Obama Prods TSA on O'Hare Security Slip
Friday, April 18, 2008
Printable FormatChicago Sun-Times by MARY WISNIEWSKI
'UNACCEPTABLE' - Slams leaving uniforms in open
Illinois senator and Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama sent a letter to the Transportation Security Administration on Thursday expressing "serious concerns" over TSA uniforms being left in the open at O'Hare Airport.
Obama was responding to a Chicago Sun-Times story about TSA uniforms, TSA radios with access to a secure channel, sensitive security information and a cashbox being left unsecured at airport checkpoints. TSA said there was no security breach and that the materials were within the "sterile area" beyond the checkpoints.
But an airport security expert said the uniforms could have been stolen and used to
impersonate TSA officers.
"As you know, terrorists have attempted to impersonate law enforcement and other security officials in order to gather intelligence, conduct counter-surveillance, and even carry out attacks," Obama wrote to TSA Assistant Secretary Edmund Hawley. "Considering the extraordinary security threats our nation faces every day, reports suggesting that uniforms could possibly be accessed are wholly unacceptable."
Obama, a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, asked Hawley to provide information to highlight areas where improvements may be "urgently needed," and requested guidelines on the security of uniforms and equipment.
"I know that the more than 40,000 TSA screeners work diligently to screen millions of passengers and bags every da y across America, but their efforts will be compromised if seemingly mundane, but still critical security protocols are not followed," Obama wrote.