TSA equipment gathering dust, House investigators say

[alp227]

Source: Washington Post

The Transportation Security Administration has shelved $184 million in security equipment in a Texas warehouse rather than in the airports for which it was bought, according to a report compiled by House Republican investigators.

When House investigators sought information about the stored material, the TSA “provided inaccurate, incomplete, and potentially misleading information . . . to conceal the agency’s mismanagement of warehouse operations.”

TSA operations have come under repeated fire from Rep. John L. Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, who advocates scaling down the agency and farming out many of its duties to private contractors.

Central to Mica’s criticism has been the contention that the TSA has wasted money on equipment that wasn’t fully tested and did not live up to expectations. He also has questioned the speed with which new devices are deployed to airports.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/tsa-equipment-gathering-dust-house-investigators-say/2012/05/08/gIQAaG9WBU_story.html

[DeSwiss]

1. If they've locked up the THz scanners in that warehouse, then that's where they should stay.

Terahertz radiation

How Terahertz Waves Tear Apart DNA

The controversial THz scanner technology used by the TSA at many of the nation's airports is being adapted for cell phone use.

- K&R

[BlueIris]

2. TSA is vile and useless.

Shut it down.

[dixiegrrrrl]

13. he is threatening to turn it over to private contractors.

That would be much worse.

[Angry Dragon]

3. TSA works just like congress

[liberal N proud]

4. Keeping us safer

From the harmful radiation of the full body scanners.

[Earth_First]

5. Funny how these reports never mention the names of those who profited off this... nt

[Javaman]

6. Security contractors laugh all the way to the bank. Mission accomplished. nt

[PSPS]

7. They'll probably gin up another "foiled bomb plot" to get them out of there soon.

Oh, wait...

[jwirr]

8. Between this and the MIC equipment that just sets waiting for something to happen I wonder how

close we would get to paying off the deficit with the wasted money? Of course our GDP would fall then as we make a lot of weapons in this country. Damned if you do and damned if you don't.

[emulatorloo]

9. Republicans want to privatize airport security. This is why they go after the TSA

People who work for the TSA are in unions. Republicans don't like that either.

I know this is an unpopular thing to say at DU.

But for these reasons I am very skeptical of anything that Republicans have to say about the TSA.

As well as reports of "TSA Abuse" that only appear in right wing sources without any credible backup.

[HotRodTuna]

12. If privatizing it means putting in competent people

then I'm all for it. Republicans made this mess after 911, it's fine by me if they clean it up. The TSA is a joke.

[dixiegrrrrl]

14. There is no accountability under private systems.

And competency relies on appropriate rules and guidelines.
There is no guarantee that would be in place under private contractors.
Right now the TSA is Federal, so that means at least *some* oversight.

[frylock]

10. the security industrial complex is a racket

[HotRodTuna]

11. I wonder if they have my pocket knife n/t?