By Megan Gates
At approximately half of the airports using Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) does not conduct mandatory weekly Improvised Explosive Device (IED) drills because it does not know what office is responsible for enforcing the directive. The finding was one of four issues that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) addressed in a new report released yesterday about changes the TSA needs to make before it purchases additional body scanning technology for airports. Along with the lack of IED drills, the GAO found that TSA doesn’t track AIT false alarm rates or pat-down rates; doesn’t track how technology, people, and policies affect AIT performance in the field; and does not use information from the private sector and scientific community on how it can meet future technological needs. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MD), the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, released a statement on the GAO’s findings and expressing his disappointment. “Since TSA has failed to analyze and utilize AIT false alarm rates, we have no idea how many passengers are being subjected to pat-downs due to technological failures, diminishing the privacy enhancements Congress mandated by law,” Thompson said. “TSA should not spend a single dollar on additional AIT machines until all of the deficiencies identified in this report are resolved.” Within the report, the GAO made four recommendations to address the problems it identified and TSA has agreed to implement all four.
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