tsa partners with d.o.e.on both stateside venters and oversea buying trips ensuring tsa needs are met. tsa is exploring trained and untrained canines. tsa's goal is an additional 20 trained canines and 20 untrained canines suitable for passenger screening in 2016 through this initiati initiative. the agency pairs it with a federal, states, or local handler to be trained to operate in the aviation, multimodal, maritime, mass transit or cargo environments. the majority of canine teams are a canine and state or local law enforcement officer. for those teams, tsa provides and trains the dog, trains the handler, provides training aids and explosive storage magazines and conducts annual on-site violations of these canines. tsa partially reimburses each agency for operational costs associated with maintaining the ste taems and in return the law enforcement agencies agree to use their canines in their assigned environment for 90% of the handler's duty time. in addition to state and local led teams, tsa inspectorses l

tsa procures, trains and deploys both tsa-led and state and local law enforcement-led canine teams to secure our nation's transportation systems. congress recognized the value of tsa's canine program through its continued support and funding. it's currently the largest explosives canine program in dhs and second largest in federal government, with 997 funded canine teams currently stationed at more than 100 of our nation's airports, mass transit, and cargo environments. the success of tsa's canine program is a prime example of federal, state, and local government entities working together. given the security value of explosive detection canines, tsa must ensure a reliable and adequate supply of canines. tsa procures canines basically with an interagency agreement with the department of defense which supplies tsa with approximately 230 canines each year. tsa partners with dod on both stateside venders and oversea buying trips ensuring tsa needs are met. tsa is exploring trained and untrained canines. tsa's goal is an additional 20 trained canines and 20 untrained canines suitable for p

since they cover salary, benefits command vehicle expenses the annual cost for a tsa leada tsa led team is 100,000 more than one led by a law enforcement officer. officials told us that they were considering the approach but until this point they have not paired canines with law enforcement handlers. thank you for the opportunity to testify, testify, and i look forward to your questions. >> thank you. the founder and executive director for the tenten that working center. her research focuses on canine health and behavior and has been involved with search and rescue and disaster response and rescue task force including deployments to hurricane katrina. >> thank you and good morning, chairman and ranking member. it is a pleasure to be here. i would like to introduce a dog from the program, ten and a half week old german shepherd born in kansas. he is donated to the program , and his name is jerry. like all dogs donated to our program is named after one of the dogs that worked at nine/11. being handled by a veterinary student. you will be able to meet him after the hearing and learn more a

the tsa is blaming a staffing problem. and with a record increase in travelers, the tsa says it doesn't have the staff to move everyone through fast enough. that's led to passengers missing flights and cause for the tsa chief to fix the problem immediately. here's nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: it's happening at airports nationwide. lines to get through tsa. >> do you have a boarding pass for me today? >> reporter: in seattle today, backups, delays and mounting frustration. >> i missed my flight on wednesday. more than two hours i couldn't get through that. >> reporter: same story in chicago and atlanta. >> they are long. >> reporter: dallas an newark. >> they sent us from one line to another. >> reporter: meanwhile, at some airports, closed checkpoints. the tsa chief on the defensive in minneapolis today. >> it's no different than if you were to go to disney world at the peek period of the year, you are goingo expect to stand in some lines. >> reporter: what's the problem? a record surge in passengers. 140 million expec

said one of the things you can do to help speed up the process is do the tsa precheck. it's a prescreening program that allows you to skip the long lines. >> the tsa said it's expedited the hiring process and enrollment in the tsa academy. >> in washington george collie, channel 9, eyewitness news. >> the tsa said it expedited the hiring process and the last few months trying to help folks get through quicker. >>> in just a matter of hours marco rubio is set to stop in central florida trying to rally voters. >> we're looking at a what the win in the sunshine state would mean for his campaign. >> the deal this orange county mother accused of lying about the death of her 3-year-old daughter made. >> this convicted felon accused of shooting at an innocent family. how it could have on gps monitoring. >> who will feel the coolest was wearing a gps monitoring but that didn't stop him from opening fire on a woman. the family of four was driving near 436 when the suspect was accused of firing five shots into their car. >> tim barber spent the day digging into this story. tim, y

the tsa says passenger volume nationwide is up 7% over last year. some passengers are carrying on more to avoid baggage fees creating choke points at the scanners. weapons after failing high-profile audits. a record 2600 guns were confiscated last year. the tsa is at its lowest staffing level in five years and now it's trying to staff up, training 192 officers each week. in minneapolis, some improvement but it's only a start. >> i don't think we can ever be satisfied until things get back to a place where people feel really good about coming through the airport. >> reporter: the advice this spring break, get to the airport very early and brace yourself for the tsa chief predicts could be a very intense summer. tom costello, nbc news, reagan national airport. >>> when we come back, a question many may ask when they lose that hour of sleep this weekend, is it time to move i have asthma... ...one of many pieces in my life. so when my asthma symptoms kept coming back on my long-term control medicine, i talked to my doctor and found a missing piece in my

and the tsa says for now there is nothing they can do about it. here's jamie yuccas. >> tsa precheck over here. >> reporter: across the country long lines and frustrated passengers are stacking up at airport security checkpoints. >> this is bad. this is as bad as i have ever seen it. >> airlines have been warning passengers about longer waits online. travelers in minneapolis and atlanta have responded with choice tweets of their own. >> you are seeing a 10.5% >> reporter: today minnesota senator amy blobachar has said the record number of passer injuries traveling reflects a national trend. >> this is a problem that is not unique to the twin cities, it say problem going on across the country. >> reporter: nationally the number of tsa screeners is down 15% since 2011. tsa head peter neffenger told congress last week that the agency is taking steps to do more with less. >> we are rethinking how we invest in technology and partnering with several airlines and airports to developing and installing in the near future a genetically improved passenger sc

shorter >> reporter: tsa precheck an expedited security screening program available for a fee may or may not be the answer to these mind numbing lines. >> it's been a long time since i have done that because i definitely use the precheck. >> reporter: the tsa tells cbs 2, quote, the recent increases are caused by the rapid growth in travel volume combined with a ee nude emphasis on rigorous screening following testing that showed unacceptable results. >> tsa is understaffed. >> reporter: hurry up and wait at newark airport, steve langford, cbs 2 news. >> our call to united airlines which operates most of the flights out of terminal c at newark was not returned. >>> nypd needs some help in finding two men accused of stealing cigarettes, cigars, lottery tickets and cash from a staten island grocery store. the two were seen on video on located on richmond terrace. police say they entered through a cellar door and took off with $5,300 in goods and cash. remove cash from an atm inside the store but failed and damaged the machine. >>> a postal worker who pretended she was too scared to lea

the tsa says for now there is >> tsa precheck over here. >> reporter: across the country, long lines and frustrated passengers are stacking up at airport security check points. >> this is bad. bad as i have seen it. >> reporter: airlines have been warning passengers about longer waits. passengers, responded with choice tweets of their own. >> you have seen a 10.5% increase in travel since 2011. >> reporter: today, the senator said that the record number of passengers traveling this year reflects a national trend. >> this is a problem not unique to the twin cities. problem across the country. nationally the number of tsa screeners is down, 15% since 2011. tsa head peter neffenger told congress theagency is taking steps to do more with less. >> rethinking how we invest in technology and partnering with of and install dramatically improved, passenger screening environment in a couple key airports. >> atlanta airport general manager says the problems have gotten so bad he is considering replacing tsa screeners with private security workers. in a recent letter to the head of the tsa, he s

the tsa did not know how many of the employees are still on the job. george kiley, channel 9 eyewitness news. >>> a spokesman deferred all questions regarding our story to the tsa. >>> the tsa is being criticized for lack of staffing at airports as the busy string -- the agency for long lines. seattle tacoma is posting warnings on twitter about long wait times because the tsa is not keeping up with the number of passengers passing through. minneapolis-st. paul also aired frustrations recently. folks there are saying they have seen 10% more passengers but fewer screeners.>>> national security officials are trying to determine if warheads were headed here to the us. a european news report said the missiles were discovered by belgrade airport on a flight headed for portland. bombs sniffing dogs found them in coffins during a search of cargo on a plane from lebanon. officials are now trying to figure out who in the us was going to receive them. the has begun the first stage of a two part should to search mars for signs of life. this massive rocket launched

tsa precheck. that's the prescreening program that will let you skip the long lines. >>> skip the lines, don't travel somewhere down south to miami. you don't need to fly any where in this weather. charlotte is where it's at. what a gorgeous day. >> and what's better if you didn't get outside today, no worries, we have all week to enjoy this. still 66 in charlotte, gastonia, 65 in wadesboro. also toward monroe. 64 concord, albemarle, mid 60s i-40 corridor. even the mountains are warm. 57 at boone. this is the first week of march. unbelievable. upper 40s up high at banner elk. forecast this evening, talking about temperatures slowly the over night lows. finally drop down to the mid 40s. this isn't much of a low given this time of year. most neighborhoods usually dip in the 30s. still during this time in march. you can still be in the 40s tomorrow in the high country. bus stop forecast early on, no worries, a couple clouds, mid 40s early on. no heavy coats necessary. we'll be around 50 by 8:00 a.m. a

the tsa screens nearly 2 million passengers a day at 440 airports nationwide. at newark airport the port authority's heavily armed tactical unit in a show of force through the terminal. in miami, dog teams and swath officers set up roving checkpoints with a group of belgians preparing to fly home. >> want to go on a trip but we're scared. we said to each other this is the last time we're leaving home. >> reporter: also in miami, another belgian on his way to nicaragua for his wedding. >> i think fear and being afraid would be the worst response because i think that want. >> reporter: overseas u.s.-bound flights are getting added scrutiny at those airports. from charles de gaulle in paris to germany's frankfurt mein. terrorists have repeatedly demonstrated aviation remains an attractive target from the shoe bomb attack, to the underwear bomb, the multi-atlantic transatlantic bomb plot and the printer cartridge bomb plot. 250,000 people fly into the u.s. from foreign airports every day. former tsa chief john >> the evidence has always been as evidenced by the chr

but if you ask tsa union that because of an overtime that has led to a staffing shortage. an entire check point at terminal c they say, has been shut down because there aren't enough people to work it. >> if they're saying that the security measures are being beefed up, then they should get adequate notice to the travelers, passengers so they arrive in time >> reporter: the tsa also blames an increased number of travelers, up 7% from last year that's only expected to get worse as we head into spring break season meanwhile, they're urging everyone to get to the airport two hours before a domestic flight and three hoursalefore an international one. yo live from newark airport tonight, news 4, new york. >> thank you. >>> new tonight, new york city housing authority says it's completed the first step to making public housing safer. it's finished a $5 million lighting project. the new closed circuit tv cameras were also added and extra controls had been similar improvements are planned at 14 other housing sites. >>> a crafty climb has landed a trucker in trouble. he's accused o

tsa head passenger nessinger told congress last week that the agency is taking steps to do more with less. >> we're rethinking how we invest in technology and investing and installing in the near future a dramatically improved passenger screening environment at a couple of key airports. >> reporter: the general manager says the problems have gotten so bad, he's considering replacing tsa screeners with

the tsa screens nearly 2 million passengers a day at 440 airports nationwide. at newark airport, the port authorities' heavily armed tactical unity in a show of force through the terminal. in miami, dog teams and squad officers set up roving checkpoints with a group of belgians preparing to fly home. >> i like to go on trips, but we're scared. we said to each other, this is the last time we're leaving home. >> reporter: also in miami, another belgian on his way to ni nicaragua for his wedding. >> i think fear would be the worst response. >> reporter: overseas, u.s. bound flights are getting added scrutiny at those airports, from charles de gaulle in paris to germany. terrorists have repeatedly demonstrated aviation remains an attractive target. 250,000 people fly into the u.s. from foreign airports every day. former tsa chief john pistole. >> the concern has always been, as evidenced by the christmas day bomber and richard reed, the shoe bomber, and other plots that foreign airports are perhaps not as secure as u.s. airports. >> reporter: the u.s. veteran secur

. >> reporter: nationally, the number of tsa screeners is down 15% since 2011. tsa head passenger nessinger told congress last week that the agency is taking steps to do more with less. >> we're rethinking how we invest in technology and investing and installing in the near future a dramatically improved passenger screening environment at a couple of key airports. >> reporter: the general manager says the problems have gotten so bad, he's considering replacing tsa screeners with in a recent letter to the head of the tsa, he said the airport is dreading the outcome of the summer of 2016. . >> it wouldn't be the first time an airport privatized security workers. san francisco, kansas city and orlando have done it. >>> a treat for the start of the work week. elise returns with her extended forecast. plus, a life-changing invention. the little dog, and the invention helping this little guy get around easier than splash. iterguane.wel ri wn omedanseupoudeceto urewi-.swchowndet00egspdspl tanphe rju $.9a ntonneswcho tt. it tfi. lemme get a mcpick 2 listen up! there's a

an airport manager wrote this left to the tsa calling them understaffed. just yesterday seattle airport tweeted tsa can't keep up. >> you get caught in the security line. >> reporter: when it comes to taking off your shoes and unloading the liquids and laptops into bins, it's hard to >> i'm ready to go through security. >> reporter: the obama administration asked congress to approve a $3 billion budget for the tsa next year, almost $27 million more than they have right now. that would bring the number of officers to almost 43,000, about 2,000 more than this year. until then, the only advice that tsa is giving is get there early. >> we are two and a half hours early. >> we would rather err on the side of being early than late and running to the gate. >> reporter: for the now, i'm anne mcnamara. >> on tsa's website flyers can report wait times. there were more posts more less than 30 minutes. sometimes people saying they didn't have to wait at all. tampa has one of the best wait times of all large airports, averaging just 11 minutes last year. that's probabl

so it's -- very, very convenient. >> tsa cut the number of screeners by 10%. believing the precheck program would be popular. >>> the state department is now apologizing for atwitter it posted that seems to be spring break travel advice specifically for unattractive americans. now want to show you the tweeter. it warn people who are not a ten they should beware of being lured in to buying expensive drinks or being robbed. it was meant to warn of potential scams started by personal compliments but the reaction on social media was mostly sarcasm or anger. the state department posted a series of tweets directed at american students heading overseas for spring break using the hash tag spring breaking badly. >>> time now is 4:20. trouble in the water off australia's coast. >> that point on -- something had gone horribly wrong. >> how this man jumped in to action to save a surfer being attacked by a shark. >>> a professional surfer is in serious condition this morning after being attacked by a shark off the australian coast. the 22-year-old was surfing at about 7:00

tsa checkpoints are maxed out across the country. lines are long, tempers flaring. tom koscostello covers aviation and is at reagan national airport. tom, people want to know, what's the problem here? >> things are moving well at reagan, but nationwide, we've seen an increase in the number of travelers. the tsa admits it simply doesn't have enough screeners to get everybody through checkpoints in a timely manner. pressure to fix it and fix it fast. >> reporter: just in time for spring break, bottlenecks, backups and delays at tsa checkpoints nationwide. from atlanta -- >> at the end of the day, too many people going through too small of channels. >> reporter: -- to chicago. >> they could open more lines or have more staff available. >> reporter: at newark airport, the lines so long, passengers posted photos and complaints on social media. to here and minneapolis, where it can take up to an hour to get through the redesigned tsa checkpoint. without enough screening officers, passengers are missing their flights. the man who runs it is fed up. >> if you have children

how tsa is working to speed up security. here's a look at stocks today. things are down now with the dow dropping 43 and # moving 23. airport security could be here to stay. tsa officials are warning passengers about longer lines in the airport with millions of people heading out to spring break . a number of passengers is up 7% compared to this time last year but the number of tsa screeners is down. 15% since 2011. she has a crusade they are working on improving and speeding up the safety process. they are advising flyers to make sure it will give themselves extra time at the airport >> the next time you watch your favorite squad could be on social media. facebook reps say they are game this year. ot other streaming leaders are said to be interested in this package. right now it's not clear how much the company will pay the nfl to lifestream the games. the packages were formed and usd50 million. send pancake lovers are celebrating today! inte international banking days! as a free meal at ihop . lex are you driving? >> sure! you could donate. the internat

all of this has to do with tsa staffing levels.om costello has more on how to fix the problem. >> reporter: it's happening at airports nationwide, agonizingly slow, long lines to get through tsa. backups, delays, and mounting frustrations. >> i missed my flight wednesday. two hours i couldn't even get through. >> reporter: same story in chicago and atlanta. >> it's long. >> reporter: dallas and newark. >> reporter: meanwhile, some airports closed check points. the chief on the defensive. >> it's no different if you were going to disney world at the peak period of the year, you're going to expect is to stay in line. >> reporter: 140 million expected to fly this spring alone. volume is up 7% of last year. and passengers are carrying on more to avoid fees and choke pointing areas. 2,600 guns were confiscated last year. it is at its lowest staffing level for five years. now it is training to staff up. training 192 officers each week. in minneapolis, some improvement but they say it's only a start. >> i don't think we can be satisfied u