The highest level of security

The inspector general of the Dept. of Transportation has been running tests of airport security since 9/11. What’s been found — during a period when the highest level of security was being claimed, and supposedly pursued, is more than a bit dismaying.

– Investigators carried knives past screeners in more than 70% of tests.
– Screeners failed to spot guns in 30% of tests.
– Screeners failed to detect simulated explosive devices in 60% of tests.
– Overall, screeners failed to stop prohibited items in 48% of tests.
– Investigators either secretly boarded an aircraft or gained access to the airport tarmac in 48% of tests.

Now, we could look at this as a cup-half-full, and note that guns were spotted 70% of the time, etc. And if I were organizing some sort of large conspiracy to hi-jack several planes at the same time, I’d still be worried, since all it would take would be one or two of my guys getting caught to cause a massive shutdown of the air travel system.

But, still … this seems remarkably poor. What are all those X-rays, magnetometers, and other high tech thangs being used for, if the results are this bad? Especially since the results are worse than in similar tests run in the 70s and 80s.

I guess I was just unlucky that they spotted my corkscrew that time. Hopefully others with more sanguinary intent will be similarly unlucky, since it appears luck is our greatest protector right now.