The DHS inspector general has concluded that administrative staffing levels of federal security directors at some airports are too high, while they are too low at others, but while it is unclear whether FSD staff is top-heavy, it recommended a staffing cap until more data is available.
In July 2005 the chair of the House aviation subcommittee sought to reduce or place a cap on TSA non-screener administrative staffing positions at airports around the country and requested the audit, but the IG said it could not completely answer the chairman’s questions because positions are not clearly classified in many cases.
The initial TSA staffing plan resulted in significant variations in staffing among airports with some understaffed and others overstaffed, the IG said.
It said that overall, FSD administrative staff consists of 1,850 employees supporting a passenger and baggage-screening workforce of 47,037 screeners — but the IG said TSA excludes from the count workers in non-screener positions with responsibilities for other FSD functions, such as law enforcement, cargo inspection, legal counsel, and regulatory compliance.
It is not possible to determine how much administrative workforce TSA now uses, and thereby to assess whether TSA uses too much or needs more, the audit concluded.
TSA completed a hub-spoke realignment and reallocation plan in July 2005 with principal and dependant airports that was to be implemented by September 2006, but the agency has not received funding for an additional 139 positions called for in the plan.
The IG called on TSA to determine precisely the number of administrative positions it needs and in the meantime recommend a cap or limit on those positions.
