Senator warns government to keep a wide focus for terrorism

Senator Tom Harkin says while attention is rightly being paid now to airport security, there should also be a focus on other places terrorists might attack.Harkin says it would be wrong to have “tunnel-vision” and think our focus should be on airline security measures. He says officials need to focus on safety of the food and water supplies, as a terrorist could strike while the focus is elsewhere.Harkin held a mid-day news conference at the Des Moines airport and discussed the airport security measures he hopes will be implemented.Harkin says in 1996, he pushed for having the federal government take-over airport security, but couldn’t get a majority of senators to support the idea. Harkin says there’s too much of a turnover rate among airport security staff. He says the turnover in Des Moines is 100 percent, while at some larger airports it’s 200 percent.Harkin says armed marshalls should be on cross-country and “long-haul” flights. Harkin says the I-N-S should share its database on international terrorists with the F-A-A. And Harkin says photos should be taken when a passenger checks-in at the ticket counter, and those photos should be compared to the passenger when he or she handles baggage, and gets on the plane.