TSA is stepping up security after an undercover probe revealed an alarming number of mock weapons make it through airport security checks without detection.
This comes after a 2015 undercover audit found TSA failed to detect mock guns, explosives, and other contraband 95 percent of the time. Sources said the failure rate members of Congress heard in a classified briefing from Homeland Security officials is still unacceptably high.
The new information comes to light just as millions of Americans prepare for what is traditionally the busiest travel season of the year. With Thanksgiving just two weeks away, Bradley International Airport estimates they will have 10,000 passengers daily.
TSA spokesman Michael McCarthy said the agency takes audit results seriously and is enhancing their procedures.
“We also know that our adversaries are determined and they are looking to conceal explosives in everyday items like electronics,” McCarthy said.
The agency recently announced a new requirement for passengers carrying multiple electronics in their carry-on luggage. Any device larger than a smartphone, such as a tablet or e-reader, must be removed and placed in separate bins as they pass through scanners.
Travelers at Bradley International Airport said the new requirements seem like a good idea.
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“Whatever they need to be doing to keep us safe, they should be doing,” said Shirley Fisher, who was traveling to Florida.
The TSA is stressing it has a layered approach to security, which includes federal air marshals on flights and the use of canines, as well as the pre-screening program TSA pre-check.
