'Fear and distrust' infect culture at TSA, official says

Bart Jansen | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption TSA whistleblower: Pre-checks handed out like candy A Transportation Security Administration whistleblower told Senate Homeland Security committee members that there's more emphasis on getting passengers through lines quickly than dealing with known security gaps.

WASHINGTON — Poor worker morale and infrequent spot inspections hamper the effectiveness of aviation screening, Transportation Security Administration workers and watchdogs told a Senate panel Tuesday.

Workers face criticism when airport checkpoint lines move slowly, but covert tests to detect guns or bombs among travelers are so rare that workers become complacent, said Rebecca Roering, the TSA's assistant federal security director at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

"In conclusion, the culture that exists at TSA is one of fear and distrust," Roering told the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. "Better training and management of the workforce would result in an improvement to morale as well as detection rates."

The hearing came a day after a Department of Homeland Security inspector general's report that found the TSA did not identify 73 airline and airport workers as possible security threats because the agency doesn't have access to a comprehensive government database.

Recent reports noted an inspector general's investigation that found TSA officers failed to find mock explosives or weapons 67 out of 70 times during covert testing.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., the committee chairman, said the revelations raise serious questions about potential mismanagement, wasteful procedures, retaliation against whistle-blowers, low morale and security gaps at the TSA.

"These matters are troubling and must be addressed," Johnson said.

Inspector General John Roth told lawmakers the TSA is moving quickly to gain access to the full terrorist database for vetting aviation workers. The TSA has said it expects to gain access to it by the end of the year.

Roth said he couldn't confirm or discuss the report of undetected weapons in open session. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has ordered the TSA to revise its procedures, boost training and test detection equipment.

Roering told lawmakers that TSA workers during training had detected weapon parts and explosives she placed on sensitive body areas, such as her upper thighs. "Given time, training and proper oversight, our (security officers) will be able to detect prohibited items," Roering said.

Another contentious point in the hearing dealt with an expansion of Pre-check, an expedited screening program that allows travelers to wear their shoes and jackets and leave laptops and small containers of liquids in their carry-on bags when they go through screening. The program is popular with 1 million applicants who received background checks, and 7 million people are eligible through similar programs at other agencies.

The TSA invites travelers selected randomly or after scrutiny by behavior-detection officers to move to Pre-check lines with a goal of expediting screening for half of the 1.8 million travelers every day.

The inspector general and the Government Accountability Office each criticized the expansion to people without background checks as unreliable.

Jennifer Grover, the GAO's director of transportation security, said the TSA hasn't tested the effectiveness of allowing travelers into Pre-check without background checks, and the testing could take a year to complete.

"TSA is handing out Pre-check status like Halloween candy in an effort to expedite passengers as quickly as possible, despite the self-admitted security gaps that are being created by the process," Roering said.

Robert MacLean, a TSA air marshal, said Pre-check is a good program to allow screeners to focus on the riskiest travelers.

MacLean raised concerns about air marshals becoming bored in largely uneventful jobs. He suggested that rather than assigning air marshals to single flights, they should circulate in airports and build relationships with ground workers to find possible terrorists through investigation and behavior detection.

"A team of bored and sleepy (air marshals) sitting on one plane waiting for something to happen is a waste of great resources," MacLean said.