The recent DHS Inspector General test of TSA airport screening processes revealed a 95% failure rate. To improve, tradeoffs will have to be made, and they all have costs. How much the failure rate changes will depend on how much people will want to pay.
DHS needs a uniform policy across all components on disseminating high quality, objective data that provides utility to all who use it. The data needs to be transparent and reproducible. With regards to the collecting and posting of wait times, much work is still needed across at least three agencies: CBP, TSA and USCIS.
There were about 160,000 unanswered FOIA requests in 2014, with the Department of Homeland Security accounting for 65%. The federal government has a culture of risk aversion, but there are four reasons why taking a smart risk in answering FOIA requests would be good for TSA and other agencies.
In an era where the public and private sectors alike are using data analytics to better understand and manage resources, DHS’ stance on making customer service compliment and complaint data publicly available is frustrating. This is a missed opportunity, as public access to analyze and learn from this data would improve our national economy, especially the travel and tourism industries.
Cyber incidents are escalating in frequency, duration, and complexity, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is planning to issue new cybersecurity disclosure rules, which are needed to help prevent “Information failure.”
The travel and tourism industry would benefit from understanding how well the efforts of TSA contribute to improved customer service at our nation’s airports. Fortunately, they provide this data to the Department of Transportation (DOT). This analysis shows some of the impacts before and after the introduction of Pre-Check.
Members of Congress recently re-introduced the Residue Entries and Streamlining Trade (REST) Act, and at issue were requirements on getting empty containers back into the United States. CBP should be applauded for a policy on delaying these additional requirements.
Homeland security is paramount, but facilitating trade should not be far behind and a part of this is customer service. Homeland security and good customer service should be considered complimentary and result in an even safer travel environment.
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