I think the most upsetting part of this is that it is so common now that it barely makes news.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jan/28 … -security/
The video can be seen here.
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http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jan/28 … -security/
They are doing these test nationwide and so far all the major airports (Tampa international Included) have failed more times than they have passed. When they fail it essentially means that TSA's agent were able to sneak IED's past security check points and board planes. How and the hell is this stuff not plastered all over the major news outlets? We are not just talking about box cutters and butter knives here. These things are replica's of improvised explosive devices. We spend all this time fighting overseas content with the idea that we are holding back Islamic extremist, yet the majority of the time we are tested internally we fail at preventing what would be a tragic outcome. We have learned absolutely nothing about preventing real terrorism. What the hell is going on here?TAMPA (Bay News 9) -- A drill run by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) undercover agents managed to sneak a fake bomb through security at Tampa International Airport (TIA).
TSA said it conducts about a dozen such undercover tests everyday. But when Tampa's turn came up, TSA agents didn't fare well.
The checks were conducted by Bay News 9's partner, CNN.
CNN's cameras used what looked like an improvised explosive device (IED) - a copy of the real thing that should set off alarms when it's detected.
The undercover agents arrived at TIA unannounced, only alerting the airport's top security officials a few minutes before the test began.
More Information
* TIA security lapseWatch Video
* E-mail TV reporter Laurie Davison
At the checkpoint, the traveler was wanded and patted down. But the screener never caught the IED, meaning if it were a real bomb it's would have been headed for a plane. A thought that makes some travelers at TIA uneasy.
"If they get on my plane and they want to do some damage it would be very disheartening," Mike Fredrickson said.
Others expressed surprise.
"I'd say the odds of that are pretty slim because they won't let me take anything in the way of liquid," Joyce Wilcox said.
TSA Assistant Administrator David Holmes said the tests are designed to highlight where security vulnerabilities exist at airports.
Immediately, TSA agents told the screener about the mistake. This time, the screener is told to lift up the travelers shirt and the IED is discovered.
The screener expressed concern about the mistake, but TSA said it's a learning exercise.
"We're designing our tests not so much to indicate or to show or highlight performance or absence of performance at a particular airport, but we're highlighting where the vulnerabilities exist at the airport," TSA assistant Administrator David Holmes said.
The agency said screeners around the country fail these tests more often than they pass them.
In a written statement about the Tampa International test, TSA said "Although the transportation security officer involved did not pass this particular test, it is in no way an indictment of the checkpoint personnel or airport involved."
Still, some travelers are skeptical.
"They are going to have to tighten up more or something because it never should have happened," Larry Giese said.
A spokeswoman for TIA said the airport is not commenting on the test.
TSA said techniques like the one used at Tampa International are known to terrorists and openly discussed on known terror web sites.
The video can be seen here.
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Xbone Stormsurgezz