Jeff Sural was quoted extensively in a Homeland Security Today article centering on the role and future of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the government agency that was created to protect travel and travelers in the wake of September 11. Speaking of the agency under new leadership, Sural, a former TSA legislative director, said, “It should be a pretty exciting time for TSA.” Speaking of the homeland security secretary, Janet Napolitano, who oversees the agency under the auspices of the Department of Homeland Security, he said, “Hopefully her influence will show in who she selects to run TSA and that person will . . . focus TSA headquarters on better management. That’ll help with folks in the field and improve morale all the way around.”
In the detailed article, Sural also discussed tests by which government officials snuck fake explosives through security check points. “I . . . think there has been a lot of improvement, and we know that because there is constant testing going on . . . there are plenty of examples [of success] that never see the light of day.” However, in light of some embarrassing failures, the idea is out there to use private screeners for travel security, or to give screeners collective bargaining rights. “It’s the biggest x-factor for TSA right now,” said Sural. “Unions say it will provide stability to the workforce and improve morale—management says it will tie the hands of management and restrict them.”