NY Reps: Screen All Airline Cargo

NY Reps: Screen All Airline Cargo

Airline passengers screened, virtually no cargo screened; Dubai ports crisis is over for now, but major security lapses remain

QUEENS, NY - Today, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Congressman Anthony Weiner expressed their strong support for legislation that would require the Department of Homeland Security to inspect all cargo before it is transported on passenger planes. While twenty-two percent of air cargo in the U.S. is carried on passenger planes, currently almost none of that cargo is inspected for explosives or other dangerous materials prior to being loaded onboard.

"Right now, cargo is loaded onto airplanes unscreened and unseen," Congresswoman Maloney said. "This is an unacceptable danger to airline passengers and crew members. If a bomb like the one that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 were shipped aboard one of the jets taking off this morning, we most likely wouldn't know until it was too late. If we can screen every traveler's shoes, coats and bags, we can also screen the cargo riding on the plane with them."

http://maloney.house.gov/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1084&Itemid=61