U.S. agency may revamp airport security – newspaper

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. government agency
responsible for airport security is considering changing the
security checks faced by airline passengers, the Washington
Post reported on Saturday.

The newspaper said Edmund Hawley, the new head of the
Transportation Security Administration, wants to find ways to
upgrade security while reducing inconvenience to passengers,
who currently have to wait in long lines and remove their shoes
and outer garments at security barriers.

Among the recommendations in an August 5 document prepared
by TSA staff were proposals to end the ban on some carry-on
items including scissors, razor blades and knives less than
five inches long. The paper also suggests doing away with the
provision that all passengers have to remove their shoes.

A decision on the recommendation may come later this month,
the newspaper reported.

The TSA, which is part of the Department of Homeland
Security, was created as part of the response to the September
11, 2001 attacks on the United States. Previously, airport
security was handled by private corporations.

However, the agency has faced criticism for instituting
blanket searches of all passengers instead of focusing on those
who might constitute a higher risk, and spending too much time
looking for nail scissors instead of concentrating on detecting
possible suicide bombers.

The TSA memo obtained by the newspaper proposed to minimize
the number of passengers who must be patted down at
checkpoints. It also recommends that certain categories of
passengers be exempt from airport security screening, such as
members of Congress, airline pilots, Cabinet members, state
governors, federal judges, high-ranking military officers and
people with top-secret security clearances.