The Transportation Research Board (TRB) says, "In light of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, enhancing the security of our transportation system is expected to be one of the highest priorities of transportation agencies." And to underscore that prediction, more than 30 sessions and workshops were held as part of TRB's "Spotlight on Security and Recovery" at the TRB Annual Meeting in January 2002.
The TSA is a component of the Department of Homeland Security and is responsible for security of the nation's transportation systems. With state, local and regional partners, the TSA oversees security for highways, railroads, buses, mass transit systems, ports, and 450 U.S. airports. The TSA's mission is to prevent terrorist attacks and to protect the US transportation network. The TSA employs approximately 50,000 people. Roughly 40,000 of its employees are Transportation Security Officers, commonly known as screeners.
The agency was created in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon. Before its creation, security checkpoints were operated by private companies which had contracts with either:
An airline (in cases where the terminal was owned by an airline)
A terminal company (in cases where the terminal was privately owned)
An airport operator (in cases where the terminal was operated by a government agency)
With the arrival of the TSA, private checkpoints have not disappeared altogether. In the cities of San Francisco, CA; Kansas City, Mo.; Rochester, N.Y.; Tupelo, Miss.; and Jackson, Wyo. private security firms have been approved by the TSA to provide security, but the TSA still supervises the private security firms.
The organization was charged, in the midst of much confusion over appropriate safety procedures, with developing policies to ensure the safety of U.S. air traffic and other forms of transportation. Airport security and the prevention of aircraft hijacking are integral parts of the TSA mission, though it's widely debated whether the TSA actually improves these areas. The TSA oversaw the Federal Air Marshal Service until December 1, 2003 when the program was officially transferred to the authority of the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In the U.S. government's 2006 fiscal year, the Federal Air Marshal Program was transferred back to the TSA.
The TRB Strategic Plan, released in January 2002, states, "Transportation is a target because it concentrates people in aircraft and terminals and on vehicles that travel through tunnels and over bridges. Strengthening transportation security will require concerted application of new technologies, operations, and deterrence strategies." And in Critical Issues in Transportation, the TRB Executive Committee adds, "Security must become a central goal of transportation. Achieving that goal will be difficult and costly, but necessary."
There have been numerous criticisms leveled at the TSA, including:
Complaints of invasion of privacy
Incidents of theft by its employees of airline passenger possessions
Lavish spending by TSA officials on events unrelated to airport security
Inadequate training and lack of background checks of employees
TSA Agents Making up their own rules
Inefficiency of agents
There have been changes at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) also. On Nov. 19, 2001, President Bush signed legislation creating the new Transportation Security Administration within DOT, and John W. Magaw has been appointed as DOT's undersecretary for transportation security and as the chief of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The Federal Highway Administration has also named a new program manager for transportation security. David A. Price, a career FHWA employee, has been assigned to this position and is responsible for providing program and technical advice on sensitive matters involving the protection of infrastructure and the maintenance of transportation services during and after national and/ or regional emergencies.
A lot of attention is now being placed on transportation security, but it would not be correct to think that nothing has been done in this area in the past. As Deputy Secretary Jackson pointed out at the TRB Annual Meeting, "It is obvious that the events of 9/11 have changed the transportation world, but transportation security and safety have always been a part of DOT's mission and focus."
End Notes
1. Transportation Security Administration Official Website retrieved from http://www.tsa.gov/ on 16th Oct 2006
2. TSA's official website of the Fly Clear Program, retrieved from http://www.flyclear.com/ on 16th Oct 2006
3. Anthony Travel office, LaFortune Student Center; Paris
