has been hotly debated in recent years, and I, for one, [full disclosure: being related to a highly experienced police K-9 trainer], have always been a believer in their capabilities, even with their real-world operational limitations. Some new recent research in animal behavior suggests another potential weakness may reside in the relationship of dog vs. handler. Scientists at the University of California, Davis, wondered whether small unintentional signals from a handler might affect the dogs’ response. Seems like... -
Street View from TSA’s 10th Floor
By Art Kosatka - Wednesday March 14, 2012TSA’s 10 th Floor In a recent GAO report #12-264, the DHS and TSA senior leadership vacancy rates were the subject of attention, as they have been almost since the very beginning of both agencies, and through at least five TSA Administrators in just over 10 years. Each successive leader has sought to put his own brand on TSA with structural reorganization, as well as internal departmental desk shuffling and name changing, as if the problems can be resolved by where they sit and what they call it, rather than what they actually do. Some interesting staffing statistics, according to Rep. John Mica, Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: TSA is larger than the Departments of Labor, Energy, Education... -
There's always room for one more in the clown car
By Art Kosatka - Wednesday February 8, 2012We’re told that the No-Fly list has slightly more than doubled in the past year, from about 10,000 to around 21,000 names, apparently not because more terrorists suddenly sprang from the bushes, but because we’ve figured out a better way to identify them. Stated another way, up until now, about half the known bad guys were incognito, but the intelligence community has now seriously stepped up its game. That’s a good thing, although it remains unknown, or at least unreported, how many of them may have actually been apprehended. Presumably, if they can’t fly, they’re on Amtrak or Greyhound, and we must always remember that TSA is a multi-modal agency, already performing random searches in some mass transit venues. Further... -
Another Year Like the Other Year
By Art Kosatka - Wednesday January 11, 2012For those of you concerned that TSA is not spending enough money to protect you, Congress is on the case. Although overall DHS appropriations are down slightly from FY 2011 (about $111M), the recently signed TSA FY 2012 budget is up $153 million from last year, to about $7.85 billion. With a “B”. That includes several hundred million for 250 additional AITs, despite a Congressional effort to cut funding while they upgrade existing devices, which at times remain unmanned due to a lack of staff. At the same time, TSA has issued a request for information about devices that could measure the amount of radiation emitted by its scanners, to determine whether agents are "exposed to ionizing radiation above minimum detectable... -
A TSA Passenger Advocate. No … I’m Serious ... Really.
By Art Kosatka - Wednesday December 14, 2011Sometimes it’s difficult to choose a lead story for this column. This time: no contest. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and N.Y state Sen. Michael Gianaris want the TSA to create a passenger advocate position at all airports to immediately act on complaints by passengers over security screenings. The proposal was in response to several recent claims by elderly women of alleged strip searches, which TSA denies, saying TSA is already planning its own advocacy service. After ten years of complaints. The TSA plan involves a toll-free telephone hotline for passengers that need help during screening. One flaw, of course, is that the traveler typically doesn’t know there’s a problem until he is standing shoe-less, belt-less, arms akimbo... -
The Silly Season Is Upon Us
By Art Kosatka - Wednesday November 16, 2011Sometimes this security stuff makes my head hurt. We try to find serious and positive stories about the advancement of technology, new and improved policies, and look for good news in a serious business. But it seems lately that there’s a lot more chaff than wheat. Take a few deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out. Now, let us demonstrate our thesis: An alert TSA screener at Newark Airport spotted a sex toy in a passenger's luggage and offered the traveler some encouragement with a hand-written note to “Get your freak on girl”. It took TSA less than a single day to investigate, find and remove the offending screener for an admittedly stupid prank, yet the majority of thefts from that same checked luggage goes unresolved many months... -
Honolulu Lulu - The Plot Thickens
By Art Kosatka - Tuesday October 25, 2011I had to rewrite this column at the last moment. Originally, the story centered on the news reports from Honolulu Int’l Airport: TSA was quoted as “moving to fire” 36 TSOs for not screening luggage of certain airlines for explosives. This was apparently based on complaints to management from two other TSOs about the sloppy work. I took an admittedly reactive stance: “ Moving to fire”? Seems to me they should have been escorted directly to jail without passing Go. It’s not clear if this was a deliberate avoidance of responsibility, old-fashioned laziness, plain ol’ stupidity, poor training, or all of the above. Without waiting for the other shoe to drop, I noted that TSA leaped into the breach, announcing that...
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