Local Reps. say TSA will change security plans amid Russian plane fears
The TSA’s utter failure to detect weapons in airport sting operations is getting renewed attention from local politicos now that President Obama raised the “possibility’’ that the Russian plane that exploded over Egypt may have had a bomb on board.
U.S. Rep. Stephen F. Lynch slammed the security agency in recent days and said the new TSA chief — who took over after the old one was reassigned — was considering new security procedures at airports.
“The new administrator is going back to the drawing board,’’ Lynch said, according to the Boston Herald. “He is going to come up with a new set of recommendations and re-teach the entire workforce a new procedure to hopefully screen out some of these weapons.’’
U.S. Rep. William Keating said the agency has already made some changes to correct the security failures.
“That will include greater screening of employees, and that will include reconfiguration at some airports with access points,’’ he told the Herald.
In a recent sting operation that remains classified, undercover agents brought weapons, guns, and fake explosives into airports to test the TSA screeners. The TSA failed to detect the weapons 95 percent of the time.
“They have failed miserably,’’ Lynch said. “They would strap a gun on their ankle, one of them had an Ace bandage with a weapon inside. They walk through the screeners and, with a very high instance, they are getting through. So there are some major problems.’’
Gallery: This is what Logan Airport used to look like
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