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To: Eagle who wrote (10256)	1/16/2003 3:25:59 PM
From: Bucky Katt	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 48461

Yep. Just when you thought it was safe to fly, after they took away your tweezers, took grandma's knitting needles and scanned all the shoes, the real worry is>> Report critical of cargo screening By Michael Kilian Washington Bureau Published January 16, 2003 WASHINGTON -- The Transportation Security Administration, the new agency in charge of airport safety, has failed to develop a comprehensive plan to guard against terrorists' use of air cargo, a report says. The agency has just implemented a system to screen all checked passenger baggage for explosives, but about half the contents of airliner baggage compartments are cargo items that do not go through the screening system, the General Accounting Office said in its study. "If vulnerabilities exist in the transport of air cargo, they potentially threaten the air transport system," said the report by the GAO, the investigative arm of Congress. The report calls on James Loy, the head of the new agency and the undersecretary of transportation for security, to create a plan for air cargo security that would suggest appropriate government action.. The air cargo report was commissioned by Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). Prompted by the Aviation Security Improvement Act of 1990, the Transportation Department took some steps to bolster protection against air cargo bombs, including adoption of security training guides for airlines and ground personnel who handle cargo, the GAO said. "However, other recommendations ... such as conducting research and operational tests of technology to screen cargo for explosives, are ongoing and not yet completed by TSA or have not been implemented," the report said. It noted that three years ago the Federal Aviation Administration requested funds for a study of alternative ways to screen cargo but that Congress did not approve the money. The report cited vulnerabilities in the air cargo system, including the discovery during routine TSA inspections of "numerous security violations" on the part of freight forwarders and air carriers. The report also noted a risk that an individual could tamper with air cargo during land transportation to airports or at cargo-handling facilities. An estimated annual theft of $10 billion in merchandise from cargo facilities and transport indicates the seriousness of the security risk, the report said. It cited a robbery in 2001 in which $160 million worth of diamonds was stolen from Lufthansa jetliner cargo holds. Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Chris Rhatigan said the agency is trying to deal with the air cargo problem by working with air carriers and other agencies to develop better security. She noted that the TSA has established a "known shipper" program, giving security preference to companies that have established business histories with air carriers. The agency has also embarked on an urgent 90-day effort to develop a digital identification system for all transport workers, Rhatigan said.