In just the last month, TSA agents have been accused of faking security screens to grope passengers and intimidating whistleblowers. So we know you’ll be shocked to hear that a new audit by the Office of Inspector General finds that they have no clue whether their screening machines work.
That’s right: thanks to problems with the TSA’s Field Data Reporting System (FDRS), which gathers data on bags that go through screening, they may have been sending bags through non-functional machines.
“According to TSA, FDRS may not be accurately capturing the types of bags running through [Explosives Detection System] EDS machines, which help determine whether a machine was in operational mode or test mode,” the audit said. “Therefore, we could not be certain whether a specific EDS machine was operational or if it was in test mode at a specific date and time.”
“As a result, the contractor may have incorrectly reported that the equipment was out of service,” they continued, “but it is also possible that passenger bags were screened by equipment that was not fully operational.”
Out of all nine airports the audit looked at, every single one had problems. For example, “At the nine airports we reviewed, local TSA personnel said maintenance contractor technicians do not always notify them when equipment is repaired or obtain TSA’s sign off when maintenance has been completed.”
“TSA is not properly managing the maintenance of its airport screening equipment,” the report concluded. “TSA also does not adequately oversee screening equipment maintenance. Therefore, TSA cannot be assured that routine preventive maintenance is performed or that equipment is repaired and ready for operational use.”
Meanwhile, all this mismanaged maintenance which the TSA contracts out for costs over $1 billion. And, even better: “TSA’s maintenance contracts do not include performance measurements for preventive maintenance or penalties that TSA can enforce if contractors do not perform preventive maintenance as required.”
The audit also warned that failing to take proper care of the machines could shorten the life of the costly equipment. Not that most of us would miss them.
(h/t Free Beacon)
