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U.S. Department of Homeland Security

TSA hopes to quadruple expedited screening

Bart Jansen
USA TODAY
A Transportation Security Administration officer screens a passenger in the Pre-check security lane at Washington's Dulles airport.

WASHINGTON – The Transportation Security Administration hopes to quadruple enrollment in expedited airport screening in order to reduce randomly choosing some travelers for the privilege, such as a convicted murderer who was given Pre-check screening last June.

​Kenneth Fletcher, TSA's chief risk officer, told the House's Homeland Security subcommittee on transportation Wednesday that the agency enrolled its 1 millionth member in Pre-check last week.

A total of 6.5 million travelers qualify for Pre-check screening -- which allows travelers to keep on shoes and jackets at checkpoints, with laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags -- counting international programs and approved groups such as members of the military, Fletcher said.

But with nearly 2 million people flying every day, travel surveys suggest as many as 36 million Americans would be willing to join for the $85 fee over five years, Fletcher said. Through better marketing over a period of years, TSA hopes to enroll 25 million people in one of the variety of so-called "trusted traveler" programs.

"We need to quadruple the number of individuals," Fletcher said, while "dialing back" on travelers chosen for one-time participation.

Lawmakers welcomed expanding Pre-check enrollment, which includes biographical questions, fingerprints and a background check. But lawmakers and agency watchdogs have criticized TSA for using behavior detection officers or bomb-sniffing dogs to choose travelers for one-time trips through the speedier lines to boost participation.

Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., who heads the subcommittee, said choosing travelers for single trips increases security risks while also upsetting those waiting in longer lines after paying $85.

"I believe that the benefits of this unpredictable program have not yet been shown to outweigh the potential risks," Katko said.

Congress ordered TSA to provide expedited screening for 25% of travelers by the end of 2013 and 50% by the end of 2014, a goal the agency says it met.

But the Government Accountability Office warned that TSA hasn't documented scientifically that behavior detection officers accurately spot risky travelers.

Jennifer Grover, GAO's homeland security director, said the agency is embarking on tests scheduled to be completed in mid-2016.

The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general reported last week that a convicted murderer was given Pre-check screening last June, despite a criminal record that would have disqualified him from applying.

"We determined that, as a concept, Pre-check is a positive step towards risk-based security screening," said John Roth, the inspector general. "However, TSA needs to modify Pre-check vetting and screening processes."

Fletcher said after the felon incident, TSA officers were reminded they can send Pre-check travelers through regular security lines. But he said the mistake was in not including the felon on federal watch lists, which would have prevented his selection for Pre-check.

"That is the glitch in the system," Fletcher said.

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