TSA Fails To Detect Contraband 95% Of The Time

ABC News reported what we already knew and as Bruce Schneier aptly said – the TSA is security theatre.  All show and not much substance.  Homeland Security “Red Teams” were successful 67 out of 70 times at getting mock weapons and explosives through TSA checkpoints all over the country.

Previously, TSA “fails” had been cast as limited to a few airports such as O’Hare, but apparently, according to data leaked to ABC News, the problem is systemic.

The solution:  DHS Director Jeh Johnson “reassigned” acting TSA director Melvin Caraway to some other place inside DHS.

In my opinion, TSA was given a no-win charter.  Take more than 50,000 people, give them minimal training and low pay (salaries start at around $25,000 – less than a supermarket checker makes) and expect them to be successful.  I don’t think that is possible.

If anything comes of this and I am not optimistic anything will, this falls squarely in Congress’ lap.  The whole concept of airline security needs to be re-thought.

One source says that the cost per gun found is $6 million.  I don’t know if that number is correct or not, but it would not surprise me.  The Blaze said the House proposed a 2015 budget for the TSA of $4.6 Billion with 45,000 full time screeners – and that is a reduction.

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