Pistole’s about “Operational Assessments”

From the Aviaton Week website:

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) chief John Pistole says the next decade of security screening will focus on operational assessments “to stay ahead of tomorrow’s threats.”

Pistole, in an address to the 83rd annual conference and exposition of the American Association of Airport Executives May 19 in Atlanta, outlined three principles to guide the TSA. Each new step will strengthen security, he says. Screening will be “smarter,” rooted in the knowledge that the vast majority of 628 million annual air travelers pose little to no risk. TSA will be guided by the philosophy that “we can mitigate risk” but never fully eliminate it, he says.

The risk-based security program will be enhanced as TSA reviews current procedures and technology, how procedures are carried out and how segments of the population are screened.

Pistole suggests that TSA will move to more identity-based screening. “Just six months into this process, we have made good progress toward developing a long-term security construct that we hope could eventually change the flying experience for most travelers.”

A small step will be taken in coming months, when TSA officers will use an identity-based system to verify the identity and employment status of pilots against airline employee databases. Testing is under way at some airports and should expand further this year. Flight attendants are under consideration for a future phase.

“Eventually, passengers who can be deemed ‘low-risk’ after volunteering information ahead of time could be eligible for expedited screening,” he added. “While there will never be a guarantee of expedited screening—we must retain a certain element of randomness to prevent terrorists from gaming the system.”

What a crock!  The test program for pilot screening at BWI has been going on for years!  How long will it take?  Now we’re going to see this at a couple more airports, yip-te-do.

Once again, the Kool-Aide is poured and people are lapping it up.  There is no threat in General Aviation, there is no threat in commerical aviation pilots.  Yet the sieve approach, ‘screen ‘em all, let God sort ‘em out” is the way it works.

LASP II will probably be out in about 10 months my sources tell me.  Maybe longer if the DHS/TSA keeps stepping on itself like they have been.  Keep your elected officials in the loop.  A call is best, fax second best.  Use the AOPA resource to offer them a ride, show them GA — show them we’re no threat.

And how did that disaster excersize work out where GA was going to fly the relief effort (you know, kinda like we already did with Haiti)?  But, I guess we’re still a threat, because all those pilots must have had a 5 year background check, been fingerprinted.  All the passengers were searched and wanded, checked against a No Fly List, even Senator Rockefeller.