TSA's latest hi-tech gadget, new maturity?

The TSA has a new weapon in the war against passenger confusion: the bullhorn. From a San Diego newspaper: 

On July 18, two dozen flights were delayed and Terminal 2 gates were emptied after a Transportation Security Administration screener lost track of a carry-on bag singled out for a search.

An X-ray scan showed the bag contained more liquid than allowed under federal regulations.

The screening lapse upset passengers, with some complaining that TSA staff did a poor job of telling them what was going on. They recounted scenes of agency officers standing on tables and shouting announcements that few could hear.

Michael J. Aguilar, security director of the TSA office in San Diego, yesterday said he plans to add bullhorns to the agency’s arsenal to better inform Lindbergh passengers in the future.

The TSA does have a tough (impossible?) job, and we could all think of ways to do it better, right? Well, some are praising the agency for a new level of maturity:

The TSA’s intelligence circular that leaked this week demonstrates that the agency the flying public loves to hate has matured beyond confiscating nail clippers, tweezers and lighters, they said Wednesday.

The experts agreed that this judgment holds true even if the four incidents that triggered the warning turn out to have innocent explanations, as two of them — in San Diego and Baltimore — appeared to on Wednesday. (OBOW ed.: not the same San Diego event mentioned above)

“This is what TSA should be doing whether it turns out to be a whole bunch of harmless coincidences or part of a plot,” said James Carafano, a security expert at the conservative Heritage Foundation who in the past called for TSA’s abolition.

“This kind of analysis wouldn’t have happened before Sept. 11, 2001,” or even for some time afterward, he said. - AP via IHT.

 Here’s the TSA statement on the leaked memo and recent incidents.