Lawmaker (Markey) Wants Smaller Cargo Screened

Aug 8, 12:56 PM EDT

By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Packages weighing less than a pound - enough to hold the explosives carried by unsuccessful shoe-bomber Richard Reid - should be screened before they are shipped on passenger planes, Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., said Friday.

Markey, a member of the Select Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to Homeland Security Department Secretary Tom Ridge saying failure to screen small cargo packages is "an unacceptable security risk that must be immediately remedied."

Markey held a news conference at Logan International Airport in Boston to urge Ridge to take action, then flew to Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington to hold another news conference.

The Homeland Security Department did not immediately return a call seeking comment. However, Ridge previously has said the department is looking for ways to boost cargo security.

more...http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AVIATION_SECURITY?SITE=WIRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT