Homeland Security promises covert security tests of TSA at airports this summer

WASHINGTON, June 7 (UPI) -- The Department of Homeland Security is planning more covert security checks of the Transportation Security Administration at airports throughout the nation this summer, the department's top inspector said this week.

DHS Inspector General John Roth told members of the Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that his office is developing testing methods, and that the checks will take place during the peak travel season.

The round of tests will come one year after a report revealed that screeners missed detecting fake bombs and weapons 95 percent of the time. They'll also follow scrutiny from the media in recent weeks over long lines at security checkpoints at major airports that have caused hundreds of people to miss their flights.

"As a result of our audit reports ... TSA is now, for the first time in memory, critically assessing its deficiencies in an honest and objective light," Roth said.

TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger, who took over the agency last summer, told legislators that passenger safety remains the agency's No. 1 priority in the wake of the "persistently evolving threat from terrorist groups around the world."

Beefed-up security includes more canine teams and additional airports with full-body scanners.

"We will focus on mission, invest in people and commit to excellence as we conduct counterterrorism operations and simultaneously mature the TSA enterprise," he said.

Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., the ranking member of the committee, noted the difficulty the agency faces in trying to be both careful and efficient.

"We oftentimes fail to acknowledge an undeniable tension that exists at the core of TSA's mission," Carper said. "On the one hand, we ask TSA to screen millions of passengers and their luggage carefully each day. On the other hand, millions of passengers want to get on board their airplanes on time and without the aggravation that security screening can often bring."

Neffenger said he is on the lookout for any problems.

"I can assure you that as issues are raised to my attention, when policies are identified that cannot be justified, {link:when I discover policies that have been abused, I have and will continue to make needed changes," he said. : "http://www.hsgac.senate.gov/hearings/frustrated-travelers-rethinking-tsa-operations-to-improve-passenger-screening-and-address-threats-to-aviation" target="_blank"}

TSA screens more than 2 million passengers every day, Neffenger said.