Claim USA Cargo Security Gap

     Just as the USA Transportation Security Administration (TSA) unveiled new cargo regulations, critics of the current security environment were also out in force:
     "It's the fox guarding the henhouse in many cases," William McReynolds, Airline Pilots Association said speaking of air cargo security to Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) News.
     CBS said that it just finished an investigation as U.S. government issued new directives designed to further tighten air cargo security.
     “Last week,” CBS News said “we showed TSA officials the results from an elaborate test conducted to see what packages could get through.
     “A CBS News producer with a hidden camera was sent to a shipping company near London’s Heathrow Airport, armed with a lead-lined package that could hide a bomb.”
     “The package is specially designed so CBS News would be able to tell whether security has opened or X-rayed it.”
     CBS News said that it conducted the same kind of air cargo experiment on three other international flights sending two more packages on jumbo jets flying from Dulles Airport Washington to Los Angeles.
     The report concluded saying that the packages were delivered to CBS News' offices in New York.
     “In all, five of the six packages that CBS News sent on planes were not visibly opened or inspected.
     “According to CBS experts, none of the hidden film was examined by X-ray.”
     TSA’s Robert Jamison, second-in-command at the TSA told CBS.
     "I think you're not accurately representing—the—levels of explosive detection that we have in place.
     “Even without opening cargo, it can be inspected with explosive-detection devices and bomb-sniffing dogs.”
     TSA issued a directive to the airlines on Monday October 23 that tightens the requirements for the screening of air cargo on passenger airline flights saying:
     "All air cargo transported on passenger planes will be screened or submitted to robust layered security measures for domestic and international air cargo."
     The TSA directive applies to cargo that is shipped by freight companies on passenger airline flights.
     This latest TSA edict follows one issued last month requiring screening for all "counter-to-counter" air cargo—packages checked at airline ticket counters by individuals for shipment aboard passenger flights.
     TSA’s new air cargo regulations also include 100,000 more background checks, specifically on cargo employees.
     The rule requires more robust checks and more visibility on the shipping companies and their employees. Additionally TSA has now extended security areas at the airport to include air cargo areas.
     FT investigated one area of heightened security mentioned in all of this as we looked into the TSA National Explosives Detection Canine Team Program (NEDCTP).
     What we discovered is that the agency indeed has ramped up to much broader utilization of these sniffers to search aircraft, cargo, vehicles, terminals, warehouses, and luggage.
     Currently, there are 425 explosive detection canine teams working at over 75 airports nationwide, conducting random screening of cargo and surveillance of cargo facilities.
     “TSA has increased the number of certified explosives detection canine teams in close partnership with law enforcement agencies, airports, and other stakeholder operators,” a spokesman at TSA confirmed.
     “Through our existing partnerships, TSA launched an aggressive program to increase the amount of dedicated time TSA-certified explosives detection canine teams spend on cargo screening activities, resulting in the teams spending one quarter of their time specifically in this critical area.”
     Meantime elsewhere at U.S. gateways TSA is tightening more loopholes subjecting U.S. airport workers – including ramp workers, baggage handlers, gate agents, cleaning crews and retail workers – to random security searches before they enter restricted and secure areas in the airports.
     Until now, only two of the nation’s 428 commercial airports screened ramp workers.
     But the further deepening of media coverage with more and more we assume, well-intentioned “investigators” of air cargo, will apparently continue worldwide.
     The aforementioned CBS air cargo story included a glossary with all kinds of facts and figures about the industry including, “What is an indirect carrier?”, “How Does TSA Inspect Cargo?” and How Much Air Cargo Is Shipped?” among other topics.
(Geoffrey)