Security Briefs - Nov. 6 - Nov. 12
The Latest Headlines:
- TSA Seeks to Tighten Foreign Air Cargo Security
- U.S. Warns al-Qaida Could Use Cargo Planes in Attack
- Man Pleads Guilty to Shipping Self in Box
- Canadian Trucking CEO Critical of U.S. Homeland Security
- Quality of Aviation Security Questioned
- U.S. Warns al-Qaida Could Use Cargo Planes in Attack
TSA Seeks to Tighten Foreign Air Cargo Security
The Transportation Security Administration wants foreign air cargo companies to follow the same security procedures as U.S. cargo carriers, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.Currently, foreign companies are exempt from rules that require U.S. companies to submit a security plan that details procedures to secure parked aircraft and to ensure that those with access to the planes pose no threat, the Post said.
TSA said foreign carriers that carry passengers and cargo, such as Air France, have already filed security plans. The Post said the new requirements probably would affect only 10 to 15 foreign-based companies.
U.S. Warns al-Qaida Could Use Cargo Planes in Attack
The Homeland Security Department warned law-enforcement officials Friday night that al-Qaida could fly cargo planes from another country into such U.S. targets as nuclear plants, bridges or dams, the Associated Press reported.A federal official told AP the information about the cargo planes came from a single source overseas which had yet to be corroborated.
The national color-coded alert is expected to remain at yellow, the middle level on the five-color scale and indicating an elevated risk of terrorist attack, AP said. Transport Topics
Man Pleads Guilty to Shipping Self in Box
A former shipping clerk pleaded guilty in federal court to shipping himself from New York to Dallas in a wooden cargo crate, the Associated Press reported.Charles McKinley pleaded guilty Thursday to stowing away on a cargo jet, a misdemeanor. Possible punishment ranges from probation to a year in prison and up to a $100,000 fine when he is sentenced Feb. 4, AP said.
The incident renewed debate over the air cargo system's vulnerability to terrorists.
McKinley, who worked at a New York warehouse, journeyed overnight about 1,500 miles by truck, plane and delivery van before popping out of the box Sept. 6 at his startled parents' home in DeSoto, a Dallas suburb.
He said an accomplice closed the box and shipped him. But in his signed statement to the FBI, McKinley claimed no one else was involved, according to AP. Transport Topics
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Canadian Trucking CEO Critical of U.S. Homeland Security
David Bradley, chief executive officer of the Canadian Trucking Alliance, on Wednesday warned against “complacency” on border issues, and said new security initiatives are jeopardizing the ability to efficiently move goods across the U.S.-Canada border.Speaking to the Trade Corridors Conference, Bradley said delays in implementing final rules or programs like electronic pre-notification are "a reflection of the morass and confusion that reigns within the Department of Homeland Security.
Congress has mandated that these things be done, but I’m not sure the folks charged with the responsibility of implementing are quite sure what to do," Bradley said, according to a CTA release. "The costs have got to be astronomical, with the rewards somewhat questionable."
Bradley said 2004 would be a critical year because several of these new security programs are expected to be implemented. He also urged shippers to become memberw of programs that allow for priority border clearance. Transport Topics
Quality of Aviation Security Questioned
Congressional investigators said that although the federal government has spent billions of dollars to improve security at airports, it has not adequately analyzed how well the system is working, the Associated Press reported.Cathleen Berrick of the General Accounting Office told the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee the Transportation Security Administration has focused on meeting deadlines and putting programs in place, rather than on analyzing how effective they are.
Berrick said recent incidents such as a shipping clerk sending himself halfway across the country in a box and the discovery of box cutters on two Southwest Airlines planes can undermine public confidence in security, AP said.
She also said TSA does not have a way to determine whether theses breaches are the exception rather than the rule. Transport Topics
