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CNN Live Today
Tomorrow Deadline for Getting Thousands of Federal Screeners on Job
Aired November 18, 2002 - 10:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: If you have holiday travel in store over the next week, you're going to see a big change, as early as the security checkpoint. Tomorrow is the deadline for getting thousands of federal screeners on the job.
Our Patty Davis is at Reagan National Airport. That is where an announcement about this is expected today.
Patty, good morning.
PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Well, as of tomorrow, all private security screeners must be gone. Federal passenger screeners are taking their place.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)]
EVERETT MCDANIELS, FEDERAL PASSENGER SCREENER: Does this bag have a large zipper on it, sir?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIS: Federal passenger screener Everett McDaniels on the front lines of the U.S. war against terrorists at Reagan National Airport.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCDANIELS: No, they're not coming through this checkpoint, not on our watch. That's the way we feel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIS: The former army food service manager is one of at least 47,000 federal screeners at the nation's airports, ahead of Tuesday's deadline to have them in place. That deadline set by Congress after the September 11th terror attacks.
ROBERT JOHNSON, TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION: The screeners, along with all of the other layers of security that we now have in place, make the system much safer today, than it was a year ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCDANIELS: Any change you might have, metals on you? Is that it?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIS: Safer, the government says, because the new federal screeners are more highly trained than the private screeners they're replacing. One hundred hours of training, versus just 4 to 5 hours, and they're better paid. What can passengers expect: standardized screening at every airport, queuing lines to direct them. If a passenger sets off an alarm, they're sent to another lane for wanding or to have their shoes examined.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Try to be as prepared as you can. Try not to bring a lot of metal objects. Know what the rules are, before you get here. You can look on the Web site for the TSA. Airlines have this information, even airports have it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's a good trade-off. The security versus a little inconvenience, most people should realize that it's worth it.
DAVIS: But not everyone agrees.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a hassle. Its a hassle, because now we actually have to start out quite a bit earlier.
DAVIS: To make it as painless as possible, the new federal screeners are taught to be customer friendly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good afternoon. How are you?
DAVIS: Despite the new screeners, there are still problems. Two thousand people at Miami International Airport were evacuated Thursday, after two people slipped by security. The Transportation Security Administration is investigating and two federal screeners are on paid leave.
Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta says don't expect perfection. There are 750 million passengers that go through U.S. airports every year. There are bound to be problems here or there.
Now, one big deadline that the Transportation Security Administration says that it will not meet at all airports, and that is December 31st, when they must screen all checked luggage. Some airports have said that they can't possibly meet that deadline in time. Congress is working on a one-year extension for a certain number of airports.
Daryn.
KAGAN: Patty, I understand, though, under these new provisions, there are actually five airports, including San Francisco and Kansas City, along with a few others, that will remain with private companies. Why did they leave those out?
DAVIS: Well, it's a pilot program. What they're doing here is they're going to train those private screeners exactly the same way the federal screeners are being trained and see how it goes and just give themselves an option, perhaps, further down the line, is this even a possibility? We've seen private screeners be the subject of a lot of derision. Can they improve, if they're trained the same way federal passenger screeners are trained? That's the question.
Daryn.
KAGAN: Patty Davis at Reagan National. Thank you so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Screeners on Job>
Aired November 18, 2002 - 10:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: If you have holiday travel in store over the next week, you're going to see a big change, as early as the security checkpoint. Tomorrow is the deadline for getting thousands of federal screeners on the job.
Our Patty Davis is at Reagan National Airport. That is where an announcement about this is expected today.
Patty, good morning.
PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Well, as of tomorrow, all private security screeners must be gone. Federal passenger screeners are taking their place.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)]
EVERETT MCDANIELS, FEDERAL PASSENGER SCREENER: Does this bag have a large zipper on it, sir?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIS: Federal passenger screener Everett McDaniels on the front lines of the U.S. war against terrorists at Reagan National Airport.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCDANIELS: No, they're not coming through this checkpoint, not on our watch. That's the way we feel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIS: The former army food service manager is one of at least 47,000 federal screeners at the nation's airports, ahead of Tuesday's deadline to have them in place. That deadline set by Congress after the September 11th terror attacks.
ROBERT JOHNSON, TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION: The screeners, along with all of the other layers of security that we now have in place, make the system much safer today, than it was a year ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCDANIELS: Any change you might have, metals on you? Is that it?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIS: Safer, the government says, because the new federal screeners are more highly trained than the private screeners they're replacing. One hundred hours of training, versus just 4 to 5 hours, and they're better paid. What can passengers expect: standardized screening at every airport, queuing lines to direct them. If a passenger sets off an alarm, they're sent to another lane for wanding or to have their shoes examined.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Try to be as prepared as you can. Try not to bring a lot of metal objects. Know what the rules are, before you get here. You can look on the Web site for the TSA. Airlines have this information, even airports have it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's a good trade-off. The security versus a little inconvenience, most people should realize that it's worth it.
DAVIS: But not everyone agrees.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a hassle. Its a hassle, because now we actually have to start out quite a bit earlier.
DAVIS: To make it as painless as possible, the new federal screeners are taught to be customer friendly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good afternoon. How are you?
DAVIS: Despite the new screeners, there are still problems. Two thousand people at Miami International Airport were evacuated Thursday, after two people slipped by security. The Transportation Security Administration is investigating and two federal screeners are on paid leave.
Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta says don't expect perfection. There are 750 million passengers that go through U.S. airports every year. There are bound to be problems here or there.
Now, one big deadline that the Transportation Security Administration says that it will not meet at all airports, and that is December 31st, when they must screen all checked luggage. Some airports have said that they can't possibly meet that deadline in time. Congress is working on a one-year extension for a certain number of airports.
Daryn.
KAGAN: Patty, I understand, though, under these new provisions, there are actually five airports, including San Francisco and Kansas City, along with a few others, that will remain with private companies. Why did they leave those out?
DAVIS: Well, it's a pilot program. What they're doing here is they're going to train those private screeners exactly the same way the federal screeners are being trained and see how it goes and just give themselves an option, perhaps, further down the line, is this even a possibility? We've seen private screeners be the subject of a lot of derision. Can they improve, if they're trained the same way federal passenger screeners are trained? That's the question.
Daryn.
KAGAN: Patty Davis at Reagan National. Thank you so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Screeners on Job>
