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Security Training at Nation's Airports
Aired October 03, 2002 - 13:56 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Ten billion dollars -- that hefty sum is being spent to increase security at the nation's airports now. Part of that money goes to pay for new screeners, federal employees who are expected to be on the job a month from now.
CNN's Patty Davis has been meeting some of these folks. Joins us now from Washington.
How are they doing -- Patty.
PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're doing pretty well so far. The federal airport screeners will replace private screeners at 429 commercial airports across the country by November 19. The Transportation Security Administration opened up its doors of its screener school to reporters in Oklahoma City this week.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's artfully concealed. It's a knife inside of a lipstick container.
DAVIS (voice-over): It's Maria Regalado first day of training to be a federal airport screener -- the knife planted by her instructor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at that!
DAVIS: After 2 1/2 weeks here at this academy in Oklahoma City, the former funeral home office manager will report to Tulsa International Airport.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: After 9/11, and following the news (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and seeing what's happening out there, I feel that I need to prepare to do my part.
DAVIS: Regalado is one of a million who applied for the coveted jobs that pay as much as $35,000 a year. More than 90 percent don't make it this far.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Will we speed up the screening process for a passenger who is late?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
DAVIS: By the end of the year, the Transportation Security Administration plans to replace low-paid private screeners at all of the nation's commercial airports with 55,000 of these highly trained federal screeners.
(on camera): Screeners at facilities like this one spend 44 hours in the classroom and 60 hours training on the job. That's 20 times the training private screeners now get.
(voice-over): If screeners flunk the written exam at the end, they're out.
JIM MCINTYRE, INSTRUCTOR: We're very concerned that they be alert all the time. They can't make a mistake. One mistake is not acceptable.
DAVIS: In addition to learning how to X-ray bags and pat down passengers, they learn how to handle those with special needs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will you lift your leg so I can inspect your shoes.
DAVIS: And there's a premium on reducing the hassle factor for passengers: being fast, a wait of no more than 10 minutes, and being friendly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The customer service end of it is critical because people need to feel safe and they feel need to feel cared about.
DAVIS: The TSA says it can't be certain it will be able to stop the next terrorist attack.
REGALADO: Something maybe worse may be coming, so I want to be there and be part of it.
DAVIS: But the agency says better-trained screeners like Maria Regalado will at the very least reduce the odds.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DAVIS: So far, the Transportation Security Administration has hired 36,000 screeners, 20,000 still to go. They need people to screen all those checked bags by the end of the year. And the TSA has (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the help wanted sign out. And so far, those hires are nearly two-thirds white, around two-thirds men -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Patty Davis, 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
Aired October 3, 2002 - 13:56 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Ten billion dollars -- that hefty sum is being spent to increase security at the nation's airports now. Part of that money goes to pay for new screeners, federal employees who are expected to be on the job a month from now.
CNN's Patty Davis has been meeting some of these folks. Joins us now from Washington.
How are they doing -- Patty.
PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're doing pretty well so far. The federal airport screeners will replace private screeners at 429 commercial airports across the country by November 19. The Transportation Security Administration opened up its doors of its screener school to reporters in Oklahoma City this week.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's artfully concealed. It's a knife inside of a lipstick container.
DAVIS (voice-over): It's Maria Regalado first day of training to be a federal airport screener -- the knife planted by her instructor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at that!
DAVIS: After 2 1/2 weeks here at this academy in Oklahoma City, the former funeral home office manager will report to Tulsa International Airport.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: After 9/11, and following the news (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and seeing what's happening out there, I feel that I need to prepare to do my part.
DAVIS: Regalado is one of a million who applied for the coveted jobs that pay as much as $35,000 a year. More than 90 percent don't make it this far.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Will we speed up the screening process for a passenger who is late?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
DAVIS: By the end of the year, the Transportation Security Administration plans to replace low-paid private screeners at all of the nation's commercial airports with 55,000 of these highly trained federal screeners.
(on camera): Screeners at facilities like this one spend 44 hours in the classroom and 60 hours training on the job. That's 20 times the training private screeners now get.
(voice-over): If screeners flunk the written exam at the end, they're out.
JIM MCINTYRE, INSTRUCTOR: We're very concerned that they be alert all the time. They can't make a mistake. One mistake is not acceptable.
DAVIS: In addition to learning how to X-ray bags and pat down passengers, they learn how to handle those with special needs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will you lift your leg so I can inspect your shoes.
DAVIS: And there's a premium on reducing the hassle factor for passengers: being fast, a wait of no more than 10 minutes, and being friendly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The customer service end of it is critical because people need to feel safe and they feel need to feel cared about.
DAVIS: The TSA says it can't be certain it will be able to stop the next terrorist attack.
REGALADO: Something maybe worse may be coming, so I want to be there and be part of it.
DAVIS: But the agency says better-trained screeners like Maria Regalado will at the very least reduce the odds.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DAVIS: So far, the Transportation Security Administration has hired 36,000 screeners, 20,000 still to go. They need people to screen all those checked bags by the end of the year. And the TSA has (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the help wanted sign out. And so far, those hires are nearly two-thirds white, around two-thirds men -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Patty Davis, 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
