Tampabay: Security has new fake bag rules

Security has new fake bag rules

A TIA evacuation has officials blushing. New rules will help them keep track of bags made to look like bombs.

By JEAN HELLER, Times Staff Writer

TAMPA -- Security officials at Tampa International Airport, who insist that airline passengers keep close watch on their luggage, took steps Wednesday to keep better track of their own.

A misplaced bag rigged by the Transportation Security Administration to appear as if it contained an explosive device triggered an evacuation of the ticketing level of TIA's main terminal Tuesday evening. By Wednesday morning, procedures for keeping track of the special bags had changed, said TSA security director Dario Compain.

The bags are used to test screeners to assure that they are doing their jobs properly.

"We use these bags repeatedly, so the fact that the bag was in that area was not surprising," Compain said. "That it was unattended, that there was no one with it who knew its true nature and could stop the escalation of our action before it reached the evacuation stage, is what's troubling."

Occasional airport evacuations because of bomb scares are destined to be a way of traveling life for the foreseeable future, an unhappy fact that security officials, airport managers, airlines and passengers have come to accept.

But the evacuation Tuesday evening at TIA -- the third in three weeks and the second in two days -- was acceptable to no one because it represented a breakdown in the very security procedures that are supposed to keep the flying public safe.

The rigged bag was found unattended at the Southwest Airlines ticket counter about 7:20 Tuesday evening and put through the explosive detector. Screeners saw something suspicious. When ownership and the contents could not be confirmed, the Tampa Police Department's bomb squad was called. The ticketing level of the terminal was emptied and the roads outside closed.

When officials discovered it was a test bag, Compain ordered an immediate investigation. Even before learning how the bag became misplaced, he ordered new procedures for collection and inventory of the bags to ensure that the situation doesn't arise again.

It was, according to Heather Rosenker, a TSA spokeswoman in Washington, the only time one of the agency's own test bags has triggered an evacuation since the screening of all checked luggage began on Dec. 31.

Passengers at the airport Wednesday morning were aware of the evacuation the previous evening but were unfazed by it.

"Better safe than sorry," said Teri Zdazenski of Spring Hill. "Just on the possibility that it was something bad, why take the chance?"

Tom Hitchens of Houston said he was "a little appalled that TSA can't keep track of its own stuff." But, he added, "They're human. They'll make mistakes. Better to make a mistake and overreact to nothing than to underreact to the real deal."

There have been a number of evacuations around the country in recent weeks, some far more disruptive than TIA's.

Hundreds of passengers were evacuated from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Sunday when a woman carrying construction tools in her carryon got by screeners. An even bigger evacuation occurred the previous Sunday after a TSA guard was found sleeping on duty.

Part of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport was evacuated Jan. 9 when a machine detected an explosive substance on the bag of a passenger who had already passed through security screening. The action delayed 127 American Airlines flights and forced the airline to cancel 11 more, affecting 3,000 passengers.

Mineta San Jose International Airport in California has had three evacuations in the past two months due to screening glitches. And 250 people were evacuated from Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport in Highfill late last month after a screener lost track of a bag thought to be a threat.

At TIA, screeners triggered a partial evacuation on Christmas Eve that proved to be a false alarm. And on Monday, the ticketing level was evacuated when screeners spotted something suspicious in a piece of checked baggage. It turned out to be a mousetrap stuffed into a can.

"I thought the incident on Monday was handled exactly right, but (Tuesday) night was a problem," said Louis Miller, executive director of the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority.

"When they find something suspicious, they have to do whatever it takes to resolve it," Miller said. "But as the bomb squad was en route Tuesday, TSA was telling us the problem was one of their own test bags. That caused us a lot of consternation."

Miller said he couldn't quantify what the Tuesday evacuation had cost. Only two flights were delayed.

"Tuesday evening is a quiet time around here," he said. "But if it had happened early, which could cause flight delays and cancellations throughout the system, the money losses would be staggering."

Compain acknowledged that three evacuations in three weeks is an unusually high number. But he stressed that the explosive screening devices get dozens of hits every day, problems that are resolved by action far short of closing a terminal.

"We check an average of 44,000 bags a day through here, and on days when the cruise ships come in, there are 5,000 more," he said. "We find things all the time that we have to check out, but 99.9 percent of these situations are resolved quickly.

"Something went wrong. I don't know if it was carelessness or negligence. But I will find out. I feel comfortable that the steps I've taken will avoid this ever happening again."

-- Times researcher Kitty Bennett contributed to this report.