WASHINGTON, May 7 (UPI) -- The U.S. Transportation Security Administration has begun an examination of airport employee screening programs at seven airports.
The TSA launched 90-day employee screening pilot program variants at Boston's Logan International Airport, Jacksonville International in Florida, Denver International, Kansas City International in Missouri, along with regional airports in Craven, N.C., Eugene, Ore., and Southwest Oregon located in North Bend, Ore. Officials say the screening programs are a requirement of the Omnibus Appropriations Act, the TSA reported.
The act, which allocated $15 million in funds for the new screening programs, was passed by Congress in January 2008 in an effort to improve aviation security through evaluating the effectiveness of different employee screening programs.
Several of the airport pilot programs will feature security mandates including 100 percent physical employee and vehicle screening mandates, biometric identification access, increased random physical screening and behavior detection training among other elements.
"We look forward to working with these airports to evaluate the cost and effectiveness of various ways to enhance employee screening," Kip Hawley, TSA administrator, said in a statement. "After the pilots, we will work with Congress and our security partners to assess and implement our findings."
