GAO report: TSA is making strides in passenger screening procedures

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on Tuesday that found that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has taken steps intended to improve the security effectiveness of expedited passenger screening since GAO last reported on it in Dec. 2014.

Steps the agency has taken include adjusting the TSA PreCheck Risk Assessment program algorithm to assign passengers scores and to identify low risk passengers, limiting the use of managed inclusion to airports that employ canine teams to detect explosives and developing plans to test the security effectiveness of the managed inclusion process as an overall system that ensures that the testing adheres to established design practices.

One way the TSA tracks its performance on security screenings is through internal data on Transportation Security Officer (TSO) testing programs. These programs ensure that individual TSOs are demonstrating through annual proficiency reviews and resulting recertification that they are qualified to continue conducting passenger and checked baggage screening. It also ensures that each TSO demonstrates proficiency in adhering to screening procedures during live screening operations.

The GAO recommended in its report that the TSA ensure that airports complete TSO performance data, that data is analyzed nationally and that covert testing recommendations are tracked. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security concurred with the report and is taking actions to address the recommendations.