The Department of Homeland inSecurity

posted by The Vidiot @ 6:41 PM Permalink

US delays security for liquid bombs

The technology exists to detect liquid explosives -- at least three Massachusetts companies have created such tools -- but the federal government says it's still not ready to deploy the devices in the nation's airports.
[...]
But TSA spokeswoman Amy Kudwa says that none are ready to be deployed because of reliability and feasibility issues.
[...]
The TSA has not outfitted airports with the devices, in part, because officials have to prioritize where they spend limited dollars.

Really!? Then why didn't they spend the $200 million that congress already gave them? And remember how Amy Kudwa said they weren't reliable or feasible? Gosh, guess where they are being deployed:

SmartCheck systems are used at the White House and the US Supreme Court. But they're not widely used in airport security. TSA agreed last year to conduct tests of the system. But Reiss said those tests had not yet begun.
[...]
TSA spokeswoman Kudwa said the agency has been evaluating the First Defender system in US airports since October, along with the General Dielectric system, but the devices have not always proven reliable. ``We are seeing high false alarm rates for the solutions we are testing right now," she said.

Golly "high false alarm rates" ... you mean like the ones TSA already has? Airport terminal evacuated after explosive found in luggage which turned out to be No explosives in US airport alert
We'll talk later about the constant 'Omigod the terrerists are coming!' alerts.