Mike Thompson: “The attacks of September 11 demonstrated that we had not done all we could to prevent or mitigate them. But even these…”

“The attacks of September 11 demonstrated that we had not done all we could to prevent or mitigate them. But even these events weren't necessary to show us that. We have known for some time that airport security was less than acceptable, and we all agree that the system used to screen airline passengers and baggage needs to be overhauled. However, in the rush to fix the problem by ``federalizing'' the security workforce, I am concerned that not enough attention is being given to a critical flaw in existing security operations, that is, the failure to set and insist on performance standards. It doesn't matter who does this work, if we continue to fail to hold those responsible for security, from top to bottom, accountable. In the past, some fines were levied, but no one was held accountable for improvement. Passenger and baggage screeners and their employers, whether civil servants or contractors, must be required to meet performance standards, and then must be subject to meaningful sanctions if those standards are not met. This has not occurred in the past. The General Accounting Office has issued several reports that document the Federal Aviation Administration's failure to hold airlines accountable for the declining performance of their baggage screeners over the last decade. Note that I said detection rates have declined virtually every year over the last decade.”