By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 20:47 EST, 25 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 21:04 EST, 25 August 2012 . After spending millions of dollars trying to find a new type of scanner that would allow travelers to keep their shoes on while going through airport security, the U.S. government decided to leave things as they are. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it had rejected all four devices that were under consideration because they failed to detect all the explosive devices and metal weapons that were hidden in footwear during tests. The news comes less than a year after Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano had announced that the TSA is well on its way to develop and put in place new scanning machines that would allow passengers to remain shod, thus cutting down on long lines and complaints. Dashed hopes: The TSA had rejected all four scanning devices that were being tested because they failed to detect all the weapons hidden in footwear . But now the TSA says that it is not any closer to solving the security scanner problem, the New York Times reported. The policy requiring passengers to take off their footwear was instituted after Richard Reid tried unsuccessfully to detonate an explosive device concealed in his shoes on a flight from Paris to Miami in 2001. Over the years, the government has made attempts to improve airport security procedures, allowing elderly travelers and children to keep their shoes on when going through airport screening. In another move to streamline the . process, the TSA put in place the PreCheck program in about 20 domestic . airports where travelers willing to submit themselves to a security . screening may go through checkpoints without having to remove any . clothing or part with their laptops. Pet peeve: Passengers say they hate taking off their shoes more than pat-downs and full-body scans . While the introduction of full-body scanners to airports around the U.S. has been a controversial move, with critics raising a host of concerns ranging from radiation to privacy, no part of airport security has drawn more ire from travelers than removing their footwear. According to the U.S. Travel . Association, a Washington-based trade group, passengers say they hate . taking off their shoes more than pat-downs and full-body scans. Shoe bomber: The shoe-removal policy was put in place after Richard Reid, pictured, attempted to detonate an explosive device hidden in his footwear on a plane in 2001 . TSA officials are aware that standing security procedures related to the removal of clothing are widely detested by travelers and in no small part contribute to longer lines at checkpoints. In 2007, the agency tested a General Electric shoe scanner at Orlando International Airport. The following year, it tested two devices made by L3 Communications at Los Angeles’ LAX, but none of them had earned the TSA’s stamp of approval. Another scanning machine that was under consideration was Magshoe, which is manufactured by an Israeli firm. The device, which is meant to detect metal, has been depplyed in hundreds of airports and cruise ships around the world, including in China, Italy and Israel. Michael Goldberg, the company’s president, told The Times the contraption can detect bombs containing metal, but not plastic explosives. The government has a $1.4million contract with Morpho Detection, a subsidiary of the French defense giant Safran, to develop a shoe-scanning machine. Morpho’s device can detect chemical . compounds and metal objects, said Brad Buswell, the president of Morpho . and a former Homeland Security official, who added that the TSa will be . testing a rotoyp of the machine this year. . High-tech machine: The Magshoe, made by an Israeli firm, can detect explosives that contain metals, but not plastic . Many security experts believe that the TSA should abandon its current approach that hinges on finding weapons in shoes and bags and focus instead on detecting the people who may be planning to carry out an attack. In Israel, security officials are trained to quickly determine whether a passenger may pose a threat by conducting an interview with him or her. But critics believe that in the U.S., where some 803 million travelers passed through airports last year alone, such an approach would be futile and may open the door on racial profiling.
TSA said four scanners failed to detect all weapons hidden in shoes during tests .
Shoe removal policy was put in place after Richard Reid tried to detonate a bomb hidden in his footwear in 2001 .
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 20:47 EST, 25 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 21:04 EST, 25 August 2012 . After spending millions of dollars trying to find a new type of scanner that would allow travelers to keep their shoes on while going through airport security, the U.S. government decided to leave things as they are. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it had rejected all four devices that were under consideration because they failed to detect all the explosive devices and metal weapons that were hidden in footwear during tests. The news comes less than a year after Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano had announced that the TSA is well on its way to develop and put in place new scanning machines that would allow passengers to remain shod, thus cutting down on long lines and complaints. Dashed hopes: The TSA had rejected all four scanning devices that were being tested because they failed to detect all the weapons hidden in footwear . But now the TSA says that it is not any closer to solving the security scanner problem, the New York Times reported. The policy requiring passengers to take off their footwear was instituted after Richard Reid tried unsuccessfully to detonate an explosive device concealed in his shoes on a flight from Paris to Miami in 2001. Over the years, the government has made attempts to improve airport security procedures, allowing elderly travelers and children to keep their shoes on when going through airport screening. In another move to streamline the . process, the TSA put in place the PreCheck program in about 20 domestic . airports where travelers willing to submit themselves to a security . screening may go through checkpoints without having to remove any . clothing or part with their laptops. Pet peeve: Passengers say they hate taking off their shoes more than pat-downs and full-body scans . While the introduction of full-body scanners to airports around the U.S. has been a controversial move, with critics raising a host of concerns ranging from radiation to privacy, no part of airport security has drawn more ire from travelers than removing their footwear. According to the U.S. Travel . Association, a Washington-based trade group, passengers say they hate . taking off their shoes more than pat-downs and full-body scans. Shoe bomber: The shoe-removal policy was put in place after Richard Reid, pictured, attempted to detonate an explosive device hidden in his footwear on a plane in 2001 . TSA officials are aware that standing security procedures related to the removal of clothing are widely detested by travelers and in no small part contribute to longer lines at checkpoints. In 2007, the agency tested a General Electric shoe scanner at Orlando International Airport. The following year, it tested two devices made by L3 Communications at Los Angeles’ LAX, but none of them had earned the TSA’s stamp of approval. Another scanning machine that was under consideration was Magshoe, which is manufactured by an Israeli firm. The device, which is meant to detect metal, has been depplyed in hundreds of airports and cruise ships around the world, including in China, Italy and Israel. Michael Goldberg, the company’s president, told The Times the contraption can detect bombs containing metal, but not plastic explosives. The government has a $1.4million contract with Morpho Detection, a subsidiary of the French defense giant Safran, to develop a shoe-scanning machine. Morpho’s device can detect chemical . compounds and metal objects, said Brad Buswell, the president of Morpho . and a former Homeland Security official, who added that the TSa will be . testing a rotoyp of the machine this year. . High-tech machine: The Magshoe, made by an Israeli firm, can detect explosives that contain metals, but not plastic . Many security experts believe that the TSA should abandon its current approach that hinges on finding weapons in shoes and bags and focus instead on detecting the people who may be planning to carry out an attack. In Israel, security officials are trained to quickly determine whether a passenger may pose a threat by conducting an interview with him or her. But critics believe that in the U.S., where some 803 million travelers passed through airports last year alone, such an approach would be futile and may open the door on racial profiling.
being tested because they failed to detect all Reid tried unsuccessfully to detonate an shoe-removal policy was put in place after Richard Reid, pictured, attempted to detonate an explosive device hidden in his footwear on a