"It's Probably DOA"

Well, it looked good at the time. In the latter part of 2004, the Transportation Safety Administration unveiled what it called the "trace portal pilot program" at select major airports across the nation. Quickly dubbed the "puffer portal," it was designed to detect explosives at airport checkpoints with, supposedly, amazing accuracy.

The booth-like Explosives Detection Trace Portals deliver bursts of air to the body to displace particulate matter it then analyzes for traces of explosive materials. The machines were placed at John F. Kennedy International, Boston Logan International, Los Angeles International, Miami International, Newark Liberty International Airport and San Francisco International.

"TSA is committed to using cutting-edge technology in the defense of the nation," said Rear Adm. David M. Stone, USN (Ret.), Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for TSA in 2004.  "The deployment of this device marks one more successful step toward achieving our goals of safety and security for America's travelers."

It hasn't quite worked out that way. Several of the machines have been experiencing consistent problems ranging from filter trouble to just not working at all.

The machines at EWR are prone to false alarms and an inability to reset properly, said an unidentified TSA supervisor. Repairs that were made earlier this year do not appear to have remedied the situation, according to the Seattle Times.

"We all laugh about it now because we never know if it's working or not," said the supervisor, who requested to remain anonymous.

Some critics say the $30 million program, with all its $160,000 devices, has pretty much failed.

According to a recent US Government Accountability Office report not even 25 percent of the projected 434 machines have been distributed and put into service and there has not been a deployment since last year. The report said the reason was "performance and maintenance issues." The report further stated "limited progress has been made in fielding explosives detection technology at passenger screening checkpoints."

The TSA admits there are still problems to be rectified and can't say when or if the program will continue, according to the Times.

"TSA continues to work with the manufacturer on improving maintenance elements of first-generation units," wrote TSA spokesman Christopher White, in an e-mail response to The Star-Ledger of Newark, NJ, about the program's status. "A timeline has not been established for deploying additional trace portals."

"Due to performance and maintenance issues, TSA halted the acquisition and deployment of the [puff] portals in June 2006, and the acquisition of additional portals is contingent on resolution of these issues," the GAO report said.

Mark Laustra, vice president and general manager of homeland security for Smiths Detection, manufacturer of the machines at EWR, said the company is improving the filter problems as well as other issues.

"We didn't understand the amount of dust and dirt that was in an airport. The filter was getting clogged way too often," said Laustra.

"It's probably DOA," said Mike Boyd, an aviation consultant and TSA critic out of Denver, of the program. "This is another example of them spending a lot of money on technology they're unsure of and then mothballing [it]."

So, what is the TSA planning to do about the situation? White refused to say what the agency has done make up for the puff portal loss. "TSA has a layered approach to security," he said.

The TSA issued a news release in May, according to the Times, announcing yet another pilot program that will test a hand-held scanning device with "a technology capable of screening sealed bottled liquids for explosives." EWR is one of about six airports where the unit has been tested, according to TSA.

"Because the technology is performing well in pilot testing, TSA anticipates deploying up to 200 bottled liquid scanners to the nation's busiest airports by October," the agency said.

Steve Elson discovered major security lapses in the airport security system well before 9/11 as a member of the FAA's Red Team. He said he is hopeful for the new scanners.

But what does he think of the puff portals? "The idea is good -- but they have to work. That's the part they always miss at the TSA," he said.

FMI: www.smithsdetection.com, www.tsa.gov